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the_chavi posted:Concur. The best part is when snarky assholes chime in and piss people off further... or when Sean Cobb created the world's greatest emoji, which involves an FSO saving a puppy from a burning house while a bald eagle waves an American flag. Speaking of the SB, someone posted something about the "reply-to-all-apocalypse of 2015". Love how the "blame" is being spun...
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Aug 22, 2015 07:42
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If you have an offer from the USAID as an FSO, do you find out where you may be sent before training or after training? (Asking for someone else)
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Aug 24, 2015 19:10
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fuseshock posted:If you have an offer from the USAID as an FSO, do you find out where you may be sent before training or after training? My understanding is that it is after training. But I only have a vague recollection of what my USAID colleagues said during A100 when we had some joint training.
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Aug 25, 2015 21:34
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It turns out that I work in SA-44 after all--the dreaded Oral Assessment building. State seems to be a pretty fun place so far; definitely a more worldly group of coworkers. I don't think I'll be going anywhere for awhile.
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Aug 26, 2015 00:43
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Don't worry child, the bitterness will come in due time.
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Aug 26, 2015 01:42
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Leif. posted:Don't worry child, the bitterness will come in due time. I've already experienced some of the tension that exists between FS and CS employees. Seems that some of the CS employees think the FS employees are arrogant while some of the FS employees think some of the CS employees are not as qualified as they are to deal with the State mission because they didn't pass all those steps to get hired. Oh dear...
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Aug 26, 2015 02:22
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How do you feel about being called a "civil servant?" Be sure to let the SB know.
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Aug 26, 2015 13:29
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zzonkmiles posted:I've already experienced some of the tension that exists between FS and CS employees. Seems that some of the CS employees think the FS employees are arrogant while some of the FS employees think some of the CS employees are not as qualified as they are to deal with the State mission because they didn't pass all those steps to get hired. Oh dear... I was talking with a CS person the other day who's overseas in a hard to fill spot. She mentioned one of the first things she was told was "don't trust FS people" and she took to it (she's been with DOS for 10+ years) - but once overseas she found them to be very different, fun loving people. She's extending her time in the H2F post as a result. There's folks/bad eggs like that, sure, just like there are "4:59pm'ers." It's true we're only there for a limited amount of time, and also true that a significant percentage are conflict-averse (read: head in the sand types), but it's also true we make the most of our time there. A divide I noticed is that (generally speaking in the government, no clue how it is DOS-wise) people don't have/form any real relationship with their coworkers. You're just there for the grind, you show up, work, leave and then do whatever you want in the evening. While overseas we are BBQin' with each other, having beers, or just generally exploring every other week. Just geniunely interested in each other and their lives/stories. If I was working in Washington, I'd reckon people would be taken aback that their manager actually wanted to get to know them a little better.
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Aug 26, 2015 14:02
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Skandiaavity posted:I was talking with a CS person the other day who's overseas in a hard to fill spot. She mentioned one of the first things she was told was "don't trust FS people" and she took to it (she's been with DOS for 10+ years) - but once overseas she found them to be very different, fun loving people. She's extending her time in the H2F post as a result. I think you're spot on with the analysis abroad - but as always, it depends.  A place like Paris, where there's plenty to do outside of work, doesn't have the camaraderie of a place like Saudi or Niger, where you're often dependent on your coworkers for entertainment that won't get you killed or screamed at by the RSO. Conversely, domestically I think you replicate that sense of coworker family if you're all working on a truly difficult, lovely, emotionally taxing task. My Syria team coworkers from my last tour are some of my closest friends, because we spent 60+ hours a week together dealing with hostages, chemical attacks, futile negotiations, and high-level visits.
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Aug 26, 2015 17:30
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zzonkmiles posted:I've already experienced some of the tension that exists between FS and CS employees. Seems that some of the CS employees think the FS employees are arrogant while some of the FS employees think some of the CS employees are not as qualified as they are to deal with the State mission because they didn't pass all those steps to get hired. Oh dear... It's not that they're not as qualified because they didn't go through all the steps we did. It's that they're not as qualified because so many of them are incompetent. /only partially sarcastic.
