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hitension posted:pamchenko - Would a (paid) internship in DC in Spring in a field that I am very, very interested in be worth it if it means either taking a lot of summer classes or postponing my graduation a semester? Did you get a SCEP slot? Congrats. The bureau I want to work for unfortunately doesn't have any SCEP slots open at the moment. I was a summer intern (unpaid) this summer so I can't speak to the resume-enhancment aspect yet, I'll find out soon. If you're an undergrad it might be worth it. I'm in grad school and I found the duties of my particular internship to be a little underwhelming.
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Sep 24, 2011 14:46
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I'm the wrong person to ask if my employers were impressed because between my internship and joining the Foreign Service, I went to law school and had a brief sojourn as a corporate attorney. None of those assholes cared one whit that I'd done a State internship.  I think, though, that if it's a field you're very interested in, it would be worth it both to get exposure to your area of interest and to develop contacts therein. Bonus if you want to work for State in some capacity very soon, that network would be useful. My internship was definitely worth it, if not exactly a career-booster. It was interesting work and gave me my first real exposure to the variety of options open to you at State. And taking more than 4 years to finish undergrad is so common these days that I'm not sure anyone would even blink at an extra 1.5 years (non-State related side note: my brother took nine years to finish his undergrad and currently is in a fairly prestigious PhD program; his story always makes me feel like the time you took to finish undergrad is nearly irrelevant). Just be prepared for the expense. I can't imagine a paid internship would even begin to pay enough to cover your costs in DC; honestly the money might be my one hesitation. But if you think you can handle it, I'd say go for it.
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Sep 24, 2011 14:48
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Just wanted to stop in and say the State Department is awesome to work with, I am really enjoying myself getting to work with them. Best attitudes of anyone I've ever worked with.
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Sep 24, 2011 15:42
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Yeah. I applied to SCEP a few days ago. I guess it's weird for me becuase I work full time at another federal agency (I'm a contracting specialist) but I really want to move my career towards the Foreign Affairs realm. As we know, the state department is a tough nut to crack.. so that's why I'm looking at the SCEP and the summer internship. In case of of SCEP, I'd probably leave my job and, for the internship, I'd try to get a leave of absence (not sure if that would fly). Anyone know how well the SCEP has worked out for others? Pamchenko, thanks for your insight. Do you think an internship would pay off in the short term if I'm looking to get into state? For me, I really need the overseas experience. So I going to apply to the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (China) and the Bureau of African Affairs (I was looking at Ethiopia). For a variety of reasons, an unpaid internship in DC for the summer wouldn't be an option.
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Sep 24, 2011 17:27
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mtreecorner posted:Hey all! One thing you might consider, though it would most likely have to wait until the next year's (2013-2014) application cycle, is the Fulbright fellows program. I'm actually going through the application process right now for one of their English Teaching Assistantships in East Asia to teach overseas for the 2012-2013 academic year so if you decide to pursue this I could give you some advice on the process. You'll get around 8-14 months of in-country immersion and language training while there you could register to take language classes from a local uni or language school on top of that. Depending on the country you apply to you may or may not need prior language proficiency so you need to take that into consideration. I believe that China requires some level of Mandarin proficiency before landing in China, though if you are already learning Mandarin now you should be ok. If you don't want to do their teaching grant they have straight up research grants as well. Looks like for China they offer 60 research grants, no ETA (teaching) grants and a few public health grants for PhD students in epidemiology. Basically, I'd check out the site and then starting around next summer check back to see what next year's administration of it is offering and see if you are willing to give it a go. The only requirements are US citizen at time of application and completion of your undergrad degree by time of grant start. Generally you shouldn't have completed a PhD and the program is targeted for recent undergrad graduates and grad students still working on their graduate degrees. From what I've heard so far though, if you have a Master's degree but not a PhD and can make a compelling reason to get the grant you'll still have a competitive chance.
