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What does a foreign service officer do?

What can I do to help him become a foreign service officer?

  • My boyfriend knows all about the exam process to become a foreign officer...he is considering on applying again this year. He feels that the main reason why he was not accepted last time was because he has never been deported or had any experience over seas (he is in the reserves). He is trying to find ways to make him more marketable. - at the same time he knows that if he keeps having to apply, it might be a negative effect and cause him to be discouraged. What can I do to help him during this process? I have tried some online research, but feel a lot of the information I am finding has to do with how to prepare for the exam. What experiences or credentials does he need to stand out? I really want to help him out. He has passion for this career and is driven. I admire that. I have no idea what I want as a career and he has been wanting to become a foreign service officer for so long. - right now I just want to help and see his dream come true. I know he has to do all the grunt work, but I just want to help push him there. Any advice?

  • Answer:

    It's very heartwarming to hear of your support for him. Diplomatic spouses face certain difficulties as having to adjust to foreign cultures, inability to plan your household for longer period of times and being separated from friends and relatives. He could point the fact that he has your support at the interview. Also he can stress that although he doesn't have foreign experience his work at the sheriffs department gives him unique insight into US values and vision which is most important while posted overseas. You can easily learn to understand foreigners while you live among them but they will be interested most what you can tell them about your country especially when you are representing it officially. Diplomacy is an exciting career with its own limitations and difficulties. As long as your boyfriend knows what he wants he will achieve it. Determination is the most important ingredient of success.

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did he pass the written exam and make it to the orals, or not? If he's easily discouraged, maybe this isn't for him. Not being deported is hardly a minus. working on languages, and overseas experience certainly helps, but first you have to pass the written exam. the reality is that there is not one path to getting in. there are different job areas in the Foreign Service, like political, economic,consular, management, and public affairs. how he should best market himself will depend to some extant on what he wants to do in the Foreign Service.

George L

Overseas experience and foreign language skills are a huge plus. I have 2 friends who are FSOs. One of them spent a semester abroad in Spain in college and spent a summer volunteering with a charity in Bolivia and speaks pretty fluent Spanish, even though she has now never been posted to a Spanish speaking country. She's been in the middle east and central europe. The other was an exchange student in Japan in high school for a year and studied Mandarin and spent a year in China in college

Kittysue

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