Working Abroad: The Life and Work of a Foreign Service Officer
Recently, I sat down with Matthew Underwood, a foreign service officer in the United States State Department, to discuss his work and career.
Annik: What is your job description? Essentially, what do you do and where do you work?
Matthew: My job title is Regional Public Engagement Specialist. I work at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and my job is regional. I work in the public affairs section in Kyiv but I'm responsible for all of our American spaces in Ukraine and Moldova. This includes America House Kyiv and includes 29 other windows on America around Ukraine and five other centers around Moldova. My job is mostly to liaise between those embassies public affairs sections and their American corners to make sure they have resources they need and access to the programs they need. I work closely with the partners that help implement programs at these spaces as well and offer programming in those spaces myself.
Annik: How did you personally get started in this field? What drew you to it?
Matthew: I got started working for the Foreign Service when I read a newspaper article. I was in graduate school, but I knew I didn’t want to be an academic [professor/researcher] but I also did not know what I wanted to do.
I picked up a copy of the New York Times in 2008 (during the depth of the 2008 recession) and there was a story in the paper about how no companies were hiring anyone, except the Foreign Service was having a hiring surge. At this point, I knew we had embassies and I knew people worked in them, but I never knew of the Foreign Service. This opportunity sounded like a great way to engage in public service and do things that I was interested in doing, like living in other countries and learning new languages. Shortly thereafter, me and my wife both signed up and took the Foreign Service Test, went through the process, and now we are both US Diplomats.
Annik: How long have you been involved with the Foreign Service?
Matthew: I started in the Foreign Service on the 2nd of August, 2010. I am coming up on nearly 10 years.
Annik: What has been your favorite part of working in Ukraine and Moldova?
Matthew: My favorite part about working in Ukraine and Moldova is getting to interact with all of the amazing, energetic, and interesting young people who are trying to make their countries better. These countries are moving towards becoming prosperous, western-oriented democracies, and there is this energy, where people there are very excited about taking part in this historic change. Getting to work with people is the favorite part of my job.
Annik: Have you worked in any other countries?
Matthew: I have! My first assignment was in Jamaica where I did consular work (American citizen services, nonimmigrant and immigrant visas). My second assignment was in Jordan where I did another year in the consular section and a year and public affairs. In public affairs, I did cultural programming and was in charge of the embassy’s social media accounts. Following that, I came back to Washington DC and learned Russian for a year and served for two years in Moscow. In Moscow, I worked in embassy’s press section and was in charge of our social and digital media. After Moscow, I came back to Washington DC again for a year where I worked in the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, in the office which handles requests from international media, doing things like setting up interviews with senior officials.
Annik: How long is one assignment considered to be?
Matthew: We are all considered to be generalists, which means that we move around frequently and change jobs frequently. It depends on the post, but the standard is 2 or 3 years. Some hardship posts are only one year. In certain circumstances, you can have the opportunity to extend that out to 3 or 4 years.
Annik: What has been your favorite country to work in so far?
Matthew: There are things that I love about all of them - it would be very hard to name just one favorite! I certainly am enjoying my time in Ukraine immensely, and I love working with the fabulous team at America House and all the amazing people I get to meet through America House.
Annik: What were some of the biggest challenges that you faced in the beginning of your career? Challenges you face now?
Matthew: I think there are always challenges in diplomatic work, such as building connections between people and trying to get people to come to agreements over things. I work in public affairs, so one of the biggest challenges there is getting through to people in the current media environment with the important messages we try to get to them from the Department of State. This is a challenge in a good way, in that I think this work brings out the best in people and forces people to be creative and innovative. One thing that has always impressed me about my colleagues is that no challenge ever keeps them from doing something. We always find a way - when I look at my colleagues and see all the wonderful things they achieved under such difficult circumstances, it always inspires me.
Annik: What, in your opinion, has been the most rewarding part of being involved in the foreign service?
Matthew: The most rewarding part is just seeing the outcome of the work that we do. We get to see firsthand what our work means to people and how it changes people's lives.
Annik: What are some memorable events or occurrences from your time abroad?
Matthew: In Ukraine and America House, we host this business incubator. There have been several cohorts to pass through the incubator already. We've seen around 18 startups launched, and they have raised almost a million dollars in start-up capital for their businesses. One of them is an online meeting tool where you can set an agenda for an online meeting, which has really taken off now that everyone is teleworking. Getting to see successes like that is amazing. We recently also hosted a songwriting incubator at America House. We had this amazing American folk group called Derik Nelson and Family who came over to Kyiv and they ran a week-long songwriting workshop with 15 incredible musicians from all across Ukraine. Within just 3 or 4 days, everyone wrote an original song and performed it at a concert at America House. Watching how they have all kept in touch with each other, including America House, has been amazing. They are working on an album and even did a live concert online. Seeing how these programs connect people and how these connections make a difference in people's lives is a wonderful part of my job.
