Intelligence services careers for graduates

Focused on protecting national security, both domestically and internationally the work of the UK security and intelligence services is vital. Learn more about roles within MI5, MI6 (SIS) and GCHQ

The British intelligence agencies

The UK's three main intelligence services are:

• MI6 - officially known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), MI6 collects intelligence from outside the UK to support the government's foreign, security, defence and economic policies.
• MI5 - the Security Service is the UK's domestic intelligence agency. Its objective is to protect the UK against internal or external threats to national security.
• GCHQ - the Government Communications Headquarters is responsible for gathering information by intercepting electronic and digital communications, and thwarting hackers and other technological threats.

More than 15,500 people work for the British intelligence agencies and you could join them. Graduates can apply to any of the jobs advertised by these organisations, but there are also specific development programmes and graduate schemes if you have a degree.

MI6 jobs

What roles are available at MI6?

• business support officers (BSO)
• corporate services - finance, HR, legal, procurement
• Intelligence officers (IO) - operational managers, targeters, reporting officers and case officers
• language specialists - linguists, translators
• science and technology - business analyst, change manager, network engineer, software engineer, software developer, technical security engineer
• trades and services - security officer, facilities officer, logistics specialists.

To become an intelligence officer, also known as an intelligence analyst, you'll need excellent interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence and a sharp mind. It's a job that involves gathering, delivering and using intelligence that contributes to the security of the nation. An initial induction will assess your skills before you specialise, you'll then potentially work overseas and later move into management and leadership.

Learn more about MI6 careers.

Does MI6 offer graduate schemes or apprenticeships?

While MI6 doesn't advertise any graduate schemes or development programmes, it does provide a joint apprenticeship opportunity with MI5 and GCHQ.

The infrastructure engineering apprenticeship takes 18 months to complete and is available in the following roles:

• network engineer
• desktop implementation engineer
• infrastructure tools engineer
• data centre service engineer
• IT operations engineer
• systems monitoring engineer.

You’ll need three A-level passes for entry onto the scheme, two of those A-levels need to be in a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) subject.

How do I apply to MI6?

All applications for MI6 jobs are made online, via the MI6 website. You'll need to make your application from within the UK, be a British citizen and have been resident in the UK for seven of the last ten years.

The length of the application process differs depending on the role you're applying for. For example:

• intelligence officer - 15 months from start to finish
• business support officers, corporate services, language specialists, science and technology and trades and services roles - six months.

The MI6 recruitment process uses competency-based interviews for all roles. Due to the sensitive and highly classified nature of MI6 jobs you'll need to undergo the highest form of security clearance, known as developed vetting (DV), if your application is successful. This requires you to complete detailed questionnaires and discuss topics such as family, friends, relationships, health, finances and lifestyle with a vetting officer.

MI5 careers

What jobs are on offer at MI5?

Broadly divided into six areas roles include:

• Corporate - financial accountant, finance officer, procurement professional, senior business enabler, vetting officer, administrative officer, graphic designer, lawyer, security officer, receptionist, business support officer, drivers, information and records manager, auditors.
• Cross-agency services - procurement officer, internal auditor, senior internal auditor, internal audit operations manager, deputy head of internal audit.
• Intelligence - intelligence officer, agent handler, mobile surveillance officer, covert technical operations specialist, intelligence and data analyst.
• Languages - linguist/translator, foreign language analyst, speech technologist.
• Specialist - occupational psychologist, physical security advisor, behavioural scientist.
• Technology - business analyst, architects (enterprise, application and infrastructure), IT service support, software engineer, project and programme manager, IT service and operations manager, operational network engineer, operational infrastructure engineer, cyber technical analysts.

Does MI5 run graduate schemes?

MI5 offers four development programmes at graduate level. The minimum entry requirement is a 2:2 in any subject, although it's possible to join some of the schemes without a degree if you have significant relevant work experience.

