Correction on Security Clearance

Since my last post on the security clearance, I found out that apparently I have not been granted an actual clearance, but rather am now in a kind of nebulous state where the investigation required to grant a clearance is finished, but in order to get the actual formal clearance I have to have the job and be sworn in and so on. Just to set the record straight.

The main difference is that if you have a clearance, it remains active for five years before you need to go through an investigation again; whereas this potential clearance thing only lasts for two years - if, for example, I were not to get an offer by then and then take the test over to get back on the register, I would have to go through a new security investigation. That doesn't sound like much fun, so ideally I'll get the call sooner rather than later. :D

Political Registry

I made it on the list! Now everything that needs to be done, in order for me to become a Foreign Service Officer, has been done: it now depends entirely on how many new FSOs the government needs - and on how many are on the list with higher scores than mine (there is one more thing I can do to affect that, viz raise my own score by passing the German exam, which I will attempt for a second time on December 18).

I am now in the 35th position on the registry of 95 Political career track candidates. Here's hoping the rush of Obama administration appointees takes up Diplomatic Security's clearance-granting resources and prevents too many people with higher scores from popping up ahead of me. ;)

I had a scary couple of moments when I called to enquire about being on the registry. Today marks one month since I was granted the security clearance, so I phoned to see if any progress had been made on getting the Final Suitability Review. At first the answer was the best: "You were just put on the registry on December 2" - but then it quickly became the worst: "You're number 92 on the list." Fortunately, I stuck up for myself, questioning that number several times until we realized that they thought my score was a 5.3 (the minimum passing score)! I assured her that I was pretty sure I had a 5.5, and when she checked (man, THAT was a nervous minute or two), she found I was right and fixed the typo, jumping me up to my rightful place.

The clock has now started; I can stay on the registry until I (hopefully!) get an offer, or until 6/2/2010 (a total of 18 months) before dropping off and being back at the very beginning.