Advancement in the foreign service?

Question

Hey I'm looking into career optiosn and one that has caught my attention in the foreign service. I see the pay is very low and while I'm not someone who needs to be rich I would like to live comfortably. If you stick with it, how are the advancement prospects and what does pay look like 10-20 years in? Also, how does living in countries that are probably cheaper than the united states factor into that?

Answer 1

The Foreign Service has some great things, but some serious drawbacks, too.  The pay isn't great to start, but you get free housing and utilities. For some of the less desirable places in the world, they try to compensate by providing some very nice housing. Advancement is an "up or out" policy- you don't get promoted, they ask you to leave.

You will live very comfortably anywhere you go. If you end up in a very poor, third world kind of country, you'll have a mansion. If you end up in London or Oslo, you'll have a small apartment, but you'll be in London or Oslo.  

The serious downsides are that there are a lot more jobs in lousy places than there are in great places. In those countries that have easy and cheap access to drugs, raising children becomes a problem. If you can keep your kids away from dope, you can't avoid situations where they acquire a "I can do anything because I'm speh-shuhl" attitude. This goes with carrying a diplomatic passport.

I think the Foreign Service is a great place if a family isn't important. Be either single or an empty-nester.

One thing you'll need to do is pass the pretty intense writing test- use spell checker.

Answer 2

Public servants have really low salaries because the prestige is in the public service but not the pay.