Civil Service
For a complete listing of all Civil Service positions with the U.S. Department of Commerce, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website, click on the “search jobs” link, and conduct an agency search for Department of Commerce listings. You can access this website from the following link: www.usajobs.opm.gov
Foreign Service Officer
The United States & Foreign Commercial Service is one of four official Foreign Affairs Agencies under the Foreign Service Act of 1980. The Commercial Service is responsible for Commercial Affairs. Foreign Service Officers in the Commercial Service are assigned to foreign and domestic field offices, as well as Washington, D.C., to promote the export of United States goods and services and defend United States commercial interests abroad. The Commercial Service, through its customized business solutions, creates economic prosperity and more and better jobs for all Americans.
Assessment Application Process
The Commercial Service Assessment is a competitive, oral and written examination used to recruit new, tenure-track Foreign Service Officers into the Commercial Service. Successful applicants who pass the initial online application screening process receive an invitation for the one-day oral assessment.
Top candidates who pass the oral assessment exam are placed on a list called the Rank Order Register, which is valid for two years. The Career Development and Assignments Staff uses this Registry to tender conditional offers of employment to candidates, as vacancies become available, pending the successful completion of a Top Secret security clearance, a medical clearance and drug testing.
For more information, read the Assessment Information Package.
2009 Commercial Service Officer Assessment Exam
The United States and Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS) offers the Commercial Service Assessment Exam every two years. We will offer the exam during the summer of 2009. The online application is typically available three to four months prior to the Assessment exam. This timeframe is subject to change! We will announce the exact dates for the Foreign Commercial Service Assessment Exam and the availability of the application on this website.
You will find a web link to the vacancy announcement on this webpage, when it is available. Click on the "Assessment Information Package" link to learn about the application process and the traits that our agency seeks in applicants who fill our vacancies.
Individuals with an interest in a Foreign Commercial Service Officer career can send an email message with their contact information to Jennifer.Sargeant@mail.doc.gov. We will add your name to our notification database and forward updates on the status of the assessment planning process. Individuals in our notification database will also receive an email message with application information as soon as it is available.
The latest information is available on this webpage, so check back periodically for updates.
Dated January 14, 2008
Limited Appointments
Limited Non-career Foreign Service Officers ("Limiteds") are members of the general public, hired as Foreign Commercial Service Officers for specific duty stations and tours of duty based on specialized skill or experience that they possess. Limited Non-career Foreign Service Officers' first tours of duty are limited to two years. There is no promise, implicit or explicit, of onward assignment or other further employment with the Commercial Service at the termination of the initial` two-year tour of duty, any extension(s), or subsequent Limited Non-career appointment(s). Limiteds cannot serve with the Commercial Service more than five consecutive years. These positions are advertised on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website when available. You can access this website from the following link: www.usajobs.opm.gov. Just click on the "search jobs" link, and conduct an agency search for Department of Commerce listings.
Internships and Coops
Domestic Opportunities:
If you are interested in intern opportunities at
one of our domestic Export Assistance Centers, please
use the link to contact the office directly.
If you are interested in learning more about Intern
and Coop opportunities in International Trade Administration
Headquarters in Washington, D.C., please call the
Office of Personnel (202) 482-3301 between the hours
of 8:30 am - 5:00 pm EST.
Overseas Opportunities:
U.S. Commercial Service's (CS)
Overseas Work-Study Intern Program
Overseas Work-Study Internship Opportunities
The U.S. Commercial Service, International Trade Administration,
of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) is a corps
of American and foreign employees dedicated to helping
American companies expand sales in overseas markets.
The Overseas Work-Study Internship Program is developed
in accordance with the authority of Section 301 of
the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. §3111),
Chapter 7 of the Federal Personnel Manual, and Department
of Commerce specific guidelines on voluntary and uncompensated
service implemented in DAO 202-311.
The purpose of the program is to provide college or
university juniors, seniors, and graduate students
of Economics, Business Administration and related
fields with "hands-on" experience working
in the Commercial Section of a U.S. Embassy. The program
is uncompensated and designed to encourage students
to consider careers in the commercial field. Internships
in the Work-Study Program are considered to be adjunct
to an applicant's education. Students must be currently
enrolled and taking at least one-half of a full-time
academic workload. They must also plan to continue
their education immediately upon termination of their
internship.
Interns typically serve for one semester or quarter
during their academic year, or for a minimum of 10
weeks during the summer, U.S. citizenship and good
academic standing are required, along with the successful
completion of a security assurance check.
How to Apply
Students seeking internships abroad with the U.S.
Commercial Service are requested to correspond directly
with the Senior Commercial Officer or Principal Commercial
Officer in the particular country in which they are
interested in serving. Correspondence should include
a cover letter to the SCO and the following documents:
Overseas office Websites addresses, SCO and PCO contacts,
and overseas office addresses can be found by following
the links at the end of this section.
And if accepted we will need . . .
If the initial application is accepted, a prospective
intern will be required to complete the additional
application materials listed below:
About volunteer service with the U.S. Government
- A student volunteer is not a Federal employee for
any purpose other than injury compensation and laws
related to the Tort Claims Act.
-
Work-Study Internship service is not creditable to
Federal government employment, retirement, or for
leave, nor any other employee benefits.
Where are the opportunities?
Last Revision: May 9, 2007