The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2016

104 JULY-AUGUST 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL REFLECTIONS High Hopes and Mixed Feelings: Reflections of a Consulate Intern BY WI L L I AM ROBERTSON William Stewart Robertson is a recent graduate of Kansas State University with a B.A. in history (2013) and an M.A. in security studies (2015). He interned for U.S. Consulate General Düs- seldorf for 10 weeks in the spring of 2015. A s a graduate student in security studies in 2014, I was interested in U.S. foreign policy and the State Department’s central role in managing it. To build on my academic background and further my career inter- ests, I applied to the department’s student internship program. By August, U.S. Consulate General Düsseldorf had hired me for a 10-week, unpaid internship the following spring. The security clearance process was straightforward, with only one bureau- cratic email hiccup. On Feb. 2, 2015, I began the internship and my eyes were opened to the daily routine and responsi- bilities of a Foreign Service post. My primary assignment was to write daily reports, known as “squibs,” on relevant news in the consular district. I took pride in knowing that my reporting would be read by officials inWashing- ton, D.C. In addition, I attended various outreach events: political debates with the consul-general, Landtag (state parlia- ment) sessions with local staff and regional trade fairs with U.S. Commercial Service members. I also conducted research and pre- pared briefing material for consulate per- sonnel on various topics. And naturally, as an intern, I completed whatever odd jobs and tasks were requested of me. I honestly enjoyedmost of these responsibilities and eagerly walked to work eachmorning. Inmy free time, I was able to do some travelling, made new friends and even caught a German soccer match. Altogether, these 10 weeks were a major moment in my life, particularly as a springboard for entering the workforce. The internship also afforded me valuable work experience, helped to build my self- confidence and strengthened my interest in a Foreign Service career. There were, however, some nega- tive aspects to the experience that point to improvements that could benefit the program, future interns and the posts that receive them. Finding an apartment proved to be an exasperating process for me. Although I had lived away from home while at university and had studied abroad in Ger- many, I had never truly been on my own in a foreign country. I spent the winter sending bilingual emails on various websites asking for a 10-week lease. Not surprisingly, as a short- term renter and a foreigner, my response rate was extremely low. In mid-January I finally found an apart- ment close to the consulate. I had sought help from the staff in Düsseldorf, but my contact, the vice consul, had arrived only two months earlier and was unable to provide much assistance. The U.S.-based intern coordinators were similarly ignorant about the Düs- seldorf housing market, and directed me back to the consulate for help. My fellow intern fared even worse. He was home- less until the day before he started work and was unable to move in until nearly midnight after his first day. Already difficult for Germans, finding a short-term apartment in Düsseldorf as a foreigner was even more problematic. The lack of assistance with this was the first sign that the intern programmight have some hidden weaknesses. I encountered further difficulty in deal- ing with a medical issue. While warned early on that I would be on my own medically, this was an added, unbudgeted Not challenging interns, who shoulder significant personal costs to get a taste of being in the ForeignService, withmeaningful work and failing touse their full potential is a serious problemfor an internshipprogram.