Foreign Service Specialist Info
The Foreign Service experience provides many opportunities for interesting stories, if you know where to look and you know what you're looking at. As we progress in our journey with the Foreign Service, it's possible that some of our better posts will get lost on the digital bookshelf. So this page will highlight the posts that give the best overview our Foreign Service (FS) experience, from entering the Foreign Service and our FS career, to various posts about assignments & training, and our life in the Foreign Service.
Entering the Foreign Service
When Greg separated from the US Air Force, he considered several paths into the Foreign Service. If you didn't know already, the US Department of State has two types of federal service, consisting of three primary groups of federal workers: Foreign Service Officers (FSO), Foreign Service Specialists (FSS), and Civil Service (CS). As the name would indicate, both FSOs and FSSs are in the Foreign Service and spend most of their careers abroad. Greg is now a Foreign Service Specialist, and his specialty is Construction Engineering, aka FSCE. If you're also coming from the military, you might want to read this post to see how your military specialty converts to the Foreign Service.
If you're curious about whether Foreign Service Specialists are considered diplomats, read this.
Foreign Service Career
Much like the military, every Foreign Service career is different based on where you go and what you do. But some things are the same wherever you go.
Assignments
Training
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Foreign Service Life
Now that all the career stuff is out of the way, let's talk about what life is like in the Foreign Service.
Making the most of being a stranger in a strange land (specifically, Saudi Arabia)
If you've found this page looking for more information about the process of joining the Foreign Service (as either a Generalist or a Specialist), check out:
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Entering the Foreign Service
When Greg separated from the US Air Force, he considered several paths into the Foreign Service. If you didn't know already, the US Department of State has two types of federal service, consisting of three primary groups of federal workers: Foreign Service Officers (FSO), Foreign Service Specialists (FSS), and Civil Service (CS). As the name would indicate, both FSOs and FSSs are in the Foreign Service and spend most of their careers abroad. Greg is now a Foreign Service Specialist, and his specialty is Construction Engineering, aka FSCE. If you're also coming from the military, you might want to read this post to see how your military specialty converts to the Foreign Service.
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| FS: Foreign Service (FSO & FSS) CS: Civil Service |
- My Foreign Service Specialist Oral Assessment Experience (with full hiring timeline)
- The Foreign Service clearance process
- An offer to join the U.S. Foreign Service
- Understanding Grade & Step
- The First Day of FSS Orientation
- More about Greg's FSCE specialty
- All posts related to Entering the Foreign Service
Foreign Service Career
Much like the military, every Foreign Service career is different based on where you go and what you do. But some things are the same wherever you go.
- Flag Day! Everyone in the Foreign Service has one.
- The Assignment Process, and how the FSCE specialty is unique
- What Bid Season is like (for everyone)
- Work-Life Balance with International Travel
- Making Tenure as a Foreign Service Specialist
- All posts related to having a Foreign Service Career
Assignments
- The FSCE Assignment Process
- #1: Assignment D.C.
- #2: Assignment Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Previous military and other assignment/travel summaries
- External link: FS Bidding Tools
Training
- The First Day of FSS Orientation
- Leadership Training
- Foreign Affairs Counter Threat training, better known as "Crash! Bang!"
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Foreign Service Life
Now that all the career stuff is out of the way, let's talk about what life is like in the Foreign Service.
Making the most of being a stranger in a strange land (specifically, Saudi Arabia)
- Initial impressions of Jeddah
- The art of participation
- The basics on being a Western woman in Saudi Arabia
- A close encounter with the religious police
- My first Iftar
- Celebrating Eid al-Fitr
- Diving in Yanbu
- Figuring out if your electronics will work when you plug them in
- Everything you need to know about international phones
- Traveling internationally with pets
- Getting mail overseas
- Waiting for your household goods to arrive
- The realities of Foreign Service life for families with young children
- Kacey's perspective as a Foreign Service Spouse (aka "EFM")
- All posts about our adventurous Foreign Service Life
If you've found this page looking for more information about the process of joining the Foreign Service (as either a Generalist or a Specialist), check out:
- The Careers @ State.gov Forum
- Yahoo! Groups for either
- Foreign Service Specialist Careers or
- Foreign Service Officer Test / Foreign Service Oral Assessment
- You'll probably visit these pages at least daily while in the process of entering the Foreign Service, hoping for any new info.
- Foreign Service blogs
- If you are a U.S. citizen looking for information about traveling and living abroad, check out Travel.State.Gov
- If you are a non-U.S. citizen looking for information about U.S. visa requirements, check out www.ustraveldocs.com
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