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Sep 25, 2011 00:28
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Rrail posted:Just wanted to stop in and say the State Department is awesome to work with, I am really enjoying myself getting to work with them. Best attitudes of anyone I've ever worked with. Contractors are rad too. Bros 4 lyfe.
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Sep 25, 2011 01:06
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mtreecorner posted:Yeah. I applied to SCEP a few days ago. I know there are a few internship positions unfilled here in Ethiopia (a pol/econ one definitely, and I heard something about one in management, also refugees) but I dont know if they're actively looking to fill them at the moment or if they're just "there". Our econ intern was awesome, was in literally the exact same shoes as you (same background, etc.) and he was planning on taking the OA shortly after he returned to the states -- the reporting work he did plus attending meetings, surely will help him with the OA. And I can't imagine that interning in any position looks bad on your QEP stage. So if you can swing it, by all means go for it.
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Sep 25, 2011 01:11
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Thanks for the insight Diplomaticus. I was writing my SoI talking about econ/management. Do you know what said intern did with his old job? Leave for the internship? I'll cross that bridge if I get there, but that will probably be a huge risk/reward decision for me if I have to leave.
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Sep 25, 2011 02:40
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Going to be proctoring a FSOT test next weekend ... so I wanted to wish all those who are planning to take the test in October the best of luck! A job with the State Department has been interesting and challenging career. In other news ... Spring has sprung in these environs and looking forward to a fun busy Summer.
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Sep 25, 2011 04:46
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mtreecorner posted:Pamchenko, thanks for your insight. Do you think an internship would pay off in the short term if I'm looking to get into state? I think it can't hurt. And if you're looking to work at State in DC, connections can't hurt either. Of my two friends who did overseas internships, one is now an FSO, and the other didn't make it past QEP. Personally, if you're looking for something to pad your FS resume by going overseas, I'd look for something a little more long-term than a 10-week internship. Either Fulbright fellows, as Damelus mentioned, or Peace Corps. Then again, it's definitely possible to get into FS with zero overseas experience, so an internship is nothing to sneeze at.
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Sep 25, 2011 08:16
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Dameius posted:One thing you might consider, though it would most likely have to wait until the next year's (2013-2014) application cycle, is the Fulbright fellows program. I was a Fulbright Fellow (Bulgaria) last year. If anyone has any questions about the process, ask here or PM me (and also get rolling because it's due in like 3 weeks). I also made a post in the SAL grant thread back in June. In other news, recently applied for SCEP. We'll see how that works out. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 04:37 on Sep 27, 2011 |
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Sep 27, 2011 04:34
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Today was my first day @ post. Jet lag is terrible. Managed to stay up until about 8:30 tonight, but woke up around midnight & have just been laying here for 4 hours.
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Sep 28, 2011 20:50
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This isn't quite the foreign service but still the State Department. I'm going to apply to the State Department's internship program and am curious about the security clearance. When I was 18 I was arrested in DC with felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Six months later by the time the case actually gets to trial (it was defeated once and they had to restart the case) I ended up with a misdemeanor possession with intent to distribute and probation before judgment. Ultimately never going on my record. I completed the community service, passed all the piss tests, and never served any time except for the night when we were pulled over. Am I still royally hosed? I left the lifestyle pretty much immediately following arrest and have no contacts or affiliation with anything anymore. I've always been told to put down I've never been arrested (because it's off my record) when applying for jobs but I've never had a problem. I was also never convicted of actually committing the crime and then it was expunged. I'm worried this might never give me a clearance to be able to work in the government. If anyone has any insight I would really appreciate it.
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Sep 28, 2011 22:47
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GreenCard78 posted:This isn't quite the foreign service but still the State Department. I'm going to apply to the State Department's internship program and am curious about the security clearance. When I was 18 I was arrested in DC with felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Six months later by the time the case actually gets to trial (it was defeated once and they had to restart the case) I ended up with a misdemeanor possession with intent to distribute and probation before judgment. Ultimately never going on my record. I completed the community service, passed all the piss tests, and never served any time except for the night when we were pulled over. Eh... you won't know unless you apply.
