Annual Salary
£32,000 to £46,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Swap to Law or Politics or go back to all job sectors
Diplomatic Service officers help to promote and protect British interests, businesses and citizens overseas.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: on call; attending events or appointments
There will be
2.9% more Diplomatic Service officer jobs in 2027.
Your day-to-day duties will depend on your role.
You could:
You could work in an office or be based overseas.
You can get into this job through:
You could take a degree before applying to join a graduate training scheme. Most subjects are accepted.
The Summer Internship Programme and the Civil Service Care Leavers Internship Scheme, offer undergraduates an insight into working in the Civil Service.
You'll usually need:
If you already work in the Civil Service, you can apply to join the Diplomatic Service, depending on your skills and experience.
It will help when applying for jobs if you have some relevant work and life experience. For example, a proven interest in other countries and culture, international relations or a foreign language.
You can apply directly to employers if you have some of the relevant skills and knowledge needed for this role.
To join as a diplomatic administrative officer you'll usually need 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C). If you apply to become an operational or policy officer, you'll usually need A levels or equivalent qualifications.
You can find out more about entry to these roles from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
If you're a graduate with at least a lower second class degree, you can apply to the Diplomatic Service Fast Stream programme, which leads to senior management posts in the service.
You can also apply through the Government Economic Service Fast Stream to join the Diplomatic Service as an economist. You'll need an upper second class degree in an economics-related subject to do this.
Further information
You can find out more about working in the Diplomatic Service through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Civil Service Careers.
You'll need to:
You'll have access to a wide range of Civil Service training, designed to prepare you for your first overseas posting. This includes foreign language training.
You'll be encouraged to identify your own training needs as part of an appraisal and staff development programme.
After 2 years, you can apply to join the Fast Stream programme if your manager thinks you have the potential for senior management.
You'll need: