How To Become A Diplomat In Australia: A Complete Guide

A career as a diplomat is a good option for those interested in politics and international affairs and passionate about safeguarding the nation's interests abroad.

If you like engaging with different nations and cultures, you should learn how to become a diplomat in Australia.

This guide discusses a diplomat's role and job responsibilities in foreign service and the career pathways to becoming one, including the diplomat's salary, what they do, how to become an ambassador in Australia, what education they have, jobs, and much more.

1. Who Is A Diplomat?

A diplomat represents Australia abroad and safeguards Australians. They either stay or travel to other countries and maintain relations with other nations worldwide. They promote and protect the country's interests overseas and offer advice on foreign policy.

Diplomats are carefully chosen and considered members of a prestigious profession. They receive enormous support, high status, and special privileges and protections from the state and international law.

International law classifies them into four ranks: envoys, ambassadors, ministers, and charge d'affaires (ambassador's deputy).

2. What Does A Diplomat Do In Australia?

Diplomatic service officers primarily work for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade in Australia or overseas. They undertake many political and commercial tasks involving citizens and interests internationally.

The duties and tasks that a diplomat is entitled to are as follows:

• Gather and report information that may impact Australia's interests and offer support and advice to ministers to formulate foreign policy based on the insights

• Meet foreign leaders periodically and report back on significant situations.

• Negotiate global agreements and pacts before their official authorisation by politicians

• Oversee monetary and political developments in other nations of the world

• Visit countries to develop positive international relations or reinforce existing positive ties concerning matters of trade, economics, human rights, peace, culture, and the environment.

• Represent the country in government as well as in the media

• Visit conflict-stricken nations to reconcile issues and bad relations.

• Process visa applications for overseas individuals who wish to get Australian citizenship.

3. Key Skills For Diplomats

Diplomats have the delicate art of diplomacy and inquisitive nature that is crucial to safeguard business interests and to foster positive international relations. 

They take on various tasks requiring artistic, investigative, and enterprising skills.

If you want to become a successful diplomat, you must have as many qualities as listed below:

• Interest in International Affairs

• Willing to work throughout the world

• Quick thinking

• Determined

• Self-assured

• Enthusiastic

• Good problem-solving skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Cultural Adaptability

• Influential

• Composure

• Inspiring

• Good Information Integration and Quantitative Analysis abilities

• Initiative and Leadership

• Adventurous

• Integrity

• Effective Planning And Organisational Skills

• Able to Build Positive Relationships

• Good Judgement Skills

• Optimistic

• Dominant

• Creative

• Intuitive

• Eloquent

• Conversational Knowledge of languages such as Urdu, Farsi, Chinese, and Arabic is appreciated

4. Qualifications For Diplomat In Australia

Along with the broad range of hard skills and soft skills, you must have the proper education to become a diplomat:

• Must be an Australian citizen

• Finish your Year 12 of high school 

• Earn a university degree in Arts and social science areas such as law, politics, commerce, economics, international relations, public administration, Asian studies, and foreign languages. Aim to obtain the best marks to qualify for admission to competitive graduate programs organised by DFAT and APS.

• Learn a minimum of one foreign language

5. Steps To Become A Diplomat In Australia

A thousand job applicants are fighting for one diplomat position. This intense competition makes the selection process challenging. 

A job applicant can expect to undergo vetting and several interviews to convince the interviewers about their suitability for the job. 

Here is the list of steps to follow if you want to become a diplomat in Australia:

Step 1: Finish Year 12 of High school

Having a university degree is a prerequisite to becoming a diplomat. For this, completing your Year 12 of high school in a good number of units is mandatory to get an ATAR with a secondary school certificate. 

Pick the correct subjects which will be vital for your tertiary education.

Step 2: Get A University Degree

Diplomats are university graduates with a bachelor's or a Master's in academically demanding subjects such as political science, international studies, international relations, foreign policy, sociology, or cultural anthropology.

There are options available to study a single subject or a combination of subjects. Give your best to obtain distinctive marks to join the competitive DFAT and APS graduate programs. For more details on the eligibility criteria of the graduate program, click here.

Step 3: Get Work Experience

Get work experience by participating in humanitarian work, research activities, leadership roles, or joining a political party to strengthen your career. 

