Are Diplomats Rich?

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 3rd+Premium • 3rd+ Diplomacy and International RelationsDiplomacy and International Relations 2d • 2 days ago • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn Follow 🎯Are diplomats rich?

 
Some are. Many are not.
From the outside, diplomacy can look like a VIP world: nice suits, receptions, flags, and “important rooms.”

But most diplomats are not ambassadors.

They are junior officers, consular staff, attachés, and specialists who keep things moving when nobody is filming.

They live on a public salary.

They follow strict rules.

They represent their country with modest resources.

So the “rich” part is rarely money.

It’s: long days that don’t end at 17:00, phones that never fully switch off, meetings that start when others go to dinner, crises that don’t wait for weekends, and pressure you can’t always explain at home.

Sometimes the work looks very normal: economy flights, basic hotels, per diem limits, work done from a chair in an airport.

You wait.

You answer emails.

You prepare briefings.

You solve one problem, then another.

This is the human side of diplomacy: responsibility without applause.

But also quiet pride. Because you carry your country in small things, your discipline, your tone, and how you treat people when no one is watching.

So… are diplomats rich?

What’s one thing people misunderstand about diplomatic life?

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