In times of economic turmoil and great uncertainty in the United States, many are turning to an unlikely source for employment: The Foreign Service.
Because of new funding authorized by a supplemental war funding bill and requests from the State Department to fund 1,500 new positions, 800 of which are foreign service, there appears to be a new demand in the government.
Although not everyone is made for the foreign service because of the stress of the job, the constant traveling and moving or the potential threat of serious conflict, the career can be incredibly rewarding.
“…career diplomats like Ronald E. Neumann, a former ambassador to Afghanistan who now heads the American Academy of Diplomacy, called it the best job in the world. “I enjoy what I’m doing now but it’s nothing like working on foreign policy,” he said. “In my 37 years of service I may have gone home tired or frustrated with how a decision came out, but I never went home and asked myself if what I was working on was worthwhile.””
Once in the foreign service, individuals follow very structured paths their first couple of years. “New Foreign Service officers at the State Department choose one of five career tracks: consular affairs, economic affairs, management affairs, political affairs or diplomacy. No matter the track, all entry-level officers spend their first several years working in a consulate, interviewing applicants for United States visas and working with American citizens who need their help.”
To read more about potential the foreign service, read the article.