Career Matters: Foreign Service—A Career Calls?

The U.S. State Department is actively looking for a diverse group of individuals with backgrounds in the environment and energy to become Foreign Service Officers. And unlike many other employers who are cutting back on new recruits, the Foreign Service expects to hire well above attrition in Fiscal Year 2009, and probably for the next few years as well.

The Foreign Service is the U.S. Government’s diplomatic corps. One of the career tracks within the service is for Economics Officers, who, among other duties, act as environmental and energy officers in U.S. Missions abroad and back at headquarters in Washington, D.C. The process for entering the Foreign Service is rigorous. It starts with a written exam given three times a year, and is followed by a panel review, oral assessment, security clearance and medical exam. It also is a challenging career, involving regular transfers, frequent international travel and sometimes hazardous assignments.

But the rewards of a Foreign Service career are unique, including the opportunity to serve your country while enjoying a rich mixture of foreign assignments, lifelong learning and a front seat at many of the defining moments of our times. The financial benefits include free housing while serving abroad, competitive salaries, a defined benefit pension plan and a 401(k) equivalent plan that is matched up to five percent of an employee’s salary. Perhaps of most interest, entry is available for those interested in making a mid-career change as long as they haven’t turned 60 by the day they enter the service. In fact, older applicants tend to do better in the application process.

The times demand the best people from a broad range of backgrounds given the environmental and energy challenges we face.

Stephen R. Kelly is Duke University's Foreign Service Officer assigned as a Diplomat in Residence. He is happy to answer questions about the process.  His e-mail is stephen.kelly@duke.edu. You also can review the State Department's Web site at www.careers.state.gov