Foreign Service Officer offer-- does anyone have experience?

[Anonymous]

I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

Firstly, be prepared that your offer may be revoked due to potential impending hiring freezes so try to avoid making any permanent/financially costly decisions such as quitting jobs or breaking leases until the last minute possible….many would be hires have been burned by this.

Assuming that the offer does actually come to fruition, as long as you are of a sufficient geographic distance from the dc metro area then the state department will in theory pay for your relocation expenses and for a housing stipend during your training period in dc (which could range from 8 weeks to a year plus depending on your follow on assignment). However, you will need to be prepared to pay many of the costs upfront, with long lag times for reimbursement, and to end up paying at least a portion out of pocket. Depending on the time of year/your family composition, etc you may also struggle to find adequate housing to meet your needs within the per diem allowance.

For your first and second tours you will have an opportunity to rank your preferences among the countries/positions available but at the end of the day it’s very much luck of the draw and no, your non state spouse’s job prospects will not factor heavily in the assignment process nor will it be considered grounds for a compassionate curtailment or reassignment.

All that being said, there are many high points and benefits of being an FSO, especially as you progress up the chain and have more of a say in your career path, but you should be prepared that the first few years especially for those with familial considerations can be very tough.

You should try to join the trailing houses facebook group for more effective crowdsourcing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

Firstly, be prepared that your offer may be revoked due to potential impending hiring freezes so try to avoid making any permanent/financially costly decisions such as quitting jobs or breaking leases until the last minute possible….many would be hires have been burned by this.

Assuming that the offer does actually come to fruition, as long as you are of a sufficient geographic distance from the dc metro area then the state department will in theory pay for your relocation expenses and for a housing stipend during your training period in dc (which could range from 8 weeks to a year plus depending on your follow on assignment). However, you will need to be prepared to pay many of the costs upfront, with long lag times for reimbursement, and to end up paying at least a portion out of pocket. Depending on the time of year/your family composition, etc you may also struggle to find adequate housing to meet your needs within the per diem allowance.

For your first and second tours you will have an opportunity to rank your preferences among the countries/positions available but at the end of the day it’s very much luck of the draw and no, your non state spouse’s job prospects will not factor heavily in the assignment process nor will it be considered grounds for a compassionate curtailment or reassignment.

All that being said, there are many high points and benefits of being an FSO, especially as you progress up the chain and have more of a say in your career path, but you should be prepared that the first few years especially for those with familial considerations can be very tough.

You should try to join the trailing houses facebook group for more effective crowdsourcing.

Forgot to mention, you would have to talk to your current agency regarding the potential for them to rehire you should it not work out, but you would obviously have to resign from your current billet to take the new job and I’ve never personally heard of an agency keeping a billet open for a former employee in the event they want to change their mind and want to return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

Firstly, be prepared that your offer may be revoked due to potential impending hiring freezes so try to avoid making any permanent/financially costly decisions such as quitting jobs or breaking leases until the last minute possible….many would be hires have been burned by this.

Assuming that the offer does actually come to fruition, as long as you are of a sufficient geographic distance from the dc metro area then the state department will in theory pay for your relocation expenses and for a housing stipend during your training period in dc (which could range from 8 weeks to a year plus depending on your follow on assignment). However, you will need to be prepared to pay many of the costs upfront, with long lag times for reimbursement, and to end up paying at least a portion out of pocket. Depending on the time of year/your family composition, etc you may also struggle to find adequate housing to meet your needs within the per diem allowance.

For your first and second tours you will have an opportunity to rank your preferences among the countries/positions available but at the end of the day it’s very much luck of the draw and no, your non state spouse’s job prospects will not factor heavily in the assignment process nor will it be considered grounds for a compassionate curtailment or reassignment.

All that being said, there are many high points and benefits of being an FSO, especially as you progress up the chain and have more of a say in your career path, but you should be prepared that the first few years especially for those with familial considerations can be very tough.

You should try to join the trailing houses facebook group for more effective crowdsourcing.

This is super helpful. I was not aware of this. At which point does the offer become nonrevokable--- it's a 6 week orientation! I am a permanent federal employee so it is scary to give up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

Firstly, be prepared that your offer may be revoked due to potential impending hiring freezes so try to avoid making any permanent/financially costly decisions such as quitting jobs or breaking leases until the last minute possible….many would be hires have been burned by this.

