Locations

• Multiple Locations

Special Circumstances

This Consular Fellow Limited Non-Career Appointment (LNA) is up to 60 months, but the Department may terminate the appointment at any time based on the needs of the Service. The Department assigns a Consular Fellow to a U.S. embassy or consulate overseas with the expectation that the appointment and potential extensions will permit completion of a standard two-year tour of duty.

Consular Fellows are full professional members of embassy and consulate teams. Consular Fellow appointments, however, do not provide expedited, alternate, or otherwise special access or a pathway into the Department of State Foreign Service. These appointments do not lead to onward employment with the Department of State or with the U.S. government.

Consular Fellows may apply to become career Foreign Service Specialists or Officers, as well as Civil Service employees, but they must meet all applicable qualifications and complete the standard application and assessment processes. Consular Fellows who subsequently enter the career Foreign Service as Entry Level Officers are still required to fulfill the consular service requirement. Consular Fellows must also complete 24 months of service as a Consular Fellow before joining the career Foreign Service, if after completing the standard application process they are offered such a position.

The Department hires candidates applying for the Portuguese and Chinese language programs primarily for service in Brazil and China. Per the Foreign Affairs Manual (3 FAM 2424.5), the Department does not permit assignment of U.S. employees to posts in countries of which they are nationals. Additionally, candidates and their family members should be aware that, in general, countries do not extend diplomatic privileges and immunities to family members who are dual nationals.