Guillem Manso

Diplomat

2017-2020

“Preparing the opposition to join the diplomatic corps is scary, even looking back after having overcome it. Although the illusion of the first weeks of study is never lost, the uncertainty that one feels from the beginning grows larger, as the Investment made – and therefore potentially “lost” – is gaining weight. No one can assure you that you will end up passing or promise that it will take a year or five. The CEI either.

However, the CEI can provide answers to other types of questions that may cause less anxiety, but more useful in your preparation: What is a good essay?, Is it possible to prepare an interview in which you can end up asking anything?, What kind of answers are appropriate in the language exam? For the oral presentation, it is better to bring a few topics each week, but prepare them in depth, or challenge yourself to give many quick laps to the agenda?

These are very difficult questions that every opponent faces at one time or another, and the answer to them is not unequivocal. For this reason, what I value most about the CEI compared to other preparation academies is its diversity: the opposition is an individual effort, but to be successful it is essential to build a solid network of support, it takes a village to raise a child. The CEI will give you access to very different tutors (mostly diplomats of different ages and backgrounds, but also State Attorneys, for example), whose strategy to pass will not always coincide, and although that will sometimes be frustrating, as a candidate you will soon realize that you must find your own unique way of dealing with the opposition, based on your strengths and weaknesses. All CEI staff and collaborators, starting with Ambassador Perpiñá-Robert, will appreciate your dedication and will be a fundamental support in times of greatest frustration and uncertainty.

And they will be the first to call you as soon as you pass, of course. They are a team and I assure you that they will feel your success as their own!”

Preparation to Join the Diplomatic Corps