The last few weeks I have contemplated about living somewhere besides Oakwood. The way the per diem works is that you receive X amount of money, whether you are by yourself or you’re the Von Trapp family. So logically, the per diem goes a longer way if you’re by yourself (especially if you don’t want to be stuck in a studio).

After receiving “the call”, you have the option to make a reservation at one of the Oakwood locations. If you decide to do so, there is no paperwork involved and State Dept. handles all the bills, etc. Keep in mind though that you don’t get the difference in lodging or anything like that. The full amount of your lodging per diem goes straight into your Oakwood apartment, whether or not it’s ideal.

If you decide to live elsewhere, you can get a good deal considering the per diem. While the .doc you receive the day you pass your OA states that front loaded leases are unacceptable, it seems like they’re not only acceptable, but encouraged. It isn’t difficult to find a landlord who is comfortable with per diem’s and front loaded leases. Usually, the only upfront costs are the security deposit.

The most difficult part about living at Oakwood seems to be simply accepting the location. It will not be wonderful but it won’t be bad either, seems to be the consensus. Also, you can move out of Oakwood into Elsewhere but you can’t go from living Elsewhere and into Oakwood.

On the other hand, the most difficult part about living Elsewhere seems to be, at least for me, just finding the right apartment and the right landlord and arranging the lease (front loaded, diplomatic release clause, etc).

While cleaning out my computer over the last couple of days, I came across my resources for the Foreign Service Oral Assessment. I would like to think that I did well on the OA and that preparation is key. Below are my thoughts on how to pass the FSOA and the resources which I found most valuable.

You must know the 13 dimensions (they are what the evaluators use to score you) – even feel free to throw back at them the parts of the definition in your responses. But that’s not all.

• Be confident
• Be assertive
• Be kind
• Be heard

Those four things can make a big difference and add .1 or .2 crucial points to your score.

GE – Group Exercise

Aim to have your project fully funded. Always advocate for your project in the beginning, as ridiculous as your project might be. ORGANIZATION of your proposal is key. Take into account positives and negatives, how many U.S. interests are served (x out of y), and impact on the ground. After everyone has had their initial thoughts, feel free to take a step back re: your proposal if you feel it’s appropriate, but not completely right away. Maybe withdraw your project from consideration for full funding, but keep it in for partial funding.

Being heard, encouraging the quiet members to speak up and asking for their opinion, asking questions, and advocating for your project (not stubbornly) and knowing when to give in are key.

CM – Case Management

Practice this many times before the OA. Read the instructions, offer alternate recommendations, be a little creative, take responsibility and initiative, and use numbers, percentages, etc.

SI – Structured Interview

Even though it’s an hour, the time really does fly by. The key for this is to know yourself, know your history, know your strengths and weaknesses. And then, know how to tie them back in to the 13Ds.

The Yahoo FSOA group was tremendously helpful, as was the FSOT wiki. The State Department website has a section on the Oral Assessment, with a link to a PDF that tells you everything you need to know and what to expect. There should be NO SURPRISES.

But you must do one thing above all else if you really want to improve your chances of passing the OA:

Join a study group.

Better yet, join a Skype study group. On the Yahoo FSOA Group, you should be easily able to find a study group to join.

I’ve also compiled a folder of the documents which I found most helpful. I don’t remember where I found these files (some probably from the Yahoo group) and I’m not attempting to take any credit for them. These are just the ones I thought were the best. You can download it here.

Make sure to check out The Hegemonist‘s series on the Oral Assessment.

If you have any questions, I’d be more than willing to answer them below.

UPDATE: Also found a great writeup over at vonhinken.com about the oral assessment.

It’s not the newest or coolest thing out there, but I thought that the package that gets sent out to incoming Foreign Service Officers should receive a special unboxing. Of course, I’m not going to say too much because that would ruin the surprise but here is what you should know.

Inside the box is a big folder stuffed with bureaucracy. The first hint that you’re not in this for the money is the front of that folder. While some places have nicely embossed images on their welcome packages, we get this Clipart relic from 1995.

After briefly second-guessing my career choice, I opened up the folder to the most reading material I’ve ever seen since freshman year. I quickly closed the folder back up. Wouldn’t want to suffer from exhaustion.

And that concludes the unboxing of the welcome package. I hope that I’ll be able to read some of this stuff sooner or later, but the fact that it’s in different font styles, font families,  and font colors makes it really discouraging. Also, the fact that it involves reading. Doesn’t the government know that it’s summer?

Better hope this doesn’t happen to you when you’re on a diplomatic mission.

I love living in New York City. It really is the greatest city in the world. Where else can stuff like this happen?