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
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
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
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
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
For the first time ever, I got to experience a U.S. Presidential Election overseas, which was a unique and fascinating experience. Particularly because of the country I currently am posted. It was also the first time I hadn’t voted in person since I first became eligible to vote in the 2003, being one of the
One of the coolest parts of my job is easily the periodic travel I get to do. Last month had me heading to Las Vegas for continuing medical education, and this month had me heading to Mandalay in Upper Myanmar to do some hospital visits. Mandalay is the former imperial capital of Myanmar, until the
Late September into Early October gave me a wonderful opportunity to visit the U.S. for work as well as take some time to see my family after being away for two months. To kick things off, I flew from Yangon to Las Vegas (via Seoul) for our annual continuing medical education conference. MED puts these
One of the most common questions I get is how long it took me to go from applying to hiring when I joined the Foreign Service. There is a headline page at the top of this blog where you can find that information, but based on the questions and page view totals, I know not
It’s election season and recently I got a very interesting question that asked if Foreign Service employees can vote. This apparently stemmed from an incorrect news report from a major U.S. news outlet that claimed State Department employees, specifically diplomats, not being allowed to vote. The answer is: yes, diplomats, State Department employees, and federal
