Recruitment for MI5/MI6 - AIBU to think that they find you, you can't apply?

[DoTheHop]

Does anyone know how this happens?
They appear to have an application process, but I'm not sure what they're looking for.
An ex of mine was contacted by them after his degree, in Computers and Maths I think, but according to him (not sure if true or bullshit) he'd have had to meet them in a field and never bothered.
I've a ds who is interested in this field. It's not really something you see discussed. I'm not sure what area of it he is interested in - he just finds it fascinating really.
Do they really take applications or is it a case of them hunting you down lol?

Recruitment adverts for GCHQ come up in my sidebar quite often.

I think the idea that you're approached by someone in a raincoat during your Finals is a bit old fashioned

Right? At least, it's probably very, very rare! If they approached every psychology/languages/computer science graduate with top grades, they'd be approaching a shit load of people! Although judging by the amount of people in this thread who know someone who has been approached, that's exactly what they're doing.

@Arnoldthecat I'm hooked, I love it.

Go on, please continue...

Yes, they do advertise now. I’m sure I saw one a few years ago when my son was at uni and I pointed it out to him (we liked watching Spooks at the time and he quite fancied joining!)

Anyone with a STEM degree gets an automatic recruitment email. I know atleast 10 different people that have had this including my DP. It's just a standard recruitment tactic. If you apply I would think you go for interviews and assessments, I don't think it's as mysterious as most think.

You’ve actually just reminded me that I was once featured as the top story on the 10 o’clock news many years back and they were only able to show my hands 😝😝 Where’s the fun of being on telly if you can’t tell anyone!

I know a lot of people who work at GCHQ as it's a big local employer. The application process can take ages and they do a lot of vetting of you and extended family/friends. Generally they aren't supposed to talk about what they do so definitely not a job for an oversharer.

I replied to an advert for an office based role once.
I didn’t pursue it because I then read about the extensive, intrusive (background/lifestyle/skeletons in the closet which could leave you open to blackmail) checks etc, and I bottled out.
Interestingly they contacted me twice afterwards to chase up my application and ask if I was still interested.

I worked for a company recently, totally unrelated to the security field. However the company worked at places like No. 10 etc. One company we couldn't address them in any correspondence. It just meant that when our database populated the address field we had to delete it. I honestly couldn't figure out why the secrecy until I realised that maybe someone could pose as us and gain entry or something.

DS did one of the NCSC courses for GCHQ but decided not to pursue the uni sponsorship as it would have narrowed his options for future experience/internships etc. However one of his friends is sponsored and goes off to work in Cheltenham and London in the holidays. He's not allowed to talk about what he does!

Your DS should read Annie Machon's book, Spies, Lies and Whistleblowers. It's an eye opener and not in a good way. Annie is a former MI5 officer.

The SIS Commercial Lawyer role is being advertised on the Jobs pages of The Lawyer too with a banner ad. Very discreet. The pay is not too far below market £80-90k

jobs.thelawyer.com/jobs/

Scroll down the page and see if you can spot it

Sorry for the ugly link but -

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=<a class="break-all" href="https://www.[[//amazon.co.uk/GCHQ-Puzzle-Book/dp/0718185544&ved=2ahUKEwj13vKakq7mAhXjsnEKHdq1DecQFjAMegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw3TCzdC5npMN8ucsNSacqIe?tag=mumsnetforu03-21"" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.[[//amazon.co.uk/GCHQ-Puzzle-Book/dp/0718185544&ved=2ahUKEwj13vKakq7mAhXjsnEKHdq1DecQFjAMegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw3TCzdC5npMN8ucsNSacqIe?tag=mumsnetforu03-21" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">amazon.co.uk/GCHQ-Puzzle-Book/dp/0718185544&ved=2ahUKEwj13vKakq7mAhXjsnEKHdq1DecQFjAMