How are initial assignments determined?
After an initial orientation and training period in Washington (usually between six months and one year), the newly-hired Foreign Service Officer is assigned overseas. The first overseas assignments (usually two years each) are designed to develop the new officer’s talents in different working environments and ensure that he or she has attained foreign service and language skills. The officer will hold a variety of positions in order to demonstrate his or her qualifications for tenure as a career Foreign Service Officer within a five-year probationary period and to see if Foreign Service is the right fit. New officers are given the opportunity to express their preferences for postings from a list of positions available. Personal and professional goals, training requirements, and medical and educational concerns for family members are some of the factors taken into account when assignment decisions are made. All officers are considered worldwide available and must be prepared to go wher