Earning a place involves completing online tests, a telephone interview, attending an assessment centre and a final selection board, as well as the initial application forms. The nature of the tests depends on the programme you've applied for - for example, it could be verbal reasoning or situational judgement.

The four programmes are:

• Intelligence Officer Development Programme (IODP) - a two-year scheme, designed to give you an understanding of how MI5 functions, while preparing you for deployment as an intelligence officer. Roles are available in policy, analysis, legal casework, digital intelligence and warranty. At the end of your posting, you'll move onto the five-week Investigative Skills Training (IST) course, before taking on your first core role in either Conter-Terrorism or Counter-Espionage. Your starting salary will be  £37,281 with a guaranteed increase to £40,303 once you've completed your first year.
• Intelligence and Data Analyst Development Programme (I&DADP) - this is a two-year scheme as part of a five-year career pathway that will train you to use advanced techniques to analyse and interpret data and communicate your findings clearly. Making sense of large data sets and spotting patterns is increasingly important to the success of MI5 investigations. During the course of the scheme you'll take on three different analyst postings. You'll start on £37,281, increasing to £40,303 after the first year. Once you're fully trained, you'll spend the next three years in a range of analysis-related posts. Read more about working as a data analyst.
• Technology Graduate Development Programme (TGDP) - a structured programme for graduates who want to start their career in MI5's cutting-edge IT department. You'll earn a Central London starting salary of £37,466. There are different streams focusing on a range of areas such as delivery management, software engineering, business analysis, information and cyber security, user experience design and data science and machine learning. These specialist streams are aimed at those with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) background.
• Business Enablers Entry Scheme (BEES) - for those interested in a corporate services career. You can choose to specialise in areas such as finance, HR, legal, project management, recruitment or security. Starting with a standard MI5 induction, you'll be placed in a corporate post for a minimum of two years, including classroom and/or on-the-job training. Then, you have the option of staying in the same function or moving around different areas. The starting salary for this programme is £34,777 or £37,281 depending on location, rising to £37,596 or £40,303 respectively after completion of the first year.

Find out more about MI5 development programmes.

What about MI5 internships?

As well as these graduate roles, MI5 internships are available to those in their penultimate or final year of university.

The Summer Intelligence Internship is available across all three intelligence agencies (MI5, MI6 and GCHQ) and to those from Black, Asian, mixed heritage or ethnic minority backgrounds however, you can only complete the internship with one agency.

At MI5 the programme lasts 11 weeks. You'll be placed in one of the investigative teams where you'll experience what life as an intelligence officer is like. You'll learn how the agency protects national security, while helping to investigate and disrupt international terrorism. You'll receive an overall salary of £6,159 (in London). Upon completion of the internship, you'll be invited to apply for the intelligence officer role or a place on the IODP.

If you haven't gone to university, there are also opportunities for school leavers in the form of a three-year software engineer degree apprenticeship and 18-month infrastructure engineer apprenticeship. Learn more about apprenticeships.

Working for GCHQ

What careers are on offer at GCHQ?

• Corporate services - you can work in administration, finance, procurement, security, legal services, IT infrastructure engineering, IT service management, systems engineering, project management or project control.
• Technical - includes roles such as cyber operations, developers and programmers, data analysts, information security advisors, system designers, technical analysts, cyber security specialists, intelligence analysts, researchers.
• Specialist - involves working in records and information management, information legislation, web and social business.

Can I do an internship at GCHQ?

Yes, there are several GCHQ schemes for university students, including:

• an 11-week Summer Language Talent Programme in Russian or Mandarin
• the Student Scheme for Technologists is offered in areas such as research, engineering and computer network operations
• a nine-week Maths and Cryptography internship
• a ten-week Cyber Insights Summer School, involving lectures, workshops and practical learning. Upon completion you might be invited to another summer school or offered job.
• a ten-week Summer Intelligence Internship open to those from underrepresented backgrounds.

Get more information about your early careers options at GCHQ.

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