The Foreign Service Journal, June 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2014 33 career path. The other path that our system generally offers is the consular path. Unlike the American sys- tem, one can easily “cross” the tracks during a Foreign Service career by following a relatively simple procedure. During my first year with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, work as a desk officer was blended with professional diplomatic training. The six-month mandatory basic orientation program—similar to the American A-100 class—was intense. Training is run by the Romanian Diplomatic Institute, attached to the MFA. Those classes brought together new and enthusiastic diplomats in learning and friendship. After that, supplementary short, skill- based courses followed. Despite the general similarities in continued learning pro- cesses between our systems, learning additional foreign lan- guages is different in Bucharest. Romanian diplomats gener- ally take foreign language classes after work, during one’s free time and without a compulsory linkage to the further selection for overseas posting. Only some languages—such as Arabic, Russian, Turkish or professional French—are offered through diverse programs developed with private-sector or specialized institutes, such as the French Institute in Bucharest. Preparing for a Posting Generally, the first two years as a member of the corps are spent with the MFA in Bucharest. This is the usual step required to become eligible for the annual selection process for overseas posting. As in the American system, the period between the posting of open positions and the actual decisions is quite intense. Everyone who chooses to participate in this contest decides on their top choices and submits a three-bid short list to the Posting Committee. Overseas postings can last from six months to four years. The candidate’s experience, expertise, diplomatic rank, personal skills and knowledge of a rare foreign lan- guage are assessed by the Posting Committee and everyone is engaged, aiming to emphasize their best qualifications. Climbing the Ladder The Romanian system recognizes eight diplomatic ranks (in descending order: ambassador, minister-plenipotentiary, minister-counselor, counselor, first secretary, second sec- retary, third secretary and diplomatic attaché) and four consular ranks (consul gen- eral, consul, vice-consul and consular agent). One climbs the diplomatic career ladder by participat- ing in the annual promotion competition when the time comes. I have been through two competitions during the last eight years. After the fulfillment of the mandatory requirement of years of service, I submitted an individual written request for promotion (allowed for just one step up the grade scale), with a self-evaluation and a director’s evaluation each time. Once the submission is made, the nervous waiting begins in anticipation of the Promotion Commission’s assessment. This year I will undertake this exercise again, in hopes of being promoted from second to first secretary, after four years of service since my last promotion. Work-Life Balance Every diplomat has personal motivations that lead him or her to embrace diplomatic work. My biggest motivation comes from feeling like my efforts help improve policy or open new doors in Romania’s relationship with a given country. Despite the engagement needed to do your job as well as you can, an important challenge remains: how to achieve a good work-life balance. Aiming for such balance is essential when moving around the world every couple of years, which can take a toll on fami- lies. Spouses face challenges maintaining their own careers while moving the family and having the kids jump from school to school. There is no recipe for achieving the needed balance and, definitely, a case-by-case approach is needed. However, the bidding process for overseas postings plays a very impor- tant role. I hope these glimpses of the way the Romanian diplomatic system works will help create new bridges and spark interest in discovering more about us. Those of us representing Romania and its citizens are fully committed to getting to know you bet- ter, and to being strategic partners and friends of the United States. I have enjoyed sharing these thoughts about our diplomatic careers and lives that, in spite of certain differences, are so similar—whether one is working near the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., or the Dâmbovita River in Bucharest. n For Romanian diplomats, the foreign language classes are generally taken after work, during one’s free time.