The job of the civil servant may not be the most glamorous career choice, yet it is an essential role in an important organisation with a much bigger purpose.

Dole clerk, diplomat, Whitehall civil servant, Brussels bureaucrat, manpower planner in Swaziland ... these are just some of the diverse roles I played in a public service career which spanned nearly four decades.

My adventures as a civil servant allowed me to spend over 16 years abroad visiting 27 countries on 3 continents.