Immigration adviser to diplomat
An immigration adviser already meets 27% of what the diplomat role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
72.6/ 100
1 How much of what a diplomat is expected to do is already part of an immigration adviser’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 diplomat role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A diplomat role treats 6 of its required skills as things an immigration adviser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- create solutions to problems
- foreign affairs
- maintain relationships with government agencies
- observe new developments in foreign countries
- show intercultural awareness
- speak different languages
What stands in the way is 13 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 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A diplomat role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an immigration adviser background worth leading with.
- already held foreign affairs business, administration and law
- already held observe new developments in foreign countries information skills
- already held ensure cross-department cooperation communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held protect client interests communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held show intercultural awareness communication, collaboration and creativity
All 9 carried skills, including the 6 the diplomat role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 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 coordinate government activities in foreign institutions required
- still to learn represent national interests required
- still to learn apply diplomatic principles required
- still to learn build international relations required
- still to learn establish collaborative relations required
- still to learn perform political negotiation required
- optional, not held advise on foreign affairs policies optional
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional
- still to learn apply diplomatic crisis management required
- still to learn make diplomatic decisions required
- still to learn develop international cooperation strategies required
- optional, not held manage government policy implementation optional
- still to learn diplomatic principles required
- still to learn government representation required
- optional, not held European integration optional
- optional, not held good governance optional
- optional, not held public administration optional
- optional, not held foreign affairs policy development optional
- optional, not held government policy implementation optional
- still to learn assess risk factors required
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held analyse foreign affairs policies optional
- still to learn foreign languages for international careers required
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held international law optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a diplomat role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply diplomatic crisis management practise this
- 02 make diplomatic decisions practise this
- 03 coordinate government activities in foreign institutions 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held foreign affairs knowledge
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held observe new developments in foreign countries skill
- already held show intercultural awareness skill
- already held speak different languages skill
- already held ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- already held protect client interests skill
- already held respond to enquiries skill
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held European integration optional
- optional, not held good governance optional
- optional, not held public administration optional
- optional, not held advise on foreign affairs policies optional
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held analyse foreign affairs policies optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held foreign affairs policy development optional
- optional, not held government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held international law optional
- optional, not held manage government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional
20 held skills the diplomat role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on licencing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role apply immigration law skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role assess informational needs skill
- not needed by the target role assess licence applications skill
- not needed by the target role check official documents skill
- not needed by the target role check travel documentation skill
- not needed by the target role correspond with licence applicants skill
- not needed by the target role ensure information transparency skill
- not needed by the target role immigration law knowledge
- not needed by the target role issue licences skill
- not needed by the target role issue official documents skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
- not needed by the target role licences regulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain relations with local representatives skill
- not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role provide immigration advice skill
- not needed by the target role screen clients skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
10 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 diplomatic principles required
- still to learn foreign languages for international careers required
- still to learn government representation required
- optional, not held European integration optional
- optional, not held good governance optional
- optional, not held public administration optional
- optional, not held foreign affairs policy development optional
- optional, not held government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held international law optional
Common questions about this move
Can an immigration adviser become a diplomat?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An immigration adviser already covers 27% of what a diplomat is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 6 of which the diplomat role treats as required.
What skills does an immigration adviser need to become a diplomat?
13 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is apply diplomatic crisis management.
How hard is the move from immigration adviser to diplomat?
Its learning distance is 72.6 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.