Being in a position where you have to deal with recent and urgent international developments, it is very important to understand the – historical – backgrounds.
Ernst Prosman
Alumnus Master History
- Education: History (BA); History of Society (MA)
- Graduated in: 2015
- Current job: Policy Officer at Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"The master programme Global History and International Relations seemed like a good start for my career after pursuing my bachelor in History. At the time, I did not know which way I wanted to go. During my masters I did an internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After that, I decided to focus on the training for starting policy offers at the Ministry – ‘diplomatenklasje’ is the popular term for it in the Netherlands."
Career
"Two months after my graduation I got a temporary job as data analyst at the Authority for Consumers & Markets. This was not related to my studies, but connected with prior work experience. After that job I did a traineeship at the European Commission, which resulted in another temporary job. In the meantime I did language courses and deepening programmes abroad on my own initiative. Subsequently, I started one and a half year after my graduation with the ‘diplomatenklasje’."
Historical basis
"Currently I work as a country desk for Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Vatican at the Europe Department. I will stay in this position for two years in total. After that, I will be placed as a diplomat in a posting abroad. My studies in history, and especially my masters, are a solid basis for my current job. Being in a position where you have to deal with recent and urgent international developments, it is very important to understand the – historical – backgrounds. Because of my educational background, I automatically take a long-term perspective when looking at emerging developments. This is an important quality in a world where the issues of the day sometimes get the upper hand."