I am a Career Foreign Service Officer for the United States. I've seen posts by FSOs (Foreign Service officers) on Reddit before and would imagine you could get many of your questions answered by searching for earlier AMAs. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see others chime in here, we tend to be a pretty gregarious bunch.

I joined the Foreign Service via the Foreign Service Officer Test - you can learn more about the process and what it is like to be an FSO here: https://careers.state.gov/work/foreign-service/officer

When I took the test, it was offered once a year and required advance registration. Presently, it is offered up to four times per year. The process begins with a written test. There are several sections that use the multiple choice format and several essays. I believe that you must pass the multiple choice in order for you written work to be graded. The process has changed since I came in, we did the entire test by hand and now they use computers. It may be these days, because they can grade the computerized test in seconds, that you are not even allowed to sit for the essay if you haven't passed the multiple choice.

Those people who pass the written and essay portions are invited to register for an oral exam. The oral exam is basically a small group exercise and since the numbers of people who can participate in each sitting are limited, it can take several weeks or even months to get an appointment. Because I was waiting for a test date on the West Coast, I ended up waiting almost 10 months for my oral exam. Had I known better, I'd have flown to DC and taken it sooner.

If you pass the oral exam, you are usually offered a position on the condition that you pass the background required for a security clearance, obtain a medical clearance and pass the final suitability review. Other than the oral exam and an interview for the security check, which is usually done by a contractor, not a hiring authority, there is no "job interview."

I stood out by doing well on the written test, by working well with the small group and by presenting well thought out essays. Over the years I have found that FSOs are quite similar. We are usually news junkies, have real opinions about policy and politics and have the ability to communicate, both verbally and in writing, across multiple levels.

There are several different kinds of people inside an American Embassy. An Ambassador leads the mission. He or she can be a member of the Career Foreign Service - meaning they came in through the testing process I just touched upon and then worked their way up through the system - or politically appointed by the president. Think of them as the CEO.

Beneath the ambassador is the Deputy Chief of Mission. He or she is usually a career FSO and is something like the Chief Operating Officer.

Beneath the DCM are the various department heads. An embassy does a great many things and requires specialization. Sections at most embassies include the political section, the public affairs or "public diplomacy" section, the economic section, the consular section and the management or "admin" section. All FSOs specialize in one of these career fields and rather than get bogged down explaining what each of them do, I'll refer you back to the web site.

Working alongside the FSOs are the Foreign Service Specialists. Specialists have important technical skills or are people with specialized jobs like running a major security operation or maintaining communications and computer systems.

Also in an embassy are people from other parts of the US government, from the Department of Homeland Security, members of the military, the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce and others.

We also employ locals and even some American citizens married to locals and residing within the "host country" to fill out the staff and accomplish the mission. Usually, these local hires significantly outnumber the US personnel.

The hierarchy runs - Ambassador, DCM, Department head, section heads and then people with specific jobs. At a Consulate, which is a "branch office" there is a "Principal Officer" which is sometimes called a "Consul General" then sections head and so-on. The PO nests right under the DCM in the hierarchy and is essentially a Department head in a remote location.

The length of assignments can vary. Normally, a new officer's first two assignments last two years each. Follow on assignments are generally for three years. In dangerous or difficult countries, assignments can be shorter, one or two years, and there are also Temporary Duty or TDY assignments that can be quite short. When we return to the US, the assignment are usually two years in length and we are limited to no more than 6 consecutive years in-country. We might also travel on training assignments, for conferences, to help out short staffed missions cover people's vacations or medical leave, etc. In my own career, however, I've usually not sought out those opportunities as I like to focus on what I am doing.

I travel with my wife, who is not an American citizen, and our three dual-national children. We also have a small dog. The Department covers the cost of our moves, our airline tickets when we are on official travel, our housing, basic utilities and the kid's schooling. The amount of household good we can ship is limited by weight - a portion of which we can send to post and the remainder or which must sit in storage until we return to the States. We generally do not send heavy furniture as that is usually provided by the mission. The cost of moving the dog, getting the paperwork, shots and other issues are always borne by us. We can ship one US legal vehicle - generally, the Department refuses to ship cars purchased overseas as importation back to the US can be a problem.

I speak English and one other language. A second language is not a requirement for hiring. The Department will train people, up to a couple of years in some cases, in the language required at the post of their next assignment. New hires are given a "conditional appointment" and are only guaranteed a job for up to 5 years. There is a tenuring process and a person's service is examined. In order to make tenure, an officer must be able to speak a foreign language at a given level by the time the clock runs out or they are released. Again, the Department send you to school for this and pays your salary while you are there. They do everything they can to help a person pass and I have never seen someone fail tenure because of a foreign language.

I don't think I have ever seen an FSO with an obviously visible tattoo, Maybe some of the women have them on their ankles or such but I've never noticed. I'm not sure what the policy is, either, but given the cultural significance of tattoos in some cultures I wouldn't be surprised if they affected an assignment or were required to be covered in some way.