Oral Assessment Update

Despite the ongoing hiring freeze across the government, Oral Assessments have been continuing in some capacity, and I still receive frequent questions about the Oral Assessment. One of my very first posts, even before I started working for the department, was to review the Oral Assessment process. Below is that post with a few changes

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Chips Abroad

A few weeks back I posted about my love of trying different beers around the world, the same can be said about Lay’s Potato Chips. I want to note that in the U.S., I basically never eat potato chips, Lay’s or otherwise, but when you hit the road and explore exotic places, you’ll discover some

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Salary Update

3 years ago I posted about the salary determination process in the Foreign Service, but it continues to be one of the most frequently asked questions I receive from potential prospects, so figured it would be a good idea to update that post and add a little more clarity now that I have even more

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Transitions

This year marks my 3rd year in the Foreign Service, but my first presidential transition. When President Biden announced he wouldn’t seek re-election, it guaranteed I would have a new boss come the new year, and after winning the election in November, President Trump is now in charge, with Marco Rubio promptly receiving Senate approval

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Happy New Year!

Another year begins, and this one marks my 3rd year of employment with the Department of State. 3 years ago this month I received my invitation to join the Foreign Service, and in April I will celebrate my 3rd year of employment. This is a big year for multiple reasons from a career standpoint. For

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Beer!

I love a good beer. One of my favorite things to do when I travel is try the local beers, and if there are any, the local microbrews. I don’t drink everyday, or even every week, but when I travel, tasting the local beers for me is one of the elements in embracing the local

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Slowing it down

Not much to write this week other than to say I will be moving the blog from a weekly publication to twice a week. I have been publishing a weekly post for a few years now, and as I get busier in my job, and there become fewer things to write about that are worth

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A day in the life.

Back in Nouakchott I had a similar post about my day to day life running the Health Unit, so thought it would be a nice time to right down my routine here, and how it compares. The reality is every Embassy is run a little bit differently, and the same is true of each Health

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AMA: Danger Pay.

Since I have been assigned to Rangoon, several readers have asked me about the Danger Pay differential, and how one gets it. Danger Pay is a percentage pay differential an employee gets for serving in locations where circumstances on the ground could threaten physical harm against employees. Typical reasons a post would get Danger Pay

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