Advisory: 2008 Foreign Service Officer (FSO) examination

19 March 2008

The Board of Foreign Service Examinations (BFSE) of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs will conduct the next Foreign Service Officers Examninations (FSO) on the following dates:

Applicants for the examination must be knowledgeable about the economic, political and social conditions of the Philippines, must have facility in oral communication and possess personality traits essential to the performance of the duties of a Foreign Service Officer. They must also be willing and able to accept an assignment to any post where their service may be required.

Applicants are advised to ensure that they meet the said admission requirements. Those found ineligible, or who have submitted incomplete application forms, shall not be allowed to take the examination, and their admission fees shall be forteited.

DUTIES OF A FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER

The duties of a Foreign Service Officer include: gathering information, analyzing and reporting political, economic, technological, cultural and other events and developments; drafting diplomatic notes and other forms of diplomatic correspondence; preparing briefing papers and other foreign policy papers for the Department and other offices of goverment as may be required; assisting in the preparation and conduct of international conference; managing and supervising staff; dissiminating information; working with other government agencies and private groups and individuals in promoting Philippine interests abroad; undertaking negotiations; assisting Filipinos abroad and portecting their rights; promoting Philippine culture and trade; bringing in foreign investments and tourism to the Philippines; performing consular funcions; and representing the Philippines in various international fora.

Part I of the FSO examinations will be conducted in the Philippines and at the following overseas testing centers:

1. Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., for North and South America;

2. Philippine Embassy in Vienna, for Europe; and

3. Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, for Asia and the Middle East.

Part II will be administered at the DFA Main Office in Pasay City while Part III will take place in Manila tentatively on 3, 4 and 5 December 2008.

Application forms are available at the Cultural Section of the Philippine Consulate General, HKSAR or may be downloaded from the DFA website (www.dfa.gov.ph)