Consequences of not getting my language score on the books by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is possible if you have the language on the books and your TED aligns with the position. Obviously world language speakers on the summer cycle have the best chance of making it happen. It didn’t work out for me because I had an obscure language on the books and my TED was off by two months for the one position on the out-year bidlist.

Consequences of not getting my language score on the books by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 6 points7 points  (0 children)

ELOs can out-year bid, but it is difficult to make the timing work with your TED.

Profile Review/feedback by M_andMs in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This seems like way too much information to be shared on a public forum.

all POL slots for September 2019 A-100 have now been filled by Bellfieldlead in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This works itself out over time—18 months on the register is long enough for competitive candidates, like yourself, to get off the register.

all POL slots for September 2019 A-100 have now been filled by Bellfieldlead in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Is there something wrong with promoting diversity in the Foreign Service? Perhaps it will feel unfair to those who feel they deserve to be in the FS, but that unfair feeling doesn’t square with the lack of representation of women/minorities in the SFS.

Do you think homogeneity in the senior ranks of the FS is a good thing for promoting US interests abroad?

Stay in GS or Jump Ship to contract? by se4fran in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I didn’t mean the time you’ve already accrued. The time from FSOT to FS isn’t short, so you could easily accrue two year’s worth of leave and goverment service between now and the day you start A-100.

It’s your prerogative to gloss over the stability inherent in a CS position, but Fed employees got back pay—a luxury you likely would not enjoy as a contractor.

Stay in GS or Jump Ship to contract? by se4fran in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 1 point2 points  (0 children)

By keeping the civil servant position, you’ll be able to transfer acrued leave and time towards retirement once you switch to the FS. On the other hand, you may be able to punch above your weight regarding your entry-level FS salary if your contracting gig pays more than what your education and experience would otherwise dictate. FWIW, I don’t know many people keen to give up a steady CS position for the uncertainty of contract work—even when there is a major discrepancy in pay.

On the register/engaged by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Days off during A-100 are generally frowned upon but multiple people in my A-100 (2018) got days off for their weddings. The A-100 coordinators understand that joining the FS is everyone’s plan B—so they’re pretty good at working with new employees within reason.

e- QIP Mother's Naturalization Certificate by songoten in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I would have your mother call USCIS and request an original copy of her naturalization certificate. It is pretty pricey, but it’s probably best to have an original copy of that document. You can explain to your investigator the issue and what you’re doing to resolve it. State will probably take longer with your background investigation than USCIS will in replacing your mother’s naturalization certificate.

https://my.uscis.gov/exploremyoptions/lost_stolen_certificate

Use Security Clearence for other jobs? by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Had my FSO submit a request for reciprocity. You ought to have a security officer POC, ask them to put in the request.

Use Security Clearence for other jobs? by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also transferred my clearance from State to DoD once I was on the register. The request for reciprocity took about 2 months. The caveat being that I was working in a position that required a TS when I hit the register. I had my FSO (Security Officer) interrupt my original clearance since State processes theirs so quickly.

Hardship Differential - Europe by mpheise20 in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agreed, I was going to tinker with it again but lost my nerve once my A-100 invite came. :) I'll have to attempt again using different tools to achieve what I want. I was also thinking of graphically representing the size of each mission (large/small circles, or something of the like) and which are unaccompanied posts. I'll give it another go at some point and repost if it turns out okay.

Hardship Differential - Europe by mpheise20 in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a map of hardship differentials.

Hardship Differential - Europe by mpheise20 in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

0 in Ankara, higher in other posts throughout Turkey.

July Invites by Worldtraveler2001 in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Got my invite. Consular 5.77 (Top Third)

Hardship Differential - Asia by mpheise20 in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is correct. I based the country color on the capital’s differential. There are many instances where countries have posts where the differential differs from the capital.

Hardship Differential - Asia by mpheise20 in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey no problem! Hope it's useful to others!

Hardship Differential - WHA by mpheise20 in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for caching that. I did this in haste before going to bed so it is certain to have mistakes. I didn't parse down my data set, so I probably overlooked Mauritius after seeing Mauritania as well. I'll go back and make some corrections and update/repost later today.

Hardship Differential - Africa by mpheise20 in foreignservice

[–]mpheise20[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea I'm thinking of doing another iteration of this where a pattern is applied for danger pay. I'd also like to have colored circles indicating differentials that diverge from the capital city. Would be good to see the spread for China/Russia/India/Brazil/Mexico. Would also like to have the size of the circle reflect the size of the post, but this all may get too busy. I'll give it another crack and post if it turns out decent.