Candidates will need to have university or similar-level education, be able to speak at least two foreign languages, have an impeccable reputation and also meet the requirements for getting permission to access classified information.
Although the requirements are high, the diplomatic service has difficulties attracting and keeping educated and talented people as starting wages in the service exceed the minimum wage only by several hundred euros.
Following the selection process at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, people get the rank of an attaché a pre-tax salary of 636 euros (around 523 after tax). The first diplomatic rank is granted after the training period, and people get a bonus which now stands at 239 euros before tax.
Lithuania’s diplomatic service opened a competition in 2015 last time. The Foreign Ministry’s representatives say competitions are opened when candidates from the ministry’s reserve are appointed and there are vacant diplomatic positions.
Currently, 490 diplomats work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including 255 in Lithuania and 235 at the country’s diplomatic representations abroad. The ministry estimates that around 10–12 people leave the service for personal or other reasons every year.