Foreign Service Trainee in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

– What are the most important aspects of your job?

– "Right now, I am a trainee in the Norwegian Foreign Service. The main objective of the traineeship is to prepare me professionally for my first overseas posting at an embassy. In April next year, I will start working as an embassy secretary at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing. I am very much looking forward to that!

The Foreign Service trainee programme starts out with a period of on-the-job training as an adviser in a specialised section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The work in the specialised sections tends to involve administrative tasks, planning visits and events, and writing reports and recommendations on various subjects for the ministers. Throughout the entire training period, you also have language training in a third language. This is followed by the actual trainee training course, which lasts six months, and which the foreign service trainees are actively involved in the planning of. During this six-month-long course, we cover the main areas of expertise for the Foreign Service, and not least acquire good knowledge of Norwegian interests around the world."

– What do you like best about your job?

– "My favourite aspect of being a Foreign Service trainee is that I am in control of my own workday - for the most part, and that I learn new things every single day!

Everything we learn on the six-month course reflects the diversity of the work we will do at a foreign mission later on. When you work at an embassy or a consulate, you often have to deal with all sorts of problems and assignments – both large and small. In addition to assisting Norwegians abroad and promoting Norwegian interests, a large part of the job is planning official visits to the embassy and arranging meetings, tours and events."

– In what ways are the studies offered by the Faculty of Humanities relevant to your job?

– "My degree in Chinese with Chinese Studies from the Faculty of Humanities has been very useful and was probably a major factor in me being admitted as a trainee in the Foreign Service. During my studies in Chinese at the University of Oslo, I was given the opportunity to spend time at three different universities in China on three separate exchanges. I learned the language well enough to be able to use it actively, and I really became acquainted with Chinese culture and society. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs more people who have in-depth knowledge of specific countries and are proficient in one or more of the UN languages in addition to English. German and Portuguese are also important languages in the Foreign Service.

When I was on my last exchange in 2019, I applied for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ student internship programme. So, in 2020 I started working as an intern at the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing. Unfortunately, my stay was cut short due to the pandemic, and I transferred to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to continue my internship there. I am therefore really looking forward to going back to work at the Embassy in Beijing again."

– What is the best advice you can give new students who are thinking about job opportunities after completing their studies?

– "My top tip for new students would be to study what you find exciting! You learn best when you study something you are really into. You don’t always have to have a clear plan for what you are going to do when you ‘grow up’. For me, it took quite a few years of studying and working part-time, and that’s fine too. The fact that I followed my interests and put some serious work into nurturing these opened doors to exciting opportunities that have got me to where I am today."

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