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Aug 27, 2015 00:25
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I completely forgot that there was a thread for the Foreign Service here. I've been interested in applying for a while and I just signed up for the October test in Singapore (where I'm living for the near future). However, reading the last few pages here makes me wonder if I have any chance at all. I've been out of school for a while now, living and teaching abroad, but I don't have any big time experience. Just took the practice test on a whim without really studying for it. I got an 83% chance to pass on the job knowledge section and only a 17% chance on the English part. I thought the numbers would've been the opposite. Anyway, if anyone has any advice to offer on taking the test abroad, that would be awesome. Looks like I'll have to study more than I was planning to. I joined the Yahoo group and downloaded the app. I'll try to find some other study materials and books here. But, there were a couple blogs that said that studying isn't as useful as you might think though, since there is such a wide variety of questions that can be asked. I might try to ignore that bit of advice for now... A good friend of mine has been working for the foreign service for over 10 years now and he's in Tanzania, in case any other goons are there. He and his family just left Bangkok last year. Thanks
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Aug 27, 2015 06:18
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Taking the test abroad isn't anything special. You just go to the embassy/consulate and take it in a room full of computers. It's nice in that you get to see a little bit of the parts you wouldn't normally see and usually have the chance to talk with an FSO as they're escorting you around, but otherwise pretty similar to taking it back home. As for chances, other than being up-to-date on current events, reviewing your grammar and thinking about your experience, there's not a ton to study for. Also, it seems they're not hiring much these days, so getting invited to the OA is not as probable as in years past, but it doesn't hurt to try and get experience for next time. Total Confusion fucked around with this message at 08:39 on Aug 27, 2015 |
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Aug 27, 2015 07:36
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Gold and a Pager posted:Taking the test abroad isn't anything special. You just go to the embassy/consulate and take it in a room full of computers. It's nice in that you get to see a little bit of the parts you wouldn't normally see and usually have the chance to talk with an FSO as they're escorting you around, but otherwise pretty similar to taking it back home. Except that you get to deal with local internet. In China this was bad and the test crashed or failed to load for lots of takers.
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Aug 27, 2015 08:33
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Leif. posted:It's not that they're not as qualified because they didn't go through all the steps we did. It's that they're not as qualified because so many of them are incompetent. The non-partially sarcastic part of this is stupid. People are people - there are plenty of idiots and plenty of great people in both groups. Anyone who is sitting in the Department generalizing about the qualities of CS versus FS employees isn't worth paying attention to.
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Aug 27, 2015 14:42
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I just logged onto the Sounding Board for the first time. Oh dear...
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Aug 27, 2015 22:20
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I just saw a cable that described some CS employees as civil servants. I don't think grandpa knows you're not supposed to call them that anymore.
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Aug 28, 2015 09:00
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What are you supposed to call them?
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Aug 28, 2015 09:26
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Civil Servicemen?
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Aug 28, 2015 12:10
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Confuse everyone with "General Schedule employees"
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Aug 28, 2015 16:07
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I'm a direct hire so...
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Aug 28, 2015 22:43
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Pro-tip, team: if you ask someone to proof your QEP essays for you, then turn that poo poo in. Someone I edited for this last round "got busy" and didn't turn his in, and when he told me he was like lol next time! Goddamned near hit the roof.
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Aug 29, 2015 02:07
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Bloodnose posted:I just saw a cable that described some CS employees as civil servants. I don't think grandpa knows you're not supposed to call them that anymore. The ironic thing is that FSOs are civil servants too since they work for the federal government. I don't think the person who wrote that knows what the term really means. I think "Civil Service employee" is a perfectly reasonable term, just like "Foreign Service employee." "Hey you, foreign servant! Make my kids a sammich!"
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Aug 29, 2015 02:16
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Speaking of GS, what the hell does FP stand for: foreign pay, foreign-service pay, ...? I must suck at google as I can't find anything on it.
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Aug 29, 2015 08:57
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problematique posted:Speaking of GS, what the hell does FP stand for: foreign pay, foreign-service pay, ...? I must suck at google as I can't find anything on it. I suspect that FP is the pay scale used by untenured/probationary FS personnel while FS is used for tenured FS personnel only. Maybe FP stands for "Foreign Probationary?" I notice the pay scale values between FP and FS are the exact same.