Knowledge of foreign languages will give you a competitive edge over other job applicants.

Step 4: Apply for an APS role or DFAT graduate program.

Once you have qualified, there are two pathways available to become a diplomat:

Apply for the DFAT or APS graduate program in your final year of study and complete the program. Graduates of the program become foreign affairs and trade officers and later become diplomats after getting an overseas placement.

You can also become a diplomat as a trainee administrative service officer in an APS entry role. Further, you must complete a government traineeship. Then you may be promoted to administrative service officer or executive-level officer. Click here to learn about the general DFAT recruitment guidelines.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issues Australian diplomatic passports to Australian citizens that allow the passport holder to travel across different nations worldwide for diplomatic objectives.

These passports are machine-readable travel documents that conform to the globally approved standards for biometric travel documents and are set out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

6. Relevant Courses For Diplomats In Australia

• Graduate Certificate in Emerging Technologies and Law

• Graduate Certificate in Translation Studies

• Graduate Certificate in Heritage Studies

• Graduate Certificate in Social Research Methods

• Graduate Certificate in International Relations

• Graduate Certificate in Public Policy

• Certificate IV in Youth Work

• Graduate Diploma in International Relations 

• Graduate Diploma in International Law

• Graduate Diploma in Translation Studies

• Graduate Diploma in Heritage Studies

• Graduate Diploma in Social Research Methods

• Diploma of Community Services 

• Diploma of Community Services

• Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management

• The Master of Laws 

• Master of Diplomacy 

• Online Master of Public Health 

• Master of International Relations

• Master of Translation Studies

• Master of Heritage Studies

• Master of Social Research Methods

• Master of International Law

• Master of Public Policy

• Master of International Development And Economics

7. How To Join The APS?

Many candidates compete for the position of Diplomatic service officer in the Australian Public Service and within DFAT.

Let us look at the different pathways to joining the APS:

• As a Trainee Administrative Service Officer after completing the Government Traineeship. Opportunities for career advancement include APS Level 1/Administrative Service Officer Level 1.

• As a Graduate Administrative Assistant, after completing their training program. Opportunities for career advancement include APS Level 3/Research Officer Grade 1/ Administrative Service Officer.

• As an Executive Level Officer or Administrative Service Officer, progressing to Executive Level 1 or Level 2 and pursuing management roles.

Interested candidates should regularly check for vacancies advertised on the APS website or in newspapers.

8. How To Become A Diplomat For The U.N.?

A bachelor's degree with honours, work experience via internships, and fluency in foreign policy are the key steps to becoming a diplomat and securing a role in the U.S. Foreign Service:

Step 1: Get Qualified

Complete a bachelor's degree in political science, international relations, international studies, cultural anthropology, foreign policy, or sociology.

If you want to know how to become a diplomat ambassador, completing a bachelor's degree in international relations is the ideal way to pursue this role. 

Earning a master's degree in public policy, public administration, international relations, or political science could be the best option to gain additional skills and expertise.

Step 2: Get Work Experience

Applying practical hands-on work experience is another crucial requirement to become an ambassador. Internship programs are an excellent way to obtain work experience in cultural awareness and international relations and improve the chances of entering a role as a diplomat.

Students can choose from any of the below options:

• A paid internship program is the "Pathways Internship Program."

• The U.S. Department of State offers practical foreign policy experience for high school graduates or students from undergraduate and graduate programs keen to become a diplomat via an unpaid internship program.

By undertaking these internship programs, students get the opportunity to work within Washington, U.S. embassies, D.C. federal bureaus, and consulates all over the globe.

Students desiring to work as a diplomat for The United Nations, The World Bank, or UNESCO can enrol for an internship in any of the following programs:

• United Nations Development Programme

• United Nations Children's Fund

• United Nations Populations Fund

• United Nations Office for Project Services

• United Nations Refugee Agency

• United Nations Environment Programme

Step 3: Select Your Area of Specialisation

The U.S. Department of State looks for professionals specialising in managing specific Foreign Service responsibilities in other nations. This makes it essential to choose a particular field of interest and attain expertise in that line of work.

