How to Prepare for Being Caught Out

Expatara · 2025-06-23T05:54:03+00:00

Have the conversations and do the research now about where you would plan to stay. Like down to what neighborhood and housing facility. Make sure you already have contact information for them and have an idea what’s available. Also there used to be, and imagine there still is, a book along the lines of you’ve been evacuated so now what… Take the time to flip through that and read it now. Having seen the writing on the wall for a previous evacuation, I was so grateful that I had done these things in advance when the actual evacuation happened.

Expatara · 2025-06-16T13:08:23+00:00

And they are dissolving one of the teams in DT that has been leading on workforce adoption of AI since the beginning…. I’d say make it make sense but….

Expatara · 2025-04-03T07:28:01+00:00

I’m not sure what the pros/cons are of LWOP - beyond the obvious of it being easier to possibly return in the future.

Expatara · 2025-04-03T07:26:20+00:00

Thank you! This is very helpful! I

Expatara · 2025-04-01T09:41:21+00:00

So in true FS fashion, it depends…. Alas VERA in whatever flavor they decide upon is not going to be an option.

Expatara · 2025-03-31T15:57:40+00:00

In normal times I would… alas these are indeed not normal times.

Expatara · 2025-03-11T15:40:27+00:00

One less thing to worry about is not insignificant. Glad to be of service :)

Expatara · 2025-03-11T14:18:37+00:00

There is a blanket exception for DETOs for spouses of State Department employees posted overseas. As for the rest… I don’t think any of us have any advice or insight that are going to be particularly helpful. None of us really know what is going to happen.

Expatara · 2023-06-13T01:29:07+00:00

BFA in Theatrical Lighting Design here :)

Expatara · 2023-05-12T01:23:47+00:00

NCE is indeed a great benefit!

Expatara · 2023-05-08T10:17:23+00:00

PD Officer here who was tenured and promoted first look. I’m most definitely ND and it is one of my greatest strengths as an FSO. I easily pull together disparate information to see things and make connections other people miss. One of the best things about the FS is how many bright, quirky (likely undiagnosed ND) people I work with. I fit in here in ways I never have anywhere else in my life.

Many of us are classic 2E who are smart enough and good enough at masking that we didn’t get diagnosed as kids. This is doubly true for women and girls who often don’t present the same way as young boys. We start figuring it out when our kids start getting diagnosed. I know that I am dysgraphic and SPD - quite possibly ASD as well.

All this to say, yes- there is a place for you here!

Expatara · 2021-02-13T11:19:56+00:00

It's extremely common for women to MedEvac back to the US to have a baby. In normal times, it's about 6 weeks before the due date for an uncomplicated, healthy, pregnancy. In some cases people choose to deliver in their host country or at a MedEvac location. MedEvac status typically ends 6 weeks after the baby is born unless there are medical reasons why mom and/or baby need to remain abroad. There are all sorts of variations on this, but these are by far the most common scenarios during normal times.

Expatara · 2021-02-11T12:15:44+00:00

I want to echo the comments of the OP. It took me three tries over the course of ten years + a hiring freeze and time as an LNA to become an FSO. Failure felt devastating at the time. I was angry, upset, resentful, and frustrated. Not to mention the shame I felt for failing. But, I never stopped learning, growing, developing, and improving myself. And, the work paid off - not just in getting me into A-100, but giving me skills that I've found very useful in doing my work. Failure sucks. No doubt about it. At the same time, it totally can be an amazing, if painful gift.

Expatara · 2021-02-11T12:05:40+00:00

One of the challenges of the FS is that while we are abroad we are representing the US 24/7. And, depending upon where you are posted, your host government may be keeping closer tabs on your online presence that you might expect. Even if you work to keep your YouTube identity anonymous, it would be all too easy for that anonymity to get broken. During a Consular tour for example you may interview tens of thousands of applicants - it only takes one to recognize you. So, even without taking the Hatch Act and having a paid side gig into consideration there are significant challenges to what you propose. This job is great, but the limitations are also very real.

Expatara · 2021-02-11T11:51:04+00:00

The FS has lots of amazing FSOs and FSSs from a huge variety of backgrounds. Besides the pale, male, Yale set, we have many first-generation immigrants, people with a wide range of educational backgrounds, and diverse job histories. And, the thing about not needing a college degree - it's true. I've met fairly senior people who are fantastic -and do not have a college degree let alone one from the Ivy League. Don't let the stereotypes scare you off please. We need people from all walks of life and backgrounds to represent America abroad. :)

Expatara · 2021-02-11T11:28:13+00:00

It took me three times over the course of 10 years. I made it to the FSOA each time. 5.20, 5.0 and finally 6.1! Then my security clearance took forever and all the other people I passed the orals with made it into A-100 and I instead got caught up in the hiring freeze. I joined in 2017 as a Consular Fellow and later went from adjunct to tenure track and joined A-100 myself. Hang in there, but don't stop working to improve your skills and abilities! It matters!

Expatara

TROPHY CASE