How to become a diplomat and is it worth even dreaming about this profession

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How to become a diplomat and is it worth even dreaming about this profession

Indeed, at all times, it was on diplomats that good-neighborly, trade and political relations between states largely depended. A diplomat is the «face» of the state he represents, therefore the best representatives of the country have always been selected for this position, who can not only adequately represent their people, but also conclude profitable trade or political agreements.

From fictional literature, diplomats seem to us to be a kind of rogues who are only engaged in «weaving» intrigues, conspiracies and spies. The diplomats themselves consider their profession one of the most difficult and responsible, since they, like the sappers, have no room for error. After all, one careless word of a diplomat can cause an international scandal or, even worse, lead to war. Who are they – employees of the diplomatic service? Intriguers or fighters of the invisible front? How to become a diplomat and is it worth even dreaming about this profession? We hope our article, in which we will try to describe all the features of this profession, will help you find answers to your questions.

Who is a diplomat?

A diplomat is an employee of a state body for external relations authorized by the government of a state to carry out diplomatic relations at the official level with another state, international organizations and their official representatives. A diplomat is considered to be both an official representative of one country to another, and an employee of the central apparatus of the foreign policy department.

The formation of the profession is usually attributed to the time of the origin of international relations – it has been documented that in ancient times there were already specially authorized people who were entrusted with the settlement of issues of war and peace between states. At the same time, a certain ritual of receiving overseas guests was observed – an analogue of modern diplomatic etiquette. The name of the profession comes from the ancient Greek δίπλωμα (folded in half) – a written document certifying the authority of a representative of a particular state.

It should be noted that practically nothing has changed since the formation of this profession. Just as before, the main task of diplomats is to establish good-neighborly relations with foreign states, protect the interests of their state, negotiate, expand international relations and collect information about the host country, which can influence the course of events in the diplomat’s home country.

The only thing that has changed is the division of diplomats into ranks, which provide a specialist with special privileges from the sending state. Today, there are such diplomatic ranks as:

Ambassador – an official diplomatic representative of the highest rank; envoy – second-level diplomatic agent; Chargé d’Affaires – head of a diplomatic mission of the third class; attaché – the lowest diplomatic rank, whose representative, as a rule, is a specialist in a particular field (for example, a press attaché, military attaché, etc.).

What personal qualities should a diplomat have?

The high responsibility assigned to diplomats puts forward very stringent requirements for them both in professional terms and in terms of personal qualities. As an official representative of a state, a diplomat must always demonstrate a high level of self-control, a sharp mind, endurance and political correctness. In addition, since the work of a diplomat belongs to public professions, an employee of the diplomatic service must be:

neat; polite; sociable; resourceful; stress-resistant; energetic; proactive; tactful.

It should also be noted that the successful work of a diplomat largely depends on his oratorical skills (eloquence), personal charm and sense of humor. Quite often, diplomats have to work in countries with unfavorable climatic conditions, and therefore it will not be superfluous to have good physical health and have endurance. And most importantly, a real diplomat must be a patriot, ready to defend the interests of his country under any circumstances.

Benefits of being a diplomat

For most applicants who dream of becoming diplomats, one of the main advantages of this profession is its prestige. This profession has always been considered elite, and its representatives aroused envy and respect. However, no less a temptation for young people are such advantages as:

great prospects for career growth – naturally, career advancement is possible only on condition of constant self-improvement and great ability to work; communication with interesting people – and it can be both representatives of the domestic intelligentsia and the brightest representatives of the foreign elite; the opportunity to travel a lot – what is most pleasant, travel, 123helpme.me as a rule, takes place in the most comfortable conditions.

In addition, an important advantage of the profession of a diplomat is also the fact that, as necessary, a specialist not only acquires new knowledge, but is also paid extra for it. For example, if a diplomat is sent to work in Germany, then before the trip he intensively studies the German language, history and culture of this country. And throughout the entire period of study, he will receive the same salary as usual.

Disadvantages of the profession of a diplomat

Despite the seeming lightness and external attractiveness, the profession of a diplomat is one of the most difficult and responsible, and therefore has no less (and maybe even more) drawbacks than any other specialty. And the most important drawback, without any doubt, can be considered a long and thorny path along the road to the heights of this profession. Unfortunately, yesterday’s graduates of the faculties of international relations can count on «lucrative» positions only if they are children of high-ranking officials or oligarchs. For young professionals without patronage, they will have to achieve success through long and hard work.

When choosing this profession, it is also necessary to take into account that you may be sent to work in a «disadvantaged» «country. And this means that your life will be in danger every day (it just so happened that in the event of a conflict situation, diplomats find themselves in a high-risk zone). Add to this an irregular working day, and you will understand that the work of a diplomat is not only participation in official meetings, ceremonies and events, pleasant trips and a high salary. This is hard, almost round-the-clock work that requires complete dedication and self-sacrifice.

Where can you get the profession of a diplomat?

Today you can get the profession of a diplomat in any higher educational institution in Russia, where there are political and foreign economic specialties or the faculty of international relations. Naturally, not every university provides a sufficient level of knowledge in order to immediately get at least a slightly significant position in the specialty. Nevertheless, you can take the first step towards your dream at any university.

But in order to make a huge leap into the world of diplomacy, you need to choose one of those universities that are considered the best in training specialists in the field of international relations. Today, the best diplomatic universities in Russia are:

Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry; Moscow State Institute of International Relations; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia; Siberian Institute of International Relations and Regional Studies.

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