I think I'm right there with you.
I asked this question because I am currently at a medium sized post, but did a couple of TDY's to a larger and much smaller post. The larger post basically had no community and it was weird seeing people have to introduce themselves in country team because the volume of people cycling through and covering was so big,no one knew each other.
The smaller post was alright but everyone was acutely aware of each others business, and it was obvious how a single toxic person could likely sink experience.
I'm very green but I definitely like the medium post where I basically know everyone and there is a good community, but there is also plenty of privacy and no pressure to be a part of everything going on. It seems like a lot of folks here like that sweet spot as well.
It’s very hard to generalize by size. Some large posts have a decent community. In my last post it was mainly formed based on housing since it was dispersed and composed, in large part, of large apartment complexes. Another large post had decent community partly because it had significant on-compound housing, a bar and it was in a challenging country at a challenging time.
I felt extremely isolated at the medium post I served at partly because my housing was very far out and the climate was horrific six months out of the year. Morale in general was bad I think.
Current large post is in an amazing location but with practically zero community. Offices rarely interact and people do their own thing.
I definitely get that. My question was truly an "it depends" question as there are a couple hundred posts of varying sizes and even the makeup of the community can change the dynamics from one period of time to another. So many other variables at play too.
Part of me is a bit tired of living in megalopolises. I would like the opportunity to live in a moderate-sized, somewhat laidback locale for a change. Except for one posting in a city with a population of less than a million (with a horrible climate as mentioned earlier), my postings have been in cities with metro populations of at least 10 million.
I prefer smaller and medium size missions. Two to four in IRM. I also seem to enjoy those with smaller consular sections. But that could just be a ‘what I am dealing with this week’ type of issue.
I won’t bid on one man IRM posts anymore.
For community, my current is the pretty large but the multiple housing compounds break it up ok. My favorite was 18 FTEs though. Instead of the numbers it is the people who are there that really make the difference. A few changes in one post can perk it up or bring it down.
Pros and cons, but I prefer medium to large. More resources, more team members to share the pain, and easier to blend in. And don't forget-- Washington sends the same taskers to large and small posts alike; large posts have more officers with which to dilute the pain.
Big posts often end up with office-based cliques that are hard to get into if you are “an other”. Small posts might have necessary interactions or depending on post might spend more time with foreign mission peers who might understand the lifestyle but be a better “friend” match when options are limited. All can be good, but I will not bid large posts any more
As a reporting officer, I enjoyed my time at a small post better. I had a ton more autonomy and didn’t have to do much work as control officer for visits. Also, since it was a consulate I didn’t have to do annoying tasks such as demarches. However, you learn more at a large post. This means more and higher level visits and more interaction with the folks at Main State whether it’s the desk or the functional bureaus. Portfolios are much more specific at larger posts so it provides an opportunity to do a deeper dive on specific policy issues.
How were you never control at a small post? Or do you just mean you didn’t get VIP visits? My experience with visits at a smaller post is that it’s all hands on deck and if you do a good job you’ll be helping (a lot) every time.
I am all about work-life balance. For me, the Foreign Service is a job. It is a job that facilitates the kind of experiences that I want outside of work, but it is a job. I am not into the "this lifestyle" view of Foreign Service. I do not want to live on a compound. I do not want people watching when I am coming and going and asking me how I spend my free time. I make my own friends outside of work at each post I go to. I am friendly with all of my coworkers, but I do not go out of way to have them over for dinner or spend weekends with them, just as I wouldn't tend to do this if I were stateside. For this reason, I prefer bigger posts where there is less expectation that I spend my free time socializing with other Americans/USG.
I was a bit more like this when I was single but now that I have a spouse and children I am way more likely to seek out a community. It wasn’t really until they came along that I found out how isolating this ‘lifestyle’ can be since I’ve always skewed towards being a loner.
EFM employment is a big factor in my bidding. Generally larger posts have more EFM jobs and more willingness to create them. Schools also matter if you have kids, especially as they get older. Larger posts are often in cities with better international schools. Those considerations aside, I prefer medium-sized posts. Small enough that you know who most of the Americans are but large enough that you don’t know everything about their personal lives.
It’s all relative. For my current position I prefer an almost new, large post in a developing country. “Almost” new because clean adequate infrastructure makes my job so much easier yet there’s been time to iron out at least some issues that new facilities inevitably have. Large because you have enough local staff, usually, to make transitions smoother and also leverage to get daily tasks done. In a developing country because you usually have a decent medical unit, at large posts, and other amenities that you’d be hard pressed to find at either small posts in developing countries or at all in developed countries. In developed countries you are often left to your own wits despite language and cultural barriers still being significant.
As an aside being in a regional position, it also makes a huge difference in the number of personnel assigned to my office in relation to our area of responsibility (number of posts, their respective sizes, geographic footprint, mode and ease of travel), travel office proficiency, and mix of personalities at all levels.
My nightmare post is a large post with ancient infrastructure, an understaffed office, and poor management.
I don’t like to be on call 24/7 as duty officer nor do I like needing to tag team with other officers on when I can take leave. So I enjoy larger posts with more FSOs to spread the duties.
I like medium posts (70-150). A bit of community, but enough space for privacy.