Here are a few specialties to choose from:

• Ambassador

• Foreign service officer

• Economic officer

• Management officer

• Political officer

• Political diplomacy officer

• Consular officer

Step 4: Register And Undergo The Foreign Service Officer Test

When deciding on a career track, the next step is registering for the Foreign Service Officer Test. The test involves a rigorous selection process that comprises a written test followed by submitting a personal narrative and an oral interview.

The oral interview is a one-day test that includes role-playing exercises to assess the suitability of a job applicant. It is based on the following parameters making a successful Foreign Service Officer.

• Serenity

• Resourcefulness

• Cultural adaptability

• Information integration and analysis

• Initiative and leadership

• Experience

• Motivation

• Oral and Written Communication

• Planning and organisation

• Judgement

• Working with others

• Quantitative analysis

Step 5: Complete Security and Medical Clearance

To successfully clear the most significant hurdle (FSOT test), you must pass the security check and medical examination to finally earn the status of a diplomat in the U.N. 

Once your application is approved, your name will appear in "The Register", which lists all the eligible candidates to become U.S. diplomats based on their reviews and scores.

9. How Long Does It Take To Become A Diplomat In the U.N.?

There are four main steps to becoming a diplomat in the U.N.:

• Bachelor's degree (4 years)

• Gain work experience with Pathways Internship Programs (9 to 12 weeks)

• Pass the Foreign Service Officer Test and security/medical clearances (4 to 6 months)

• Get an appointment for a Foreign Service post (no stipulated timeframe)

Earning a master's degree (2 years) is unnecessary, but undertaking a Foreign Service internship would help you get there sooner. You can become a qualified Diplomat in Australia in 5 or more years with a bachelor's degree.

10. Where Does A Diplomat Work In Australia?

The job of a diplomat is not confined to an office, as it requires travelling to the offices of heads of state. When starting your professional journey with DFAT, you will work at different locations within the country for several years before getting placed overseas.

Australian embassy jobs overseas are a great opportunity to become experienced and develop foreign language skills.

With the completion of the assignment, you get the right to specify the type of diplomat position you wish to work in. Only a few experienced diplomats work in their home countries. Most of them work for overseas consulates and embassies in various global locations. 

Australian diplomat jobs are focused on working in developing countries with high rates of harsh climates, disease, or social disturbance. Their work environments may lack amenities and home comforts.

Being qualified as a diplomat, you get the opportunity to work with an experienced, visionary, and inspired team in Australia and abroad.

Here are many diplomacy occupations to explore, such as civil service officer, foreign service officer, foreign service specialist, or diplomatic security officer.

Diplomats usually work standard hours when working locally. However, when employed overseas, their work hours could change due to the different climate and culture of the host country.

11. Job Prospects For Diplomats In Australia And Overseas

Changes in the structure of Federal Government divisions and the expansion of existing departments will be the key driving factors behind the growth of employment opportunities for diplomats and public service officers.

The vastness of the Australian Public Service sector, and the intense competition for DFAT jobs, indicate that the demand for qualified and skilled diplomats will continue to stay strong in the coming years.

12. How Much Does A Diplomat Earn In Australia?

The diplomat's salary in Australia falls from A$51k to A$81k per year. The average diplomatic service officer salary in Australia is AU$70,500 / year or an equivalent of AU$24.34 / hour.

A diplomat in his early career (1 to 4 years of experience) earns an average compensation of AU$24.21/hour. 

On the other hand, an experienced Diplomat with 10 to 19 years of experience can make up to AU$27.69 per hour.

13. Conclusion

Education, Global Perspective, Leadership, and Humanitarianism are all vital aspects of becoming a successful diplomat. It is an ideal career for those who care about government, policymaking, and the world's people.

Becoming a diplomat allows you to work in an environment where you can challenge your limits and learn a new skill set. The training will help you secure this prestigious role and open the door to several lucrative overseas opportunities.

Useful Links to Explore:

• English Language Requirements for Australia
• Cultural differences you may experience in Australia
• How to find Part-Time work as a Student in Australia
• Seven Tips for Students on a Budget in Australia
• How to get a Scholarship to Study in Australia
• Driving in Australia as an International Student
• How to change your Course or Institute in Australia
• The Benefits of a Professional Year Program (PYP)
• A Complete Guide to Study in Australia
• Types of Education in Australia
• What to Study in Australia?