Case studies: Operational officer: William

After joining the FCO, William began working within the Consular Directorate dealing with passport fraud. He is currently working in counter terrorism.

William graduated with a LLB (Hons) in law before taking a gap year to travel. His interest in international affairs developed during this time and he began to research careers. He then decided to pursue a postgraduate course in law. However, towards the end of his postgraduate course he applied to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) attracted by the variety in the role and the opportunity to travel. He says of the job, ‘I chose this as I wanted to get involved in issues that matter.’ Because the application and selection process took nearly a year, William had opportunity to work for a legal firm, which confirmed to him that his ambitions lay elsewhere.

 

Whilst studying for his degree, William was part of an RAF University Air Squadron, which he feels was helpful when applying to the FCO. This role gave him many self-development opportunities and the chance to develop transferable skills such as teamwork and communication. William points out that there is no such thing as a typical diplomat and a diverse mix of people work within the FCO. There are many activities students can get involved in which will help them in applying for this role; the most important thing is to be committed and passionate about what you do.

 

After joining the FCO, William began working within the Consular Directorate dealing with passport fraud. He is currently working in counter terrorism. He enjoys the opportunity to change roles every eighteen months or so and is looking forward to taking an overseas posting when he leaves his current department. He has enjoyed the opportunity to travel which the role has already offered him, having visited a variety of locations for work, including Manila, Tel Aviv, Vienna, Mauritius, and Beirut. William adds, ‘Whilst you often have to hit the ground running, there’s lots of training and you have to make sure you take the opportunity to do the relevant courses once you’re in the role.’

 

William points out that overseas posting may require a particular level of competency in the relevant language, though the FCO is very supportive in training.

 

William advises students interested in working for the FCO to fully investigate the work of the office, look at the broad range of topics they cover and read around the work they do. He also feels it is important to show the recruiters your interest in international and current affairs and to be prepared to talk about this at interview.