Get paid to travel: become a diplomat

Interested in living and working in some of the 150 countries where the UK has diplomatic representation? Rubbing shoulders with presidents and prime ministers (or at least carrying their bags)? Overseeing human rights projects in Brazil or sustainable forestry initiatives in Indonesia? Helping British nationals affected by natural disaster? Or just longing for a spell serving your country anywhere from Brussels to Basra? Then a career as a diplomat may be for you.

As a diplomat you are responsible for helping shape and implement UK foreign policy, and for managing day-to-day relations with other countries and international bodies such as the UN.

The modern British Diplomatic Service is a far cry from stereotypes of sipping gin and tonics on the veranda. This is a serious career in support of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) strategic international priorities. The focus is on where UK diplomatic assets – principally its people and its overseas network – can most add value, and what you as an individual can bring to the job.

There are various entry-level positions with the Diplomatic Service, including administrative assistant (an office support role), operational officer (front-line duties including visa and consular work) or fast-stream policy entrant (a junior manager with significant responsibility early on).

For all of these positions there are usually at least one, sometimes two, recruitment processes annually. Specialists such as economists, legal advisors and security managers are also recruited regularly.

Competition for places is tough. Recruitment at any level involves tests and interviews, which vary in difficulty depending on which job you’re applying for. Key qualities FCO recruiters look for include an aptitude for teamwork and an ability to deliver results (often independently and under considerable pressure).

Specialist skills such as industry or commercial experience, knowledge of a tricky language or human resource management qualifications will probably give you an edge over fellow applicants. There are a number of career paths to follow, including visa, consular, commercial, management and political work.

Contrary to some myths, the Diplomatic Service is not just for white Oxbridge males. These days the UK has a British Asian ambassador in Bangladesh, and female ambassadors in Burma and East Timor, to name just two. You’re just as likely to serve in a Rapid Deployment Team and be parachuted into a disaster zone to help distressed British nationals following a hurricane, and tread the corridors of power in Washington.

If you’re interested in current affairs and in making a difference, this is a great job. You get the privilege of working for the British government in embassies and consulates, often spending half your career or more overseas.

There’s a reasonable pay package, including the option of joining the Civil Service final salary pension scheme. When you’re abroad on a posting you receive additional overseas allowances depending on your location and size of family. These cover things such as the increased cost of living, and hardship in places where conditions are especially difficult.

However, bear in mind that this job has much more of an impact on your family and personal life than most. You’ve got to be prepared to move around a lot – not always exactly where you wanted.

You normally submit a short-list of five to ten choices for overseas posts, and must be willing to serve in whichever one you are selected for. It’s important to be honest with yourself before applying – will you be happy spending so much time living overseas, sometimes in difficult locations? Could you cope with somewhere as remote as, say, Port Stanley or the Pitcairn Islands?

Postings can last anything from six months to four years, though there are often opportunities to extend. But political turmoil or the threat of terrorist attack can mean you suddenly need to be evacuated. The bottom line is that when joining the Diplomatic Service you sign a commitment to global mobility.

The lifestyle is not always easy on partners or children: separation rates among diplomatic families are higher than average. It’s a good idea to make sure in advance that your nearest and dearest are happy with the prospect of traipsing around the world. A sudden announcement that you’re expecting your loved ones to join you for a handful of long winters in Ulaanbaatar is unlikely to go down well!

Prepare well – first you’ll need to pass the selection tests. Up to 90% of applicants are sifted out at this stage. You can significantly improve your score through practice – Mike Bryon’s How to Pass the Civil Service Qualifying Tests is a good place to start, as is a GCSE maths book to help you brush up on those percentages and ratios.

Read the papers and watch the news – you may be expected to talk intelligently about issues such as Chechnya or on delivering public services if you make it to the interview stage.

Stress your skills – emphasise your leadership potential and your team-working skills., experience in a service industry is also helpful.

Develop your language skills – though not an absolute requirement, the FCO will test your linguistic aptitude. Willingness to learn a difficult language – such as Vietnamese or Hungarian – will improve your career prospects.

Consider your past – think twice about applying if you have a criminal record, a history of extreme political activism or seriously compromising skeletons in your cupboard. All successful applicants to the Diplomatic Service have passed a lengthy security screening.

From December 2002 to July 2006 Richard Barlow worked as second secretary (a political officer) at the British Embassy in Brasília. He was responsible for covering sustainable development, climate change, energy and human rights issues. He has now returned to the FCO as a team leader on EU issues.

“Straight after university all I wanted to do was live overseas – so I taught English in Lisbon for two years before returning to the UK. I applied to the Diplomatic Service in 1999. After a selection process lasting 12 months (!) I was offered a position as a policy entrant. I spent 18 months in Whitehall working on EU matters and then environment issues, before six months full-time Brazilian Portuguese language training. I arrived in Brasília just in time to see President Lula inaugurated.

It’s been an amazing posting – I’ve attended meetings with the Foreign Secretary, travelled into the Amazon and taken a group of British MPs round a shantytown in Recife. I’ve notched up more than 20 of Brazil’s 27 states, while finding time to have two children and parade with a samba school in the Rio Carnival.

The work can be demanding, the hours long, and home can sometimes feel a very long way away – but for interest value I think it would be hard to beat this career.”

Top tip: “Study in advance for the exams and be enthusiastic at the interview. You need to feel comfortable about promoting UK foreign policy, while also demonstrating you’re resilient and a good people person.”

The careers section of the FCO’s website is the best place to start.