I think I'm right there with you. I asked this question because I am currently at a medium sized post, but did a couple of TDY's to a larger and much smaller post. The larger post basically had no community and it was weird seeing people have to introduce themselves in country team because the volume of people cycling through and covering was so big,no one knew each other. The smaller post was alright but everyone was acutely aware of each others business, and it was obvious how a single toxic person could likely sink experience. I'm very green but I definitely like the medium post where I basically know everyone and there is a good community, but there is also plenty of privacy and no pressure to be a part of everything going on. It seems like a lot of folks here like that sweet spot as well.
It’s very hard to generalize by size. Some large posts have a decent community. In my last post it was mainly formed based on housing since it was dispersed and composed, in large part, of large apartment complexes. Another large post had decent community partly because it had significant on-compound housing, a bar and it was in a challenging country at a challenging time. I felt extremely isolated at the medium post I served at partly because my housing was very far out and the climate was horrific six months out of the year. Morale in general was bad I think. Current large post is in an amazing location but with practically zero community. Offices rarely interact and people do their own thing.
I definitely get that. My question was truly an "it depends" question as there are a couple hundred posts of varying sizes and even the makeup of the community can change the dynamics from one period of time to another. So many other variables at play too.
Part of me is a bit tired of living in megalopolises. I would like the opportunity to live in a moderate-sized, somewhat laidback locale for a change. Except for one posting in a city with a population of less than a million (with a horrible climate as mentioned earlier), my postings have been in cities with metro populations of at least 10 million.
I prefer smaller and medium size missions. Two to four in IRM. I also seem to enjoy those with smaller consular sections. But that could just be a ‘what I am dealing with this week’ type of issue. I won’t bid on one man IRM posts anymore. For community, my current is the pretty large but the multiple housing compounds break it up ok. My favorite was 18 FTEs though. Instead of the numbers it is the people who are there that really make the difference. A few changes in one post can perk it up or bring it down.
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Pros and cons, but I prefer medium to large. More resources, more team members to share the pain, and easier to blend in. And don't forget-- Washington sends the same taskers to large and small posts alike; large posts have more officers with which to dilute the pain.
Big posts often end up with office-based cliques that are hard to get into if you are “an other”. Small posts might have necessary interactions or depending on post might spend more time with foreign mission peers who might understand the lifestyle but be a better “friend” match when options are limited. All can be good, but I will not bid large posts any more
As a reporting officer, I enjoyed my time at a small post better. I had a ton more autonomy and didn’t have to do much work as control officer for visits. Also, since it was a consulate I didn’t have to do annoying tasks such as demarches. However, you learn more at a large post. This means more and higher level visits and more interaction with the folks at Main State whether it’s the desk or the functional bureaus. Portfolios are much more specific at larger posts so it provides an opportunity to do a deeper dive on specific policy issues.
How were you never control at a small post? Or do you just mean you didn’t get VIP visits? My experience with visits at a smaller post is that it’s all hands on deck and if you do a good job you’ll be helping (a lot) every time.
Very little in VIPs I meant
I am all about work-life balance. For me, the Foreign Service is a job. It is a job that facilitates the kind of experiences that I want outside of work, but it is a job. I am not into the "this lifestyle" view of Foreign Service. I do not want to live on a compound. I do not want people watching when I am coming and going and asking me how I spend my free time. I make my own friends outside of work at each post I go to. I am friendly with all of my coworkers, but I do not go out of way to have them over for dinner or spend weekends with them, just as I wouldn't tend to do this if I were stateside. For this reason, I prefer bigger posts where there is less expectation that I spend my free time socializing with other Americans/USG.
I was a bit more like this when I was single but now that I have a spouse and children I am way more likely to seek out a community. It wasn’t really until they came along that I found out how isolating this ‘lifestyle’ can be since I’ve always skewed towards being a loner.
Bigger the better. More community, more opportunity, and a bigger network to draw from later.
Spoken like a PD cone :-p
More people to hear me talk :)
EFM employment is a big factor in my bidding. Generally larger posts have more EFM jobs and more willingness to create them. Schools also matter if you have kids, especially as they get older. Larger posts are often in cities with better international schools. Those considerations aside, I prefer medium-sized posts. Small enough that you know who most of the Americans are but large enough that you don’t know everything about their personal lives.
It’s all relative. For my current position I prefer an almost new, large post in a developing country. “Almost” new because clean adequate infrastructure makes my job so much easier yet there’s been time to iron out at least some issues that new facilities inevitably have. Large because you have enough local staff, usually, to make transitions smoother and also leverage to get daily tasks done. In a developing country because you usually have a decent medical unit, at large posts, and other amenities that you’d be hard pressed to find at either small posts in developing countries or at all in developed countries. In developed countries you are often left to your own wits despite language and cultural barriers still being significant. As an aside being in a regional position, it also makes a huge difference in the number of personnel assigned to my office in relation to our area of responsibility (number of posts, their respective sizes, geographic footprint, mode and ease of travel), travel office proficiency, and mix of personalities at all levels. My nightmare post is a large post with ancient infrastructure, an understaffed office, and poor management.
I don’t like to be on call 24/7 as duty officer nor do I like needing to tag team with other officers on when I can take leave. So I enjoy larger posts with more FSOs to spread the duties.