Ambassador to consul
An ambassador already meets 51% of what the consul role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
50.9/ 100
1 How much of what a consul is expected to do is already part of an ambassador’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the consul role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A consul role treats 7 of its required skills as things an ambassador already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess risk factors
- build international relations
- develop professional network
- foreign affairs
- government policy implementation
- government representation
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 21 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A consul role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ambassador background worth leading with.
- already held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held foreign affairs policy development social sciences, journalism and information
- already held analyse foreign affairs policies information skills
- already held organise cultural events management skills
- already held foreign affairs business, administration and law
- already held advise on foreign affairs policies communication, collaboration and creativity
All 21 carried skills, including the 7 the consul role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn offer assistance to national citizens required
- still to learn issue official documents required
- optional, not held apply immigration law optional
- optional, not held respond to enquiries optional
- still to learn advise on public finance required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- optional, not held host trade delegations optional
- still to learn develop international cooperation strategies required
- still to learn consider economic criteria in decision making required
- still to learn public finance required
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- optional, not held family law optional
- optional, not held immigration law optional
- still to learn foreign languages for international careers required
- optional, not held European integration optional
- optional, not held economics optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a consul role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop international cooperation strategies practise this
- 02 offer assistance to national citizens practise this
- 03 advise on public finance practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 21 skills that carry over
- already held assess risk factors skill
- already held build international relations skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held foreign affairs knowledge
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held government representation knowledge
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held advise on foreign affairs policies skill
- already held analyse foreign affairs policies skill
- already held apply diplomatic principles skill
- already held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions skill
- already held diplomatic principles knowledge
- already held ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- already held facilitate official agreement skill
- already held foreign affairs policy development knowledge
- already held international law knowledge
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held organise cultural events skill
- already held perform political negotiation skill
- already held show intercultural awareness skill
- already held speak different languages skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held European integration optional
- optional, not held apply immigration law optional
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held host trade delegations optional
- optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- optional, not held economics optional
- optional, not held family law optional
- optional, not held immigration law optional
- optional, not held respond to enquiries optional
15 held skills the consul role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on legislative acts skill
- not needed by the target role analyse potential threats against national security skill
- not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
- not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
- not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role develop contingency plans for emergencies skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relations with local representatives skill
- not needed by the target role manage emergency procedures skill
- not needed by the target role observe new developments in foreign countries skill
- not needed by the target role perform government ceremonies skill
- not needed by the target role represent national interests skill
- not needed by the target role set organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role support other national representatives skill
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn foreign languages for international careers required
- still to learn public finance required
- optional, not held European integration optional
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- optional, not held economics optional
- optional, not held family law optional
- optional, not held immigration law optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ambassador become a consul?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An ambassador already covers 51% of what a consul is expected to do: 21 skills carry over, 7 of which the consul role treats as required.
What skills does an ambassador need to become a consul?
8 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is develop international cooperation strategies.
How hard is the move from ambassador to consul?
Its learning distance is 50.9 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.