In Ukraine, it's amazing to be in a place that is taking charge of its own future despite all the challenges it has had to face in recent years. What Ukrainians have managed to build within their own country is really meaningful, and America House gets to participate in enabling that transformation, which is just incredible.
Annik: If you weren’t working in the foreign service, what do you think you would be doing now?
Matthew: That's interesting, because I have no idea! Now that I'm in this job, and since the day I started, I've never thought about doing something else. I went to graduate school and I wanted to be an academic, and I studied the history of science (so nothing having to do with international relations). I loved teaching and working with people, but I realized that the research aspect was not a good fit for my personality. Having to study this one specific thing for years and years was very challenging for me. In a certain way, this job is perfect for me. I have about a 2 to 3 year attention span, and this job is perfect because it is a new job or placement every few years!
Annik: The Foreign Service has many different subfields. For someone who is not interested in “international relations” or related topics, are there any opportunities for them? (For example, for someone who is interested in STEM, IT, engineering, etc.)
Matthew: There are! In fact, the Foreign Service prides itself on its diversity and on the fact that it looks like America. This is true not just for the people who are in it but also of their backgrounds and the previous experiences they bring to the job. You definitely don't have to have a degree in international relations. There are plenty of Foreign Service officers who do, but there are plenty of former lawyers, musicians, people who worked in advertising, and even former medical personnel. People do so many different things before they come to join the Foreign Service and they bring so many different experiences to the table. For example if you have a background in the sciences, you can work in science diplomacy. In fact there is a whole bureau back in the State Department dedicated to science diplomacy.
People do bring certain things to their specialty within the diplomatic service. We have five career tracks, so mine is public affairs. (To see a full list of tracks at the Department of State, click here). In public affairs we have people who used to work in education, other cultural institutions, and journalism (we do cultural diplomacy and press work). Our economic officers often have a background in economics or finance. We have lawyers, management counselors, HR professionals, and even people who work on the physical plant in the embassies abroad (this can include people like construction engineers). We really do have people from all different backgrounds - there is a place for everybody. Like I said, the Foreign Service really does represent America in every respect.
Annik: Do most people end up joining the Foreign Service soon after college graduation or is it typically something they join when they are older? Is there an age cap as to when you can join?
Matthew: There is an age cap. I believe it is 59 years old with mandatory retirement at 65.
From my experience, when I joined in 2008, the average age was 29 years old. In my orientation class (after you join the Foreign Service, you go through this week-long orientation course. They introduce you to State Department culture and the works of diplomats), there were about a hundred people. We had people from all different backgrounds and all different age ranges. We have people in their mid and upper 50s to people who had just started out of college. The Foreign Service really does attract a full range of ages and experiences. Many people come to the Foreign Service as a second career or third career, while for some it is their first career.
Annik: What does the process of joining the Foreign Service look like?
Matthew: For US diplomatic service, the first step is a written test that is akin to the SATs, but specific to the Foreign Service. That is followed up by another written assessment, where you have to provide some essays in response to some specific questions. This is followed up by an in-person interview which is scored. At each successive stage, if you pass, you move on to the next one. Then you are put on what is called a register of applicants, ranked based on your score on the interview. As they need to hire more people in each individual track, they pull people off of those lists. While you are waiting to be pulled off that list, you can do your security and medical clearances. Based on the need, you can be on the register of applicants anywhere from six months to two years.
People can also take the written tests multiple times, so if you don't pass the first time, it is not an obstacle in your path to the Foreign Service. I have worked with fantastic diplomats who took the test 5 or 6 times!
Annik: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in foreign service but doesn’t exactly know where to start?
Matthew: For basic information about the job, there is a fantastic website - Home - Careers and Job Seekers . These websites give you all the information on the technical process of how joining the Foreign Service works and what the work looks like. The State Department also has a number of internship programs, whether it is virtually or in person. These are always a great way to learn about the work that the Foreign Service does. The in-person internships are really fantastic because you are actually working in an embassy. Our interns do real, hands-on diplomatic work.
In terms of more general advice, I would say to keep an open mind, in that you don't necessarily have to choose one specific academic specialty or course of study to try and join the Foreign Service. Like I said, we take people from all different backgrounds. I don't know anyone who regrets choosing a career with the Foreign Service. The Foreign Service is full of dedicated, patriotic, wonderfully smart, and creative individuals. It is the type of job that is incredibly rewarding and allows you to serve your country and gain a lot of fabulous and interesting experiences at the same time. Just remember, there is no one specific path into the Foreign Service and diplomatic work. The most important thing is to do something you are passionate about.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Annik Brar is a student at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. studying International Affairs and Psychology. In her free time, she manages a support page for people with Type 1 Diabetes. She also loves photography and traveling and can speak Punjabi and Hindi fluently!