View Vacancy - Honorary Consul (01/22 MSR)

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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Consular Roles)
Consular

Main Purpose of Job:

This is a volunteer position, supporting the UK High Commission to deliver consular assistance and services to distressed British Nationals in Lesotho. You will be affiliated with, but not a full employee of, the UK High Commission.

Consular assistance often involves supporting people at the most distressing moments in their lives. You will work with consular professionals in neighbouring South Africa to help British people to solve problems linked to overseas travel in Lesotho. This could include visiting people in hospital or prison, supporting the repatriation of a deceased person, or helping out with crisis response. You will maintain a network of local contacts who we can draw upon to deliver consular assistance when necessary.

This volunteer position is paid with an annual stipend of £1,000. As a guide, after completing initial training, you will be expected to commit up to 4 hours per month – although this will vary, with some months (e.g. if we are responding to a crisis) busier than others.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Help the UK High Commission to deliver consular support to British Nationals in Maseru, by:

  • Informing UKHC if you are approached for assistance by British Nationals. Consular staff will agree with you any appropriate action to be taken. This may include making contact with British nationals, or visiting them in hospital or prison. We will provide training to support this
  • Signposting British Nationals in your community towards consular services on the UK government digital platform, gov.uk. (please note that the High Commission does not handle visa or passport services, and you should avoid providing advice on these issues).
  • On occasion, providing services, such as citizenship ceremonies, on behalf of & under instruction from, UKHC (please note we do not have any role in UK citizenship processing or decision making aside from performing ceremonies).
  • Building a network of useful local contacts to support consular assistance work – e.g. with police, immigration, hospitals, prisons, emergency services, social services, etc.
  • Assisting UK High Commission staff in keeping our online information up to date. This will include research on specific topics relevant to British nationals (for example, bereavement or imprisonment) or helping to maintain lists of local service providers
  • In times of crisis, working with UKHC to deliver a high quality crisis response, including liaison with local authorities, providing ‘on the ground’ intelligence, and occasionally, practical assistance depending on the circumstances. In recent years, Honorary Consuls were an integral part of our response to the COVID-19 crisis, supporting UKHC to repatriate British nationals
  • On occasion, conducting other work on behalf of the UK High Commissioner in Maseru, following discussion with them

This is a volunteer position. You will receive an annual stipend of £1,000. After completing initial training with the consular team in Pretoria, you should expect to spend up to 4 hours per month on consular work, although this may vary from month to month. Consular work in Lesotho is generally low volume. You will occasionally be invited to attend conferences or training events; the UK High Commission will fund associated travel expenses.

 About the UK High Commission

Consular work in Lesotho is primarily administered from the UK High Commission in Pretoria. You will report to a consular officer based in Pretoria, and occasionally will be asked to travel (funded by the High Commission) for training or conferences.

The UK High Commission in Maseru is headed by the UK High Commissioner, Anne Macro. You will primarily work with the consular team based at the UK High Commission Pretoria, but may be asked to conduct other work on behalf of the High Commission in Maseru.

  • Consular work often involves supporting people at the most difficult moments in their lives. It is essential to have strong communication skills and empathy to succeed in this role.
  • Ideally, you will already have a network of useful local contacts in Maseru – or a willingness to acquire them!
  • Honorary Consuls are often British Nationals, but this is not a requirement for the role – empathy and enthusiasm are much more important!
  • Experience in an adjacent field (e.g. social services, charities, mental health, and other caring professions) or a customer service background
Working Together
28 May 2022
Fixed Term, Part-Time
12 months
Africa
Lesotho
Maseru
British High Commission
1 June 2022

Learning and development opportunities:

You will be asked to complete FCDO mandatory learning products, including learning on handling customer information.

You will spend a few days shadowing the consular team in Pretoria, in order to learn more about consular work. 

This volunteer position is paid with an annual stipend of £1,000

  • Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.
  • Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
  • The British High Commission will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
  • Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Maseru are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Lesotho.
  • All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit. 
  • The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to;
  1. Obtain the relevant permit
  2. Pay fees for the permit
  3. Make arrangements to relocate
  4. Meet the costs to relocation 
  • The British High Commission do not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so. 
  • Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles. Please note:  AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5 
  • Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

This opportunity is closed to applications.