Foreign Service Officers

Foreign Service officers may be assigned to work in Washington, D.C., or in any embassy or consulate in the world. "You will hold a variety of positions within a probationary period (up to five years) in order to demonstrate your qualifications for tenure as a career Foreign Service Officer and to see if the Foreign Service is the right fit," according to the Foreign Service Web site. "As part of this process, you will perform two to three years on average of consular work, and should expect an assignment to at least one hardship post."

Foreign Service officers may serve tours of duty in such major world cities as London, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, or in the less familiar locales of Iceland, Madagascar, Nepal, or the Fiji Islands. Environments range from elegant and glamorous to remote and primitive.

Most offices overseas are clean, pleasant, and well equipped. But Foreign Service officers sometimes have to travel into areas that may present health hazards. Customs may differ considerably, medical care may be sub-standard or nonexistent, the climate may be extreme, or other hardships may exist. In some countries there is the danger of earthquakes, typhoons, or floods; in others, the danger of political upheaval.

Although embassy hours are normally the usual office hours of the host country, other tasks of the job may involve outside activities, such as attending or hosting dinners, lectures, public functions, or other necessary social engagements.