That seems to be the reaction I get when I post these notices (which the US Embassy sends out on their own to publicize their growing need for professional employees).

I sometimes get disappointed or exasperated when Filipino friends say to me .. “Oh, I couldn’t do anything like that” when I point out job or business opportunities.

But I also find my fellow Americans are really no different in the bad habit of walking around with a bad self-image at times.

Why, indeed, shouldn’t you be working for the US Department of State?  You come up with a good answer, you let me know, OK?

Of course some folks reading here won’t be qualified … but many more will be.

The particular tests I announce here, three times a year when it is typically held in Manila and elsewhere ’round the world, is for Foreign Service Officers (FSO);s.  What do you need to be an FSO?

Who can become a Foreign Service Officer?

While diplomatic careers are rewarding, they can require extremely difficult work, hardship and even working under dangerous conditions. To be eligible, the U.S. Department of State requires that all applicants be:

• U.S. citizens on the date they submit their registration package
• At least 20 years old and no older than 59 years of age on the day you submit your registration*
• At least 21 years old and not yet 60 on the day you are appointed as a Foreign Service Officer
• Available for worldwide assignments, including Washington, D.C.**

Even though you are not required to know a foreign language to become a FSO, proficiency in one or more languages will enhance your competitiveness for selection.

If you are a capable, healthy and dedicated candidate who is prepared to step up to the challenges facing our country and the work, we want to talk to you.

Doesn’t sound like insurmountable requirements, does it?  More at the official State Department recruitment site … and for those of you who are military veterans, pay particular attention to:

* Different limitations apply to Preference-Eligible Veterans. To ascertain if you are a Preference-Eligible Veteran, please follow the links on http://www.fedshirevets.gov to the “Veterans’ Preference Questionnaire.” If you are a Preference-Eligible Veteran, please contact fsoaquestions@state.gov to let us know you are in fact preference eligible.

on the same page.

Find out more About the FSO Program

Of course, some may not be interested in being a Foreign Service Officer.  This is a highly professional career track that actual leads as high as a Deputy Secretary of State level.  Even many ambassadors are not political appointees, but instead career FSO’s.

That’s OK, the State Department has many other folks working for them.  Example, Foreign Service Specialists:

Who are the Specialists? What do they do?

The Department of State offers career opportunities to professionals in specialized functions needed to meet Foreign Service responsibilities around the world. As a Foreign Service Specialist, you will provide important technical, support or administrative services at one of 250 posts overseas, in Washington, D.C., or elsewhere in the United States.

As a Foreign Service Specialist, you’ll receive excellent paid housing or a housing allowance, health and medical coverage, federal retirement benefits, paid education for dependent children between K-12, generous paid leave, and an unprecedented chance to see the world and experience different cultures.

The opportunities that exist for Foreign Service Specialists are as diverse as the countries in which they serve. Foreign Service Specialist jobs are grouped into seven major categories: Administration, Construction Engineering, Information Technology, International Information and English Language Programs, Medical and Health, Office Management, and Security.

Covers a lot of ground, doesn’t it? How many reading here who “wish” they could find a job overseas, especially with good pay and benefits, have even applied?  Here’s the place to start looking for a Foreigner Service Specialist position.

Still nothing for you Well, the US Department of State also employs so-called “straight” Civil Service employees who are not part of the Foreign Service program.  They work side-by-side with Foreign Service employees and fulfil a variety of roles”

From improving trade opportunities for U.S. businesses to helping American couples adopt children from overseas, to monitoring human rights issues, to providing management supervision, you can make a difference by working in one of the following areas:

• Business Management /Finance/ Economics/Accounting
• Engineering
• Foreign Affairs and International Policy and Operations
• Human Resources/Information Technology/Legal
• International and Domestic Security
• Office Support Professionals
• Senior Executive Service

A career in the Civil Service is a unique opportunity to represent America to the world. There are hundreds of job opportunities available that allow you to make a difference in our global society.  For specific job listings and to apply, please click here.

Did you see where it says “Click Here”?  Well that’s the place you can start your search for any US government civil service job,  at home or abroad.

Did you think that was all?  Well, not quite.  The State Department also hires a significant number of LE’s (Local Employees, what we used to call in the DoD “Local Hires”)  They serve in more than 265 posts world-wide and that most certainly includes Manila, it’s likely you’ve dealt with some of these great folks if you’ve visited the US Embassy, Manila.

Locally Employed (LE) Staff are foreign nationals and other locally resident citizens (including US Citizens) who are legally eligible to work in that country. Foreign Service Nationals and locally resident US Citizens are the continuity staff of our Missions abroad. Our Locally Employed Staff abroad provide the institutional knowledge and professional contacts that are so important to the embassy. LE Staff perform vital mission program and support functions. All USG agencies under Chief of Mission authority depend heavily on their continuity staff, frequently delegating to them significant management roles and program functions.

How do you get into jobs like this?  Here’s what the State Department has to say about it:

Employment Opportunities

Each Mission is responsible for its own recruitment, so individuals need to contact the Mission’s HR office or visit the Mission’s website for employment information.

Please click here (http://usembassy.state.gov/) to see a list of websites of U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic Missions.

Actually, I’ve seen Local Employee jobs at the US Embassy Manila listed in local papers from time to time, but, in 2010, of course, your first point of contact should be the Embassy’s excellent Employment opportunities page.  Not that they also recruit for some other government agencies here in the Philippines and they help people get into some excellent internship programs for those of you with Filipino/American children getting out of school soon and wondering about opportunities?

So, do you still think you should skip on announcements?  Remember, you want a job, chances are you have to do something to get it … if you’re one of those readers who comes here from his workplace, surfing instead of working because you “Can’t stand your job” and want to be able to “Move to the Philippines”,  good things happen to folks who take action rather than those who simply “wish”.

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