Assuming that the offer does actually come to fruition, as long as you are of a sufficient geographic distance from the dc metro area then the state department will in theory pay for your relocation expenses and for a housing stipend during your training period in dc (which could range from 8 weeks to a year plus depending on your follow on assignment). However, you will need to be prepared to pay many of the costs upfront, with long lag times for reimbursement, and to end up paying at least a portion out of pocket. Depending on the time of year/your family composition, etc you may also struggle to find adequate housing to meet your needs within the per diem allowance.

For your first and second tours you will have an opportunity to rank your preferences among the countries/positions available but at the end of the day it’s very much luck of the draw and no, your non state spouse’s job prospects will not factor heavily in the assignment process nor will it be considered grounds for a compassionate curtailment or reassignment.

All that being said, there are many high points and benefits of being an FSO, especially as you progress up the chain and have more of a say in your career path, but you should be prepared that the first few years especially for those with familial considerations can be very tough.

You should try to join the trailing houses facebook group for more effective crowdsourcing.

There is a legion of trailing spouses at State. The dept is pretty known for family member hiring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

Firstly, be prepared that your offer may be revoked due to potential impending hiring freezes so try to avoid making any permanent/financially costly decisions such as quitting jobs or breaking leases until the last minute possible….many would be hires have been burned by this.

Assuming that the offer does actually come to fruition, as long as you are of a sufficient geographic distance from the dc metro area then the state department will in theory pay for your relocation expenses and for a housing stipend during your training period in dc (which could range from 8 weeks to a year plus depending on your follow on assignment). However, you will need to be prepared to pay many of the costs upfront, with long lag times for reimbursement, and to end up paying at least a portion out of pocket. Depending on the time of year/your family composition, etc you may also struggle to find adequate housing to meet your needs within the per diem allowance.

For your first and second tours you will have an opportunity to rank your preferences among the countries/positions available but at the end of the day it’s very much luck of the draw and no, your non state spouse’s job prospects will not factor heavily in the assignment process nor will it be considered grounds for a compassionate curtailment or reassignment.

All that being said, there are many high points and benefits of being an FSO, especially as you progress up the chain and have more of a say in your career path, but you should be prepared that the first few years especially for those with familial considerations can be very tough.

You should try to join the trailing houses facebook group for more effective crowdsourcing.

There is a legion of trailing spouses at State. The dept is pretty known for family member hiring.

Np are they actually good jobs? My GS14 friend was offered a part time GS5 job as a cia spouse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

Firstly, be prepared that your offer may be revoked due to potential impending hiring freezes so try to avoid making any permanent/financially costly decisions such as quitting jobs or breaking leases until the last minute possible….many would be hires have been burned by this.

Assuming that the offer does actually come to fruition, as long as you are of a sufficient geographic distance from the dc metro area then the state department will in theory pay for your relocation expenses and for a housing stipend during your training period in dc (which could range from 8 weeks to a year plus depending on your follow on assignment). However, you will need to be prepared to pay many of the costs upfront, with long lag times for reimbursement, and to end up paying at least a portion out of pocket. Depending on the time of year/your family composition, etc you may also struggle to find adequate housing to meet your needs within the per diem allowance.

For your first and second tours you will have an opportunity to rank your preferences among the countries/positions available but at the end of the day it’s very much luck of the draw and no, your non state spouse’s job prospects will not factor heavily in the assignment process nor will it be considered grounds for a compassionate curtailment or reassignment.

All that being said, there are many high points and benefits of being an FSO, especially as you progress up the chain and have more of a say in your career path, but you should be prepared that the first few years especially for those with familial considerations can be very tough.

You should try to join the trailing houses facebook group for more effective crowdsourcing.

There is a legion of trailing spouses at State. The dept is pretty known for family member hiring.

Np are they actually good jobs? My GS14 friend was offered a part time GS5 job as a cia spouse.

You tend to take what you can get.

[Anonymous]

Do you have kids OP? My experience with foreign service is my dad was in the foreign service and I was a trailing kid. It was not easy. Have tons of feedback on that.