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Aug 31, 2015 02:50
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zzonkmiles posted:I suspect that FP is the pay scale used by untenured/probationary FS personnel while FS is used for tenured FS personnel only. Maybe FP stands for "Foreign Probationary?" I notice the pay scale values between FP and FS are the exact same. Not exactly. Specialists are considered FP, however, we are eligible for OT throughout a career, even when off of probation. However, people tend to interchange FS and FP for us.
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Aug 31, 2015 10:13
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FS is a gerneric term for anybody in the Foreign Service. FO is for tenured Generalists. FP is for both Specialists and non-tenured Generalists.
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Sep 2, 2015 14:12
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That moment when you think you have a webinar to attend and then realize it's actually is on the next day...
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Sep 2, 2015 18:08
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Did you know there's a limit to the number of holidays overseas posts can get? Today is a new public holiday in China, celebrating The Chinese People's Victory in the War of Resistance to Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. But I still have to work because China already has 20 public holidays and that's our statutory limit for foreign holidays we can enjoy. And here I was hoping the CPC would keep piling on the holidays.
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Sep 3, 2015 03:01
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SCRwM posted:That moment when you think you have a webinar to attend and then realize it's actually is on the next day... I have a webinar tomorrow as well. We might be attending the same one; mine is firearm-related.
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Sep 3, 2015 03:20
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zzonkmiles posted:I have a webinar tomorrow as well. We might be attending the same one; mine is firearm-related. I could only wish mine was that interesting. It's IT related.
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Sep 3, 2015 03:52
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SCRwM posted:I could only wish mine was that interesting. It's IT related. Count your blessings. There were several people from my A-100 who spent last week in a four-day in-person course on how to use Microsoft Excel.
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Sep 3, 2015 12:23
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qwertyman posted:Count your blessings. There were several people from my A-100 who spent last week in a four-day in-person course on how to use Microsoft Excel. It's called POL/ECON training and it's awful
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Sep 3, 2015 15:41
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Bloodnose posted:Did you know there's a limit to the number of holidays overseas posts can get? Today is a new public holiday in China, celebrating The Chinese People's Victory in the War of Resistance to Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. But I still have to work because China already has 20 public holidays and that's our statutory limit for foreign holidays we can enjoy. Yep. But, if you are lucky sometimes one of those foreign holidays that you don't get off might turn into an admin day.
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Sep 3, 2015 18:56
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qwertyman posted:Count your blessings. There were several people from my A-100 who spent last week in a four-day in-person course on how to use Microsoft Excel. Haha. As someone who already knows how to use excel that would be brutal.
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Sep 3, 2015 19:02
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1of7 posted:Yep. But, if you are lucky sometimes one of those foreign holidays that you don't get off might turn into an admin day. We have a team building exercise this afternoon. Maybe I'm too cynical in assuming it will be awful.
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Sep 4, 2015 02:09
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Yeah, HHE is here! I'm always curious how other people do it. They always seem shocked because we have them leave all the boxes in one room so that we can unpack and sort everything ourselves. We don't want to be rushed telling them where to put everything and prefer to take our time so we know pretty much where everything is afterwards. Plus, I'm paranoid that something will end up getting lost in all of the packing papers.
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Sep 4, 2015 08:24
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Bloodnose posted:We have a team building exercise this afternoon. Maybe I'm too cynical in assuming it will be awful. I was wrong, it was fun. and now I'm posting from home at 4:30pm
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Sep 4, 2015 09:26
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Bloodnose posted:Did you know there's a limit to the number of holidays overseas posts can get? The exception being if the Ambassador says to shut it down.
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Sep 4, 2015 15:26
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Ummmm, I really need to stop procrastinating and get that FSOT registration in. At this rate, I'll have to take the test in West Virginia or something if I want to do it on a Saturday.
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Sep 7, 2015 01:55
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I'm seated to take the October test. Is there anything I should do to
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Sep 7, 2015 03:10
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