RADIO 1 NEWSBEAT SERIES - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You may be interested in the following questions received on the Radio 1 website after the Newsbeat series on SIS careers aired in November 2007. If you are interested in a career at SIS you should, of course, make sure you have carefully studied the information on this site, especially the nationality and security clearance aspects.
Do you need a degree to work for MI6?
You won't need a degree to work in many of the roles at SIS (or MI6 as you may know us). You don't need to be a graduate to join us as a Language Specialist, an Administrator or in our Trades and Services department. (This includes such jobs as drivers, telephonists and Security Officers). In addition, you can take on some of our IT or Corporate Services roles without a degree. Operational Officers will need a degree of 2:1 or above, but there's no particular subject that is more useful than any other.
Could you still be employed if you have a high IQ, but have dyslexia?
Yes. We currently have people working for us who are dyslexic. Quite simply, we employ people with the skills we need. SIS is an equal opportunities employer and we see everyone who joins us as an individual with unique abilities and we work with each of them to ensure they can utilise and develop those abilities to the full.
I speak Persian. Can I join?
Talented language specialists are invaluable to us as we couldn't operate without people to translate raw intelligence material. At the moment, we're particularly keen to hear from people who have knowledge of Urdu, Persian, Arabic or Chinese, but those with high levels of competency in any language are also encouraged to apply. Of course, you'll also need other skills like the ability to write clearly in English and to condense large amounts of material down to the most salient points.
Is working with MI6 anything like the programme Spooks?
No. The depiction of the Security Service (or MI5) in the BBC's drama Spooks is, like other works of spy fiction, glamorised. It does not portray the full range of the Security Service's activities and particularly unrealistic is the way in which the characters in Spooks regularly act outside the law in pursuit of their investigations. We're the Secret Intelligence Service (also known as MI6). We operate overseas to collect covert secret intelligence on behalf of the British Government. This intelligence is used to help combat a range of threats to the UK's prosperity and security, including terrorism, regional instability around the globe, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and serious crime.
Are you short staffed, is that why MI6 ar being more public with recruitment?
We are a growing Service and, as a publicly funded body, we're eager that our organisation reflects the diversity of the British public we protect. We feel that open recruitment is the best way to further increase the diversity of our workforce. As an organisation, we need to be able to integrate and engage with people from just about every ethnic and social grouping around the world, so, for us, a diverse workforce is essential.
What can you put on your CV when you move on?
Guidance and advice is available if staff decide to leave the Service. When you leave, your CV would normally read that you had worked for the Government. You'll also be able to list the skills you have developed in the Service, which will make you highly marketable.
I'm still at school, but would like to apply when I'm older. What can I do to prepare?
When we consider potential recruits, we're looking for evidence that they have the skills we require, or the potential to develop them. You can find out more about the skills you'll need for each individual role here.