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Sep 28, 2011 23:02
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I'm applying no matter what someone tells me on here, I'm just filling out some forms and got concerned. You can get any question in the world answered in SA.
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Sep 28, 2011 23:05
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GreenCard78 posted:I'm applying no matter what someone tells me on here, I'm just filling out some forms and got concerned. You can get any question in the world answered in SA. Well, I think the security forms ask if you've been arrested, not necessarily a conviction, so do keep that in mind. Also, if it's for a TS, they will find out about the arrest and or your former lifestyle that got you in trouble and if you were a distributor. If it's only a S, I don't know if they'll uncover it. But, I've heard if you ever get upgraded to a TS, and they find out about shenanigans you omitted for your S, it's not a good situation. I personally went the honest route and it worked out okay for me but every situation is unique. TCD fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Sep 28, 2011 |
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Sep 28, 2011 23:14
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1of7 posted:Today was my first day @ post. Jet lag is terrible. Managed to stay up until about 8:30 tonight, but woke up around midnight & have just been laying here for 4 hours. Go eat some awesome food today and slip into a coma this evening.
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Sep 28, 2011 23:26
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TCD posted:Well, I think the security forms ask if you've been arrested, not necessarily a conviction, so do keep that in mind. Also, if it's for a TS, they will find out about the arrest and or your former lifestyle that got you in trouble and if you were a distributor. If it's only a S, I don't know if they'll uncover it. But, I've heard if you ever get upgraded to a TS, and they find out about shenanigans you omitted for your S, it's not a good situation. I want to go the honest route. Yes it happened but I'm as far away from it as possible. Is there any kind of sympathy for those who have transformed themselves? I was never a big time distributor, just to friends and not that great of quantities either. If you don't mind me asking, what was your situation?
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Sep 29, 2011 00:16
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Hey Greencard, Every agency has their own suitability requirements in addition to clearance requirements. But you won't know unless you apply. For less serious offenses, time is seen as a healing factor. This site has some clearance adjudication appeal decisions that might help you get a sense of what they're looking for. http://www.dod.gov/dodgc/doha/isp.html
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Sep 29, 2011 00:25
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GreenCard78 posted:I want to go the honest route. Yes it happened but I'm as far away from it as possible. Is there any kind of sympathy for those who have transformed themselves? I was never a big time distributor, just to friends and not that great of quantities either. The thing that might get you is the distributing thing. I know using is looked at much differently than selling/distributing. That said, the state department TS process is much better than say, FBI. I'd apply and try. The can only say no. But be honest... If it comes out you lied, its not good at all. VERY not good.
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Sep 29, 2011 00:33
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I'm not going to lie. I was once arrested, got a misdemeanor PBJ. I hope time is a healing factor. I personally do not like drugs anymore, let alone marijuana. During the year I went through the court system I disengaged from it all and later found all my friends who did get high to be completely boring and most worthless. Cue several years later and I really enjoy government and politics in class and want to go to school for urban planning or public administration. Do something positive.
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Sep 29, 2011 01:06
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I haven't gone through the State clearance process yet so grain of salt and all. If you were to go through FBI you'd never make it but from what I've heard from talking to people in State is that the main purpose of the security clearance is to make sure you can't be blackmailed/coerced into giving away classified information. The fact that you pretty much immediately left the lifestyle and do not have any more associations with it will help your case as well as time distance from the events. A friend of a friend used to take ecstasy every weekend from like 16-18 then joined the Air Force and needed a TS. He had a six month probationary period where he was "randomly" selected for a piss test every week, he always came clear and they gave him the clearance. So basically reiterating what everyone else said: You won't know until you try and it depends. Also get used to the answer, "it depends," because you are going to hear it a lot.
