Floaters are Officers at Grade A2 and B3 trained in almost everything a British Diplomatic Mission does. They are sent around the world covering jobs where the incumbent has gone on leave, or is long-term sick or where there is a major event that needs extra support. In short, they are diplomatic temps! However their work is a lot more interesting than your average temp job.

Below, Edwin Sharman currently an A2 World Wide Floater provides an insight to his experience of working at the FCO:

Write about your experiences in the FCO was what I was asked to do. Where do I start? I joined the Diplomatic Service (FCO) in April 2002. My first 18 months was spent in the Legalisation Office of the Consular Directorate in London. We were responsible for authenticating documents for use overseas from getting married in the Dominican Republic to documents relating to multi-million pound business deals. As part of the Consular Directorate I was given the opportunity of being part of the Emergency Response Team. Ever wondered who answers the phone during a crisis when the telephone number appears on the news? Well that was me and my colleagues. I worked on crises such as the bombings in Bali and Saudi Arabia and a coach crash in South Africa. Demanding work and very emotional but very rewarding.

In 2004 I was posted to the British Embassy in Berlin. After completing 3 months language training I found myself in one of the most impressive buildings in the FCO estate. Here I was responsible (with 2 other colleagues) for the Registry and IT and Communications systems. But I arrived a few months before a State Visit by HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Everybody had their part to play!

In January 2005 I was sent to Bangkok to help with the post-tsunami Consular effort. Liaising with survivors and relatives of those that had died, local authorities in Thailand and other government departments meant an extremely busy 3 months but the Consular experience I had in London helped immensely.

2006 in Berlin only meant one thing! Somebody had organised a Football tournament and a team called England had qualified to play. Yep! It was World Cup time. For me that meant two things; making sure that all our systems were working to the maximum and helping with the setting up of a 24/7 call centre for fans from the UK (not just England) and other countries we had responsibility for. We were preparing for the worst but thankfully that never came and we were all able to enjoy the tournament (even if we didn’t get through to the final).

Being posted to Berlin was the first time I have ever lived overseas. When I got the news that I would be spending 3 years in Germany, I thought to myself, how different can it be? Not too different but there was distinct differences from living in London. Language being just a minor point but all was overcome.

In 2007 I joined the World Wide Floater Circuit. This is a group of Officers at Grade A2 and B3 trained in almost everything a British Diplomatic Mission does. We are sent around the world covering jobs where the incumbent has gone on leave, or is long-term sick or where there is a major event that needs extra support. I am just coming up to my first anniversary and have just completed my ninth float in country number 8. No float is the same! My first float was to Jakarta to cover the accountant slot, ensuring all financial transactions were carried out properly and all public money was accounted for. After 4 weeks I was off to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be the Deputy Management Officer - making sure that all maintenance works were carried out and the Embassy ran smoothly.

January 2008 saw me in Shanghai for 2 months helping to organise a Trade visit by the Prime Minister and a delegation of 150 business and media people, followed closely by a bi-lateral visit by the Secretary of State. I also had to do my ‘day job’ of Deputy Management Officer, making sure that the Consulate-General was functioning well and that all bills and local employed staff were paid. After a short break I was off to Islamabad, Pakistan for 6 weeks to cover 2 slots. The first was PA to the High Commissioner at a time when Pakistan was inaugurating a new parliament and cabinet. Added to this, it was also the time of the first bomb attack in the capital for a few years. Security was tight and the demand on the job was high. It was a relief to get back into a Registry for the final part of my float in Pakistan.

Following Islamabad I was off to Ankara to help support the State Visit. I was to help the Registry Officer ensure that the Foreign Secretary, who was accompanying The Queen, and his office, received important documents from around the world.

With a brief draw of breath I found myself on a plane to Freetown in Sierra Leone to cover for the Deputy Management Officer and make sure the High Commission worked as it should. This is easier said than done in West Africa. It was a real treat to be in Freetown. For a country that had just emerged from civil war all the people are great and Freetown itself is a unique place. I had great fun here. Float number 9 was to Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma (Myanmar). The only place I have been to that has 2 names. All very political but you get used to it. Being the PA to the Ambassador, Head of Registry and Visa Officer at the Embassy meant that I always had something to do and was never bored. And I was in Burma! Such a closed country (especially post Cyclone Nargis) and here I was walking around the streets of its capital city with saffron clad monks on one side and ordinary Burmese on the other going about their daily business.

So what is it like being an Executive Assistant in the FCO. Well there are some dull moments -there is nothing like filing on a Friday afternoon to kick start the weekend! But, you do get to do some amazing work in some equally amazing places. We have 200 Diplomatic Posts around to world. Most of them have slots for A2s. So if you fancy sweltering in Asia or living it up in South America, enjoying the quirks of living in the ’States or even being the PA to the Governor in The Falkland Islands then welcome to the FCO. Being in London is hard financially, but in the bigger picture, it is something you just have to do. It also gives you the chance to re-ground yourself.

The major plus point of working here is you are able to experience living overseas in a way that no other group of ex-pats can! It gives you  an opportunity to be part of the local community and fully experience life in the country you are posted in.  You need to be outgoing, not afraid of a bit of hard work, and, most importantly, have a great sense of humour!

On the whole I have enjoyed my time with the FCO. Yes there have been times when I think why am I doing this, but then I look out of office building and I see myself in central London, Downtown Shanghai or high up on a hill in Freetown. That makes it all worth it really!