In the terminology of the United States Diplomatic Service, a hardship post is a diplomatic post where

living conditions Habitability is the adequacy of an environment for human living. Where housing is concerned, there are generally local ordinances which define habitability. If a residence complies with those laws, it is said to be habitable. In extreme environ ...

are difficult due to

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

or other factors. Employees assigned to such posts receive a ''hardship differential'' of between 10 and 35 percent of their salary. A hardship post with security issues, for example in a war zone, may also be a designated hardship post with employees eligible for additional danger pay.

References

External links

Hardship Posts for Beginners, Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide
Government occupations United States Department of State {{US-gov-stub