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Sep 29, 2011 03:04
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Dameius posted:Also get used to the answer, "it depends," because you are going to hear it a lot. Oh yes, "it depends". They say every investigation is different, and no two people have the same set of mitigating factors, so, "it depends".
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Sep 29, 2011 06:57
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The food here is definitely awesome. I've basically just had 2 lunches so far, but both were awesome. Rabbit, mapo tofu, & pork (?) ribs were all great. Had some other good dishes, but am not sure of the name.
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Sep 29, 2011 13:35
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Yeah, It Depends(tm)! It's just really easier on you to straight up tell the investigator. On the SF-86 you can make a note on the section and say something like "it is not on my record but I was arrested on [date] for [charge]. Ultimately nothing came of this but I was not sure whether to disclose it or not". Folks say things about DSS (defense & diplomatic), but 1 thing is: they are very thorough and do their jobs well. don't even think about bullshittin' them. If you end up adjudicating - which means you'll be going to a judge (federal, FYI) it can significantly delay your application which can bone you. Double the boning you if the judge decides not to grant you it. If you end up getting a S clearance (or a TS), and later upgraded, the depth-of-detail they delve into is different. if it's inconsistent at someplace, they know you fibbed and will call you out on it. They take perjury (esp to one of their own officers, or a judge) far more serious than any drug charges. 1of7 posted:Today was my first day @ post. Jet lag is terrible. Managed to stay up until about 8:30 tonight, but woke up around midnight & have just been laying here for 4 hours. Whoo! chengdu! What I love the most about china is how diverse it is and you never really think about it. Seriously just go to the different regions around, it's amazing.. Wuxi is a nice starting point, haha.
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Sep 29, 2011 14:21
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GreenCard78 posted:This isn't quite the foreign service but still the State Department. I'm going to apply to the State Department's internship program and am curious about the security clearance. When I was 18 I was arrested in DC with felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Six months later by the time the case actually gets to trial (it was defeated once and they had to restart the case) I ended up with a misdemeanor possession with intent to distribute and probation before judgment. Ultimately never going on my record. I completed the community service, passed all the piss tests, and never served any time except for the night when we were pulled over. It totally depends as other people said. But two things in your favor -- 1) it was PBJ and then expunged. While you still have to report it (because of the arrest) and you should absolutely bring it up in your clearance interview and list it on your SF-86, honesty is critical and it ended up being only a misdemeanor. 2) You mentioned earlier time heals -- this is true. If you've been perfectly clean since then, and can show that you have nothing to do with that lifestyle, haven't used any drugs in over a year, stay away from people like that -- AND your references that they will check in the background verify that, you should be in a decent position. Check that link someone posted earlier to the DoD clearance adjudications. You will see some people who have done worse poo poo than that get clearances because they have sufficiently atoned for their mistakes and are not a risk anymore. You'll also see some people with lesser poo poo be denied because they haven't atoned, or still are at risk. You should get a decent idea of how the process works from that. Obviously, State is not DoD but the processess are not that dissimilar as far as I am aware.
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Sep 29, 2011 15:32
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GreenCard78 posted:This isn't quite the foreign service but still the State Department. I'm going to apply to the State Department's internship program and am curious about the security clearance. When I was 18 I was arrested in DC with felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Six months later by the time the case actually gets to trial (it was defeated once and they had to restart the case) I ended up with a misdemeanor possession with intent to distribute and probation before judgment. Ultimately never going on my record. I completed the community service, passed all the piss tests, and never served any time except for the night when we were pulled over. If I had to put down money I'd bet that it wouldn't prevent you from getting a clearance. It's always a judgment call though so you can never know for sure.
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Sep 29, 2011 15:38
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Who was our guy who just came in with the 161st A-100? What post did you get?
