At a certain point in every FSO's life, he or she has to 'bid'. That is, they are presented with the available posts they qualify for and must choose the ones they would prefer.
Your first two assignments as an FSO are 'directed', that is, you cannot turn them down. One of the two must be doing consular work, and one has to be a 'hardship' post.
The first time out, A-100 members must bid on ALL available jobs (dozens in total) ranking them in order of preference. Our class just got the list. While I cannot post the complete list, it offers a fairly wide range of geographical diversity, with a focus on Latin America and East Asia. Most of the jobs, though, involve consular work (read: stamping visas).
The bidding process takes at least a month. We meet with our Career Development Officers (CDOs) who try to help us balance our expectations and wishes with the needs of the service. A loooot of strategizing goes on during this time, most of it in vain. Do I rank Rome and Madrid high on the off chance I'll get it? Should I go straight for super-duper hardship posts and make money/win brownie points? Does anything I do make a difference?
Since I have a foreign language, I am required to serve in one of those countries at least once in my first two tours.
We don't get our assignments for about another month. Oh, the uncertainty!
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ReplyDeleteHow does that bidding process work if it takes at least a month. Can you fill in a little every day. Or does it take a month to consult, gather info etc, then you fill in the whole form and send it in?
ReplyDeleteIt takes about a month from the time they give you the list of available posts to when you get your assignment. All your bids have to submitted at once in the form they give you. You are not allowed to give each place a number ranking; instead you can only rank them Low, Medium, and High.
ReplyDeleteEven after everyone submits their lists it is still possible for some places to disappear and other ones take their place. The CDOs have to deal with that as best as they can.