I’d like to do a language immersion school in Kiev, Ukraine, for 2 months and then maybe travel Westward across Europe for a bit. I was thinking maybe Poland and Germany. I was planning on applying to some jobs afterwards that require a TS. Will doing this prohibit me from obtaining a TS? Are there other concerns regarding getting a TS after this that I should be aware of?
Thank You,
Lucas
Foreign travel will always be scrutinized, especially for extended periods. Your contacts while abroad, activities, method of support etc will all need to be explained in detail. Choose wisely grasshopper
In general foreign travel should not prohibit you from obtaining a clearance, no way sir. But it will prolong your.If you can keep foreign travels to a ‘minimum’ that is the ideal case. Depending on how long you stay in a foreign country, there is a big difference between a 12-hour/24-hour stay/stop, than a 3-month stay. But one thing you can do is have references who can corroborate your foreign travels, be it for fun or for work or study.
Thanks all! Reading this I probably just won’t do this. But it raises some good ideas on how to document things best if I do end up doing it.
Contract investigator here. Don’t rule out the immersion school based on the advice here, which can be… how to put it politely… “variable” in quality. The default answer is that you should not leave the country. Ever. That makes for easier investigations but it also makes for job candidates with poor language skills and limited world experiences.
I’ve benefitted enormously from working and traveling abroad. You almost certainly would too, especially if it gets your skills in a high demand language to the next level. The benefit would outweigh the additional work that a notional future investigation would involve. Advice: talk to a recruiter at an agency that you’re considering applying at one day. Don’t go fishing for his blessing, but ask him the same question you asked here: will it preclude high-level employment down the line? I’d be surprised if he said yes. Most agencies hiring candidates with key language skills want analysts that have been to the Maidan, not analysts who read about it on reddit.