Rosie Buhler 2
THE world of espionage and spies has long intrigued book readers, filmgoers and TV viewers alike. From the showmanship of James Bond to the dour resourcefulness of George Smiley, spies are fictional favourites inserted into carefully crafted plots involving a baffling web of dead letter boxes, coded messages, surveillance and downright bravery, writes Maggie Mallon.
For the imaginative, it is not hard to get caught up in this murky scene where, sometimes, nothing is at it seems. Tough, sexy spy heroes like Harry Palmer and James Bond have succeeded in making intelligence gathering seem a thrilling and glamorous career. But, naturally, the reality is very different. “You don’t get a flashy car, I’m afraid. There is the occasional gadget but nothing as exciting as you might see in a Bond film,” says “John,” the head of recruitment at Security Intelligence Service (SIS), more popularly known as MI6.
However, there’s no denying that gathering intelligence overseas for the Government makes for an unusual and exciting line of work – and one that has recently opened up. SIS is now actively and openly looking for people to become operational officers, who work in the field running agents. The organisation is particularly keen to attract women and candidates from ethnic minority groups.
Once cloaked in secrecy – the existence of SIS wasn’t even acknowledged by the Government until 1994 – it now has its own website and welcomes applications from the wider public. The service used to rely on Oxbridge dons to administer the famous ‘tap on the shoulder’ to recruit the most talented undergraduates who the whole were, like James Bond, male and white. But in 2006 the organisation started recruiting openly within the UK employment market. “The ‘tap on the shoulder’ approach was limited and somewhat dated,” says a Foreign Office spokeswoman. “SIS wants to attract applicants from a broad and diverse pool of talent reflective of British society today,” she adds. “It was important to advertise the varied job opportunities available in the organisation.”
The SIS – distinct from the domestic security service popularly known as MI5 and portrayed on TV by Spooks – is not only looking for applications from ethnic groups such as Afro-Caribbeans and Asians, but also from women. They have implemented family-friendly policies such as flexi-working and childcare vouchers to attract working mothers, as one case officer, known only as Isobel for these purposes, can attest. “I joined SIS about ten years ago. I was actually already married with kids at the time, so I suppose my profile was a little different, but I never saw this as a disadvantage.”
She became a case officer in the counter-terrorism department before being given a cover story that allowed her to live in Asia with her husband and children, who went to an international school. “Since we got back to the UK, I've moved into our Middle East department and I'm currently working a four-day week so as to have a bit of flexibility with the kids' timetables.“What I love about working for SIS is the range and diversity of the issues that you get to work on and the calibre of your colleagues. I've worked in a few other organisations and I've never felt that there is the same buzz anywhere else.” It’s a sentiment echoed by “John,” who is now based in the London headquarters of SIS, but who has spent much of his career as a case officer in the Middle East. “I can’t think of a more exciting, more fulfilling or rewarding job that one could do. “The great thing about the job is its diversity and variety because you are changing jobs every two to three years, dealing with different parts of the world, different languages and different societies.
“There are occasions when you have a window on historical events as they are breaking and sometimes you are actually helping to shape the British Government’s perceptions of those events. “When you are overseas you are often dealing with very senior people within your host government so you are in a very privileged position.”
Since 9/11 and the London bombings, the threat of terrorism has grown, and so has the service’s need to recruit talented people from all backgrounds. But John is keen to stress that a career as an operational officer is exciting and challenging, it’s not quite as glamorous as that portrayed by the various 007s, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig. “The emphasis is far more on team work than you would expect from a Bond film where he pretty much goes off on his own and does his own thing. The officers work with a degree of autonomy but they are part of a team. “It’s a very collegiate environment and I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really extraordinary people – bright, motivated and inspiring – both within the service and among the agents who work with us overseas. “And we don’t use coercion, the way you will often see in a Bond film.” There are, however, risks inherent in this kind of work, but SIS officers are trained to deal with them.“The safety of our officers and indeed of our agents overseas is paramount to us but we do work in areas of instability in areas where there is violence. We take enormous precautions to make sure as best we can that the violence doesn’t touch us or the people we deal with.”
So, what kind of person makes what John le Carré would call A Perfect Spy?
The organisation is looking for graduates with at least a 2:2, whether they are recent graduates or those looking for a change of career from the public or private sector. Integrity is important, as are people and problem-solving skills. As case officers typically spend around a third of their career in three-year stints overseas, there are opportunities for those who have a linguistic gift or aptitude for languages.
In exchange there’s a salary, terms and conditions in line with the Foreign Office.
And, although you won’t be jumping out of fighter jets or be driving an Aston Martin, it still appears to be one of the most exciting jobs around.
To apply online click here.
