How to Become a Diplomat?
What are the qualifications required to become a diplomat?
A diplomat is a government official in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). This is a Central Government service, which deals with the country's external affairs, including diplomacy, trade and cultural relations.
Candidates are appointed to a particular country or group of countries, and would be expected to learn the language of that country and spend a lot of time in that country, interspersing foreign assignments with postings in India working in the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Council of Cultural Affairs or the 
Passport Office.
Selection to the IFS is through the civil services exam, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
To enter any of the administrative services, you need to be a graduate in any subject. For a greater understanding of the work in government service and in particular, the Foreign Service, subjects like political science, history and economics are useful. You require detailed academic knowledge of at least two subjects, in which you can score high marks in the exam.
The exam is held in two phases - the preliminary stage held in May/June is a screening test. The UPSC has announced changes to the preliminary test to be held in 2011. The new syllabus will have two common papers with equal weightage (200 marks each). The first paper will test civil services aspirants on current events of national and international importance, Indian history, Indian and world geography, Indian polity and governance, economic and social development and general science, besides environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change that do not require subject specialisation. The second paper comprises general comprehension; inter-personal skills, including communication skills; logical reasoning and analytical ability; decision-making and problem-solving; general mental ability; basic numbers and their relations (secondary level) and data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables and data sufficiency).
Those who pass this exam will be called for the main exam, held around November/December every year. The main exam comprises two language papers, one in English and the other in an optional Indian language, two general studies papers, and four papers on two optional subjects. These papers are all subjective or essay-type papers. Those who pass this test qualify for the final stage, which is an interview by an expert panel to judge first-hand, not only the intellectual qualities of the candidate, but also his/her social skills, mental alertness, and above all, leadership and moral integrity. Around 25 to 30 candidates are selected every year for the IFS according to their options and merit.
Author: Usha Albuquerque (HT Horizons)
Date: 25th February, 2011
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