[Anonymous]

What does your spouse think of it? My dh applied a long time ago, and I did not voice my concerns too much because I figured we would have to first see if he made it. He did not by a few points, and I was so relieved because I had read blogs by spouses of FSO, and it mostly seemed like an incredibly difficult experience: being dropped in random cities and countries you don't have any desire to be in, starting from scratch with the kids, accommodation issues, loneliness..My understanding was you really get no real choice for your first assignment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

Firstly, be prepared that your offer may be revoked due to potential impending hiring freezes so try to avoid making any permanent/financially costly decisions such as quitting jobs or breaking leases until the last minute possible….many would be hires have been burned by this.

Assuming that the offer does actually come to fruition, as long as you are of a sufficient geographic distance from the dc metro area then the state department will in theory pay for your relocation expenses and for a housing stipend during your training period in dc (which could range from 8 weeks to a year plus depending on your follow on assignment). However, you will need to be prepared to pay many of the costs upfront, with long lag times for reimbursement, and to end up paying at least a portion out of pocket. Depending on the time of year/your family composition, etc you may also struggle to find adequate housing to meet your needs within the per diem allowance.

For your first and second tours you will have an opportunity to rank your preferences among the countries/positions available but at the end of the day it’s very much luck of the draw and no, your non state spouse’s job prospects will not factor heavily in the assignment process nor will it be considered grounds for a compassionate curtailment or reassignment.

All that being said, there are many high points and benefits of being an FSO, especially as you progress up the chain and have more of a say in your career path, but you should be prepared that the first few years especially for those with familial considerations can be very tough.

You should try to join the trailing houses facebook group for more effective crowdsourcing.

There is a legion of trailing spouses at State. The dept is pretty known for family member hiring.

Np are they actually good jobs? My GS14 friend was offered a part time GS5 job as a cia spouse.

You tend to take what you can get.

I'm a FS spouse.. It depends if you have skills the department could use overseas in an EPAP position or maybe a DETO. Those are paid somewhat decent. In my case though my previous career didn't transfer so I took a GS7 job doing something totally unrelated at the Embassy. I then used what I learned there to get a 7/9/11 ladder job upon arriving back in DC instead of returning to my former career. Depending on the post though, spouse employment can really be hit or miss, and the liklihood of a hiring freeze with the upcoming administration is high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

Firstly, be prepared that your offer may be revoked due to potential impending hiring freezes so try to avoid making any permanent/financially costly decisions such as quitting jobs or breaking leases until the last minute possible….many would be hires have been burned by this.

Assuming that the offer does actually come to fruition, as long as you are of a sufficient geographic distance from the dc metro area then the state department will in theory pay for your relocation expenses and for a housing stipend during your training period in dc (which could range from 8 weeks to a year plus depending on your follow on assignment). However, you will need to be prepared to pay many of the costs upfront, with long lag times for reimbursement, and to end up paying at least a portion out of pocket. Depending on the time of year/your family composition, etc you may also struggle to find adequate housing to meet your needs within the per diem allowance.

For your first and second tours you will have an opportunity to rank your preferences among the countries/positions available but at the end of the day it’s very much luck of the draw and no, your non state spouse’s job prospects will not factor heavily in the assignment process nor will it be considered grounds for a compassionate curtailment or reassignment.

All that being said, there are many high points and benefits of being an FSO, especially as you progress up the chain and have more of a say in your career path, but you should be prepared that the first few years especially for those with familial considerations can be very tough.

You should try to join the trailing houses facebook group for more effective crowdsourcing.

There is a legion of trailing spouses at State. The dept is pretty known for family member hiring.

Np are they actually good jobs? My GS14 friend was offered a part time GS5 job as a cia spouse.

You tend to take what you can get.

I'm a FS spouse.. It depends if you have skills the department could use overseas in an EPAP position or maybe a DETO. Those are paid somewhat decent. In my case though my previous career didn't transfer so I took a GS7 job doing something totally unrelated at the Embassy. I then used what I learned there to get a 7/9/11 ladder job upon arriving back in DC instead of returning to my former career. Depending on the post though, spouse employment can really be hit or miss, and the liklihood of a hiring freeze with the upcoming administration is high.

To clarify- my grade at Post was actually FP7 which is equivalent to GS7. My ladder job is on the GS scale.

[Anonymous]

At State on the CS side. FS colleagues have been getting more and more miserable as each FY passes. Could be a generational thing. Dunno.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

Firstly, be prepared that your offer may be revoked due to potential impending hiring freezes so try to avoid making any permanent/financially costly decisions such as quitting jobs or breaking leases until the last minute possible….many would be hires have been burned by this.

