Careers with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

General Recruitment - Overseas service

The department is responsible for over 89 posts in over 70 countries and territories. Positions at posts are filled by:

Australia-based Employees (A-based employees)

A-based employees are ongoing (permanent) employees of the department in Australia who can apply to be posted overseas, usually for a period of three years. Employees are not required by the department to go on posting overseas, although most elect to do so during the course of their career with the department. Employees may apply for postings at their broadband level as vacancies arise and they may express a range of preferences. There is no guarantee, however, that an employee's preference will be granted as the department has to consider a number of factors in selecting people for posting, including operational requirements. The opportunity to be selected for an overseas posting should be seen as an integral part of an employee's service and career development with DFAT.

The overseas security environment has become more challenging in recent years. While the department is committed to providing employees with a workplace in which they are protected from hazards that may cause injury, it cannot guarantee that serious security incidents will not occur overseas. Employees considering applying for overseas vacancies should take into account whether they and their dependents would be able to operate in a different security environment.

Working overseas is one of the most interesting and challenging parts of a DFAT employee's career. There are a number of factors relating to overseas service that potential employees should carefully consider before contemplating a career with DFAT. Potential staff should weigh these considerations carefully against the unique professional and personal opportunities and rewards that overseas service provides:

culture shock - fitting into the local community is not always easy, even if one does speak the language
working in difficult climates/exposure to natural disasters eg. cyclones in tropical countries
health and security problems in some posts - eg. unhygienic conditions, limited medical facilities, criminal violence and terrorism
homesickness and disruption to family and social life, especially for staff with children
disruption to a spouse's career and possible loss of second income
education opportunities for children may not be as good as Australia and in a small number of instances appropriate educational facilities are not available
isolation/local restrictions eg. restriction on contact and travel for women in some countries.

Locally Engaged Staff

Locally engaged staff or LES are people employed overseas by the mission itself rather than by the department in Australia. Missions advertise these vacancies in their local press and run selection processes similar to those run by the department in Australia. To work as an LES, you would normally need to be living in the country in which you wished to work and be successful in competing for a merit-based selection process for an advertised vacancy at the post. You also need to be eligible to work in that country by meeting the local citizenship or visa requirements. The number and availability of LES positions varies greatly from post to post.