Sri Lanka Overseas Service

The Sri Lanka Overseas Service (SLOS) which is most commonly referred to as the Sri Lanka Foreign Service is the foreign service of Sri Lanka. It is the body of career diplomats of Sri Lanka. The Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also the head of the foreign service.

Established on 1 October 1949 after the independence of Ceylon in 1948 as the Ceylon Overseas Service with the recruitment of its first batch of cadets. The service was dealt with foreign affairs, as opposed to the older Ceylon Civil Service, which dealt with domestic affairs. Following Sri Lanka becoming a republic in 1972 the service changed its name to Sri Lanka Overseas Service.

Members to the foreign service are selected every few years after an exam carried out by the Department of Examinations. The select recruits undergo training at the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute and the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration

Sri Lanka Overseas Service has three grades, such as:

Based on their duty station they may hold one of the following positions;

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

In the recent past the foreign service has come under heavy criticism over many issues. These include appointment of non-career diplomat persons to diplomatic posts and the inactivity of it members. Due to the lack of help provided by foreign service personal to Sri Lankans in overseas countries they have been calls for posting SLOS offers local government departments such as divisional secretariats for long periods of time to interact with the public and the abolition of the service altogether with its functions being transferred to the Sri Lanka Administrative Service.

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