It's Not as Big a Leap as You Think

Fact: Dozens of agencies have overseas positions, federal recruiters say. In addition, most agencies employ U.S.-based professionals to address international issues.

Among these U.S.-based professionals is Isabel Otero, an international programs officer at the National Cancer Institute. Otero's recent globe-trotting activities have included organizing a conference on tobacco control and lung cancer management in India, and delivering speeches to cancer researchers and public health professionals at conferences around the world.

Myth: All federal international jobs are filled by current feds -- never by outsiders.

Fact: Federal recruiters say that outsiders regularly fill mid-level jobs as well as contract positions that may lead to permanent overseas work. In addition, outsiders fill recruitment programs for young professionals, including the Presidential Management Fellows Program, which places recent grads in two-year government assignments.

"A [fellow] may conduct a temporary duty assignment overseas at USAID as part of their training plans," said Tom Davis, chief of outreach and marketing in USAID's human resources office. "If they finish their fellowship satisfactorily, we will hire them into a permanent job."

Myth: You must be a language virtuoso to work overseas.

Fact: Foreign language fluency is a plus but not a necessity. English is spoken in many countries, and many jobs provide language training, said James Ham, the Peace Corps country director for Cameroon. With 12 years of experience working in 11 French-speaking countries, Ham's career has not been slowed by his accented French, despite his admitted tendency to elicit the response, "Votre Francais est tres American, monsieur."