I finished my CHEMBA application, and have sent all the necessary elements in. From this point, I'll just have to confirm their receipt (that's the correct word, right? Not "receival" or something?), and wait patiently for Fujitsu to decide whether I'm worthy of a scholarship or not.
How does this figure in with the diplomacy thing? Well, here's how the Foreign Service hiring process works:
- Pass the Written Test given in April (done - passed)
- Pass the Oral Exam in February by getting 75% or better (this'll be my fourth try)
- Score high enough on the telephone foreign language assessment to get bonus points (2% if I use French, 5% if I use Korean)
- Wait on the "List of Eligible Hires" for my security clearance to go through and then get "The Call"
- Move to D.C., preferably just as my teaching contract ends.
The hardest part is Step 2. If I don't pass, or if the process stalls while I sit on the list, I'm going to do the CHEMBA program. It's only 15 months, and I believe it would better position me to become a diplomat afterward without missing any events in the FS schedule. Plus, if I can get the scholarship, I think it'll really pay off.
If I end up passing both, placement on the "LEH" and the realistic prospect of getting "The Call" are what will determine my final decision.
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