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Sep 29, 2011 16:06
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I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask. I'm studying to become a ship's officer and I've been having an argument with a classmate who insists that if * You have a C1/D visa. And * Enters the US as a tourist under the visa waiver program, the immigration officer will be mighty suspicious of you and might even bar your entry (because... I'm not really sure why; maybe because he thinks you'll overstay because of the C1/D for some reason). The classmate claims that you should get a tourist visa before departing for the US, and I claim that you shouldn't have to. What say you?
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Sep 29, 2011 20:47
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I've got a friend who does C1's in a major seafaring post, he'd know. I'll ask.
Leif. fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Sep 29, 2011 |
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Sep 29, 2011 21:16
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Thanks, man. This is a great thread!
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Sep 29, 2011 21:21
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Per posted:I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask. I'm studying to become a ship's officer and I've been having an argument with a classmate who insists that if I don't quite understand the question here; You're asking if immigration will think it's suspicious if you enter the US on a Visa Waiver B1/B2 but you've been issued a C/D visa?
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Sep 29, 2011 23:09
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Homie S posted:I don't quite understand the question here; You're asking if immigration will think it's suspicious if you enter the US on a Visa Waiver B1/B2 but you've been issued a C/D visa? Yeah, pretty much. I don't really get it either.
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Sep 30, 2011 06:19
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Response:quote:I don't know if your visa question has been answered, but your friend needs a B2 visa for tourism. The C1D is only for the purpose of acting as a crew member. DHS may turn someone away at the border who tries to enter for tourism with only a crewmember visa. Except I think he missed that it is a visa waiver program. Second response: quote:That's really a question for CBP. For one thing, the Visa Waiver Program means a consular officer doesn't even get to see the guy; the first official American he'll meet is the CBP officer. That said, I don't see why he would be suspicious. In <redacted>, which does not get a waiver, I see passports with C1/D and B1/B2 all the time. In fact, a memo just went out cautioning us to be careful when we cancel the old visa to make sure it's the same class as the visa they're applying for. So looks like that he should be fine if it is a visa waiver country (as that will substitute for the B1/B2), but if it is not a visa waiver country, he will need a B1/B2 as a C1/D does not apply for tourism. Leif. fucked around with this message at 07:54 on Sep 30, 2011 |
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Sep 30, 2011 07:52
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Diplomaticus posted:So looks like that he should be fine if it is a visa waiver country (as that will substitute for the B1/B2), but if it is not a visa waiver country, he will need a B1/B2 as a C1/D does not apply for tourism. The only thing that would make me suspicious is if the D visa holder tries to cross via land border or something. In fact I don't even think you can do that.
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Sep 30, 2011 12:32
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Alright, thank you very much. As I suspected I was right.  (From a visa waiver country)
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Sep 30, 2011 12:45
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Homie S posted:The only thing that would make me suspicious is if the D visa holder tries to cross via land border or something. In fact I don't even think you can do that. Yeah I'm pretty sure you can't. Maybe if it was from your employer as like...a positioning thing. Even then, I don't even know.
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Sep 30, 2011 15:02
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This is how small the world is -- I'm sitting in a hotel today having drinks and relaxing, and in walks my A-100 classmate posted in Liberia, in town for a conference. Across the world from home, and across the continent from where you'd expect to run into someone.....
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Sep 30, 2011 22:25
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Diplomaticus posted:This is how small the world is -- I'm sitting in a hotel today having drinks and relaxing, and in walks my A-100 classmate posted in Liberia, in town for a conference. Across the world from home, and across the continent from where you'd expect to run into someone..... The Foreign Service is incredibly small. If you're hanging out at an expat area this isn't out of the norm.
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Sep 30, 2011 22:43
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Diplomaticus posted:This is how small the world is -- I'm sitting in a hotel today having drinks and relaxing, and in walks my A-100 classmate posted in Liberia, in town for a conference. Across the world from home, and across the continent from where you'd expect to run into someone..... Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world. . . . Also, when there is one decent hotel in a city, this is what happens. In other news,
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Oct 1, 2011 01:21
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