Assuming that the offer does actually come to fruition, as long as you are of a sufficient geographic distance from the dc metro area then the state department will in theory pay for your relocation expenses and for a housing stipend during your training period in dc (which could range from 8 weeks to a year plus depending on your follow on assignment). However, you will need to be prepared to pay many of the costs upfront, with long lag times for reimbursement, and to end up paying at least a portion out of pocket. Depending on the time of year/your family composition, etc you may also struggle to find adequate housing to meet your needs within the per diem allowance.

For your first and second tours you will have an opportunity to rank your preferences among the countries/positions available but at the end of the day it’s very much luck of the draw and no, your non state spouse’s job prospects will not factor heavily in the assignment process nor will it be considered grounds for a compassionate curtailment or reassignment.

All that being said, there are many high points and benefits of being an FSO, especially as you progress up the chain and have more of a say in your career path, but you should be prepared that the first few years especially for those with familial considerations can be very tough.

You should try to join the trailing houses facebook group for more effective crowdsourcing.

This is super helpful. I was not aware of this. At which point does the offer become nonrevokable--- it's a 6 week orientation! I am a permanent federal employee so it is scary to give up.

I mean… we’re not exactly in traditional times so there’s not really any clear guidance anyone can provide you. Yes, typically once you get a final offer it is solid but during the last Trump administration they abruptly instituted a complete hiring freeze in February 2017 and canceled a number of scheduled orientation (A100) classes leaving many who had already received offers/report dates and given notice to their prior jobs, landlords, etc in the lurch.

That’s not to say it will play out the same way this go round but it would definitely give me pause if planning to make a move in the coming months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently a GS 14 remote worker for a nonstate dept agency. I did apply to be a foreign service officer and went through the exams, interviews, etc. Now, I received an offer to officially undergo orientation and training for the foreign service. My understanding is that I wont know where I am assigned until after the orientation training. Does anybody know what it is like to relocate a family for the orientation training part? If the country I am assigned to is not viable for us as a family (my spouse has a job that can be remote for certain countries), what next? Is there a set of choices of countries, or an appeals process? Is it possible to then go back to my old agency or am I forced to leave federal service and then have to reapply as an outsider?

Thanks so much for any info you may have!

Firstly, be prepared that your offer may be revoked due to potential impending hiring freezes so try to avoid making any permanent/financially costly decisions such as quitting jobs or breaking leases until the last minute possible….many would be hires have been burned by this.

Assuming that the offer does actually come to fruition, as long as you are of a sufficient geographic distance from the dc metro area then the state department will in theory pay for your relocation expenses and for a housing stipend during your training period in dc (which could range from 8 weeks to a year plus depending on your follow on assignment). However, you will need to be prepared to pay many of the costs upfront, with long lag times for reimbursement, and to end up paying at least a portion out of pocket. Depending on the time of year/your family composition, etc you may also struggle to find adequate housing to meet your needs within the per diem allowance.

For your first and second tours you will have an opportunity to rank your preferences among the countries/positions available but at the end of the day it’s very much luck of the draw and no, your non state spouse’s job prospects will not factor heavily in the assignment process nor will it be considered grounds for a compassionate curtailment or reassignment.

All that being said, there are many high points and benefits of being an FSO, especially as you progress up the chain and have more of a say in your career path, but you should be prepared that the first few years especially for those with familial considerations can be very tough.

You should try to join the trailing houses facebook group for more effective crowdsourcing.

There is a legion of trailing spouses at State. The dept is pretty known for family member hiring.

Yes, there are typically family member positions available at most posts but they tend to be mostly administrative in nature and with limited salary potential.

OP’s question was regarding being able to select a posting that would allow his/her spouse to continue to work remotely for the job, and while they could get lucky that’s not going to be a primary factor in determining OP’s first two directed assignments or grounds for an appeal.

[Anonymous]

Congrats! If you are living in dc, you will not get Per diem while in training. That is coming but not yet. If you have a final job offer, I assume for the April class, I would put in 2 weeks notice only. Once you start, you are good to go. If you don't like your post, tough. We have folks leave once they get their assignment. Maybe one or two per year. The orientation staff has dealt with it all and can answer your questions once you arrive.