The FCO is a ministerial department, supported by 10 agencies and public bodies. One of the three main responsibilities is building the UK’s prosperity by increasing exports and investment, opening markets, ensuring access to resources, and promoting sustainable global growth. The FCO employs people from all educational backgrounds, you do not have to have studied economics, politics or international relations. You can be a scientist or a historian. The FCO’s success is based on experts in different fields and on diverse staff. It offers many career paths and it is not as many may think an old fashioned and stuffy place to work. It gives you the opportunity to work with people from all backgrounds, at different levels and different cultures.

3 things I would recommend:

• Learn a foreign language or two or three. There is nothing nicer in this world then being able to communicate with people.
• Travel. Live abroad for a year and soak in a different culture.
• Be what you want to be and not what others think you should be.