Men of the American expeditionary forces who have seen something of the world, and who have gained an interest in and a taste for things outside of the United States, will find in foreign trade service great opportunities. This is particularly true of those who have learned a foreign language, and who are so situated with reference to family ties that they can easily take up an occupation in a foreign country.
The list of positions that will be opened in this field is so extensive that a man may find in it an opportunity to elect just the kind of work he is best fitted to do.
Men who prefer foreign trade service in home offices will find excellent opportunities as soon as they have completed the necessary preparation for such service. Well-defined, intensive co-operative courses of study have been worked out and are being offered in the large foreign trade centers for men who desire to enter this service. Home office positions include those requiring clerical work in connection with the preparation of commercial documents, positions that have to do with financial affairs and foreign exchange, adjustment work, foreign correspondence, foreign advertising, transportation, credits, and collections. Superintendents for packing and loading departments also are required. Men who have had experience in the Quartermaster’s Department of the Army during the war, and who have learned something about scientific handling of merchandise, will find in the foreign trade field opportunities to cash in on their special experiences.
What Training Is Necessary
A thorough study of the general technique of the home office in connection with foreign trade and shipping is considered a necessary foundation in any scheme of foreign trade education. A part-time plan, in accordance with which men may pursue their studies while securing practical experience with foreign trade houses has been worked out, and it is now possible for men to get training under a co-operative basis scheme of instruction and work. Courses offered will be given intensively for short periods and on a unit basis. They will vary in length from 15 to 30 weeks. The same provision is being made for the study of languages and the geography of various countries that are of interest in connection with foreign trade education. The United States Shipping Board is taking steps to establish permanent nautical training schools, as it is expected that more than 10,000 officers will be needed to man the United States merchant marine. This means that men who desire service in the actual transportation end of the business will find an opportunity to secure training and a very ready market for their service upon the completion of their courses.
Salaries
Since special training is required for most of the positions referred to in this connection salaries are proportionately high. Clerks and other office men earn from $1,600 to $2,400 a year. Those who qualify as junior clerks and senior clerks may hope to rise to assistant managers of departments and general export managers. Advancement should be rapid in view of the present shortage of men and the expected expansion of business. In large export departments there are export managers who receive from $5,000 to $10,000 a year. Even the latter amount is by no means the limit for men of unusual executive ability.
The positions referred to in connection with the actual operation of the merchant marine pay from $120 to $275 per month with subsistence. It is possible that these amounts may be somewhat reduced after the war demand for such service ceases, and yet it is certain that the financial returns for this kind of work will be above those for similar service on shore.
PLAN No. 1094. SECRETARIAL WORK
Executives in responsible positions are finding it necessary more and more to rely upon efficient secretarial help. Such an executive must generally have some assistant who is thoroughly familiar with every detail of his activities, and able to assume responsibility for innumerable details connected with the day’s work. The comparatively small number of available secretarial workers and the hazy conception that has heretofore existed regarding the real distinction between a stenographer and a secretary have forced many executives to be satisfied with stenographic help in the positions where secretarial help is essential. Just now much attention is being given to this vocation by colleges and schools, and there are many opportunities for securing the kind of training needed for secretarial service.