Tradecraft > Working at the White House

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Numerous legends on the site have told us their best job was at the White House, either in the NSC advising the National Security Advisor or in the Office of the Vice President (OVP). Many encourage apprentices to work at the White House, and yes it is impressive. But what is it like? Below are a few good, bad and ugly NSC/OVP insights from apprentices who have spent time in the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB).

To be clear, this post is based on the experiences of several of us who have worked in the Obama and Trump White House. Each administration and National Security Advisor presents a different work experience. However, there are consistent elements throughout (with the exception of unexpected circumstances i.e. a pandemic).

First, the good—you work on the White House campus, the OEOB building is historic and monumental, and you are staffing the National Security Advisor, the Vice President and the President. All good, all the time, and a true privilege. The directorates in the NSC are completely horizontal with fewer clearances required (usually a few lateral clearances reviewing only for typos) than at any other posting and far fewer than at Main State. That fact alone makes it a worthwhile and rewarding tour.

Typically an NSC director is involved in the hands-on role of organizing Oval Office visits, staffing and backbenching cabinet or sub-cabinet policy meetings (called DCs or Deputies Committee and PCs or Principals Committee), crafting White House-level tweets and press guidance, writing talking points for the National Security Advisor, etc. Each day there is usually something that pops up requiring coordination with a department or agency (State, DOD and the Intelligence Community the most frequent) and/or a conversation with an Embassy about what is happening on either a policy issue important to the NSC or related to the crisis of the day.

The bad—the hours are usually brutal and depending on the National Security Advisor, this could mean full days on Saturday and even Sunday. Such an experience usefully illuminates the role of partisan politics (including high-level congressional interest) on certain foreign policy issues that a foreign or civil service officer might not have exposure to in other mid-level jobs. As a State Department detailee, the Department impresses frequently, but too often does not get their voice heard during policy debates whether due to the outsized influence of other agencies like DOD or to a lack of experience working with the interagency. Some contend it is as simple as the fact that the State Department does not use the same email and document interface that the NSC uses so the information sharing and collaboration is, by definition, more cumbersome.

Calling the "perks" of the job perks does not do them justice— in non-covid times, the tours of the west wing, the Truman bowling alley, the Kennedy Center tickets, the Easter egg roll, the Blair House tour, etc are experiences that highlight your proximity to historical events, both past and present. One apprentice said it was an honor to walk up the building steps each day and a thrill to see Marine One takeoff outside the office window.

It is important to keep in mind that horizontal means that while you have independence, you also have no staff. Every assignment, paper, or project is your responsibility regardless of how big or small. This means the hours are long and the tasks can range from briefing the President (in person or via a briefing paper) to verifying addresses for an after-action report or making sure the access request for a guest has been processed on the hour.

The ugly? Ok, not sure it really ever gets "ugly" because you still have the chance to serve and the opportunity to engage at the highest levels with our interagency policy makers, but it is accepted that you will not likely get promoted from a stint at the OEOB. This seems wrong in almost every way. The logic is unclear, but the explanation generally offered is that the job is a "staff" job that does not involve management of other officers. The political nature of the building can be off putting, but still instructive. Not sure this goes in the "ugly" category, but it certainly is different than at Main State. Of course, extreme hours can fit in the “ugly” category, but, for whatever reason, there are a fair number of jobs at State and elsewhere that entail extreme hours. When frequent travel is/was thrown into the mix, both personal stamina and family support are essential for jobs like these.

In sum, all apprentices should consider this highly recommended posting which provides added experience to what our work already provides—service, opportunity, and countless assignments and trajectories throughout a typical State (civil or foreign service) career.

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