Add to favourites. The FCDO deals with issues such as: conflict resolution counter terrorism trade and investment forced marriages human rights climate change. Responsibilities Tasks vary depending on where you're working. However, you'll typically need to: draft and proofread written reports liaise with high commissions and embassies organise and ensure the smooth running of ministerial and diplomatic visits, from transport arrangements to entertainment answer general written correspondence by letter or email analyse and interpret written material handle queries by telephone from other departments, members of the public and overseas contacts deal face-to-face with queries from the public update travel advice and information manage staff, including overseeing staff performance and carrying out annual appraisals handle departmental or project budgets update and complete personnel details, accounts and other admin tasks support and assist colleagues with their policy work undertake other specific activities related to your particular department.
Overseas, the role may involve similar activities to those listed above. You'll also need to: assist British exporters and individuals work as an entry clearance officer, assessing visa applications and conducting interviews undertake specialist project work, depending on where you're posted. Income figures are intended as a guide only. Working hours You're likely to work a standard working week. Hours may vary for overseas posts, depending on where you work. What to expect You'll be based in FCDO offices in London or in embassies, consulates or high commissions all over the world.
Once qualified, you'll change roles every three to four years. However, you won't be sent anywhere you've not asked to go and will apply for each role based on your own preferences and career ambitions. The work can be challenging, but also rewarding as you can make a real impact on international relations.
The FCDO is keen to recruit people from a range of different backgrounds and encourages applications from diverse communities. Qualifications The main entry point for graduates into the Diplomatic Service is currently through the Civil Service Fast Stream programme.
If you're an existing civil servant, you can apply without a degree. Skills You'll need to show: an interest in foreign affairs, other countries and cultures excellent communication skills and the ability to make an impact a results-driven approach to work constructive and innovative thinking a proactive and project management approach to work resourcefulness the ability to build and develop productive relationships decision-making skills attention to detail commercial and financial awareness the ability to work under pressure and to take on responsibility flexibility and the ability to deal with the unexpected a commitment to learning and improvement.
Work experience Although pre-entry experience isn't essential, any experience that shows you have skills in project management, contract management, accountancy, economics and managing change will be useful. Employers As a diplomatic service officer you'll be employed by the FCDO, which is based in London and has around 17, staff in it's diplomatic and development offices worldwide, including in overseas embassies and high commissions.
Civil Service Job Search Recruitment freezes may sometimes be in place, meaning you can only enter the Diplomatic Service via specialist programmes. Professional development The Diplomatic Service scheme lasts three years, giving you the opportunity to work in both the UK and overseas. The questions were written to assess precepts or competencies related to the job of a Foreign Service Officer, including adaptability, decision making and judgment, operational effectiveness, professional standards, team building, and workplace perceptiveness.
These scenarios are situations that you might encounter on the job as a Foreign Service Officer. The section is all about determining your ability to select the most and least appropriate action. In short, the State Department wants to know if you can interact professionally with others before they hire you. For an in-depth guide to pass this section of the test, I recommend reviewing the following strategies on how to pass the Situational Judgement section of the FSOT.
The questions in this section concern mini-essays and sentences that may have grammatical errors. Also, different prompts will ask you to garner the meaning of the passage. Correct grammar, organization, writing strategy, sentence structure, and punctuation required for writing or editing reports: This knowledge area encompasses English expression and language usage skills required for preparing or editing written reports, including correct grammar and good writing at the sentence and paragraph level.
The essay is simple in concept but challenging for many during the test. You are limited in both time and the number of characters you can use to write your response. When you begin the essay portion of the test, you will have seven minutes to read the screen and select one of three available prompts. If you do not choose within seven minutes, then a topic will be automatically selected for you. The essay section of the test consists of taking a position on a topic and developing a rationale for it.
Your writing will be evaluated on your ability to analyze an issue and the writing quality, not the opinions expressed. That means that a well-written essay will be concise and well-organized. It will make a clear and compelling argument that is easily read and quickly understood. Other essential elements include word choice, spelling, grammar, syntax, and punctuation. As I wrote above, I recommend reading periodicals to provide you with arguments for or against a topic that you may use in your essay.
To pass the FSOT, you must score at least a combined total of in the three multiple-choice sections of the test. With the October rule change, your essays are now scored as part of the QEP.
This means that you will find out within 30 minutes to two days if you pass the FSOT. Under consideration are your application, your FSOT score, your essay, and your narratives. The goal of the QEP is to assess the whole of you and then rank you amongst your career track cohort.
Those with a high score are invited to orals. The dividing line between being asked and not is a secret and changes with each testing cycle. Here is an example of the letter when you pass the QEP:. Based on a comprehensive review of your candidate file, you are being invited to participate in the next step of the Foreign Service Officer selection process, the Oral Assessment.
You are guaranteed an Oral Assessment appointment only within the dates associated with the February Foreign Service Officer Test, which are June 15, through October 25, Any available San Francisco dates will be displayed if you search by that site. But what if only the top 20 can be invited in February, and you are ranked as number 21? Then unfortunately, tough luck. We regret to inform you that your QEP-determined relative ranking in your career track is not high enough to continue your candidacy to the next step of the Foreign Service Officer selection process, the Oral Assessment.
Rather candidates receive a relative ranking in their respective career tracks. The most highly competitive candidates in each career track are invited to the Oral Assessment based on our anticipated hiring needs.
Foreign Service Officer hiring targets are adjusted regularly. At present, a large number of individuals are applying for a very limited number of Foreign Service Officer positions and the process is extremely competitive.
There are numerous cases where individuals who received an invitation to the Oral Assessment in a previous year will not receive one in a current year. The QEP is by far the most disheartening stage for those who are rejected, as you receive no feedback or scores to help you understand why you were denied.
Just remember that the journey to becoming an FSO is a marathon and not a race. Try again next year. Many current FSOs had to go through the process multiple times before passing. This is a massive success on its own. You are part of a small percentage of applicants who get to this round. I say chosen because Chicago and San Francisco are sometimes options, but for the most part, the Orals take place in Washington, D. During the assessment, your qualifications will be assessed by four FSOs on the following 13 dimensions of a Foreign Service Officer :.
To work and communicate effectively and harmoniously with persons of other cultures, value systems, political beliefs, and economic circumstances; to recognize and respect differences in new and different cultural environments. To demonstrate knowledge, skills, or other attributes gained from previous experience of relevance to the Foreign Service; to articulate appropriate motivation for joining the Foreign Service.
To absorb and retain complex information drawn from a variety of sources; to draw reasoned conclusions from analysis and synthesis of available information; to evaluate the importance, reliability, and usefulness of information; to remember details of a meeting or an event without the benefit of notes.
To discern what is appropriate, practical, and realistic in a given situation; to weigh relative merits of competing demands. To be fair and honest; to avoid deceit, favoritism, and discrimination; to present issues frankly and fully, without injecting subjective bias; to work without letting personal bias prejudice actions. To speak fluently in a concise, grammatically correct, organized, precise, and persuasive manner; to convey nuances of meaning accurately; to use appropriate styles of communication to fit the audience and purpose.
To prioritize and order tasks effectively, to employ a systematic approach to achieving objectives, to make appropriate use of limited resources. To identify, compile, analyze, and draw correct conclusions from pertinent data; to recognize patterns or trends in numerical data; to perform simple mathematical operations. To formulate creative alternatives or solutions to resolve problems, to show flexibility in response to unanticipated circumstances. To interact in a constructive, cooperative, and harmonious manner; to work effectively as a team player; to establish positive relationships and gain the confidence of others; to use humor as appropriate.
To write concise, well organized, grammatically correct, effective, and persuasive English in a limited amount of time. The above is your rubric! Learn it, love it, hate it, know it. For the first exercise of the day, candidates are brought together in a group of three to six individuals to comprise an Embassy task force charged with allocating resources to competing projects in their host country. After a preparation period of 30 minutes, in which each candidate is reviewing their project in silence, four BEX assessors enter the room.
The lead assessor briefs the candidates and notifies them that they have six minutes to present their project. Time may be left at the end of each presentation for questions from other candidates. Once the presentations are complete, the lead assessor will provide further instructions to the candidates.
In this minute phase, candidates have two goals. One is to advocate the project they were given. The second goal is to help the group reach a consensus within the time allotted on which project s or parts of projects to recommend to the Ambassador. Remember, the objective is to help the Ambassador decide how best to allocate limited U.
Government resources among several worthy projects. One of these assessors will play the role of the Ambassador and ask the candidate several follow-up questions. In contrast, the second assessor will escort the candidate from the group exercise room to the interview. There are three parts to the structured interview. You are presented with several scenarios by the assessors that closely relate to real-life situations regularly encountered by Foreign Service Officers overseas.
Candidates are asked to fashion a solution that employs good judgment and common sense. Similar to the situational judgment section of the FSOT, the assessors are looking for explicit action that you will take. Do not assign your duties to others. In the final portion of the Structured Interview, you are asked targeted questions to extract your own experiences in specific areas. You are given a question sheet containing the different dimensions being assessed during this portion of the interview, with two questions listed under each aspect.
You will have five minutes to select the questions they wish to discuss for each dimension one item for each aspect and to prepare their responses. As with all aspects of the application process, make sure that you answer the question. You will not do well. A note for the interview section as a whole: you are allowed to use the same stories you wrote about for your narratives.
The assessors will not have read them. The purpose is to evaluate your management and writing skills. You are given a memo describing the tasks to complete, with information about the central issue, a summary of ongoing problems, an organizational chart, email messages from different employees giving their perspectives on the issues, pertinent regulations, and details about the past performance of the staff.
A calculator is not needed in reviewing the quantitative data, but the analysis and recommendations must show a clear understanding of these data. A suggested approach for completing this section is to spend 30 minutes reading and analyzing the material, 45 minutes writing the required memo, and 15 minutes reviewing and revising. The candidate is expected to incorporate data and other numerical information in the analysis and recommended solutions.
The minimum Oral Assessment score to continue a candidacy is 5. Overall scoring is on a scale from 1 to 7, with 1 representing poor performance and 7 representing an outstanding performance.
If you pass the Oral Assessment, then the biggest of congratulations! These responsibilities include helping with international adoptions, handling the birth or death of an American citizen overseas, dealing with American arrests, and assisting during natural disasters or evacuations.
To accomplish this, political FSOs are kept up to date with the latest positions of the American government on varying issues and are often tasked with representing U. As the title suggests, foreign service officers who work in the economic cone oversee issues in their host country related to business and economics.
However, these issues are not limited to just banking and finance. FSOs who specialize in economics have a hand in trade and commerce between America and their placement country, international transportation including, most substantially, aviation , and communication of economic developments during their time there to the U.
These professionals also often oversee environmental, science, and technology-related affairs as they relate to the interests of the American people.
Garvey explains that, rather than directly dealing with the government, FSOs in this sector are responsible for reaching out to the public. They may, for example, develop cultural or educational programs that inform individuals in their host country about American culture, politics, economics, and more. These individuals also establish clear lines of communication between policymakers in their country and the U.
Foreign service officers who work in the administrative cone are often based on-ground in America within the Department of State. Alongside these human resource duties, administrative FSOs gain a holistic understanding of the federal service function across countries. They develop skills in leadership, negotiation, and innovation throughout their work.
Below, we offer three actionable steps that those hoping to pursue a career in foreign service can take to set themselves up for success. Most foreign service officers share a set of common qualities that help them succeed in this unique career. Often they are patient, patriotic, love to travel, have extensive intellectual curiosity, are enthusiastic about other cultures, and, perhaps most importantly, possess an unmatchable passion for international affairs.
Though these personality traits are less learned than they are naturally developed, Garvey and Creed also acknowledge that there are specific practical and interpersonal skills aspiring FSOs should hone before applying to a position in this field. Below we explore five of the most important abilities for aspiring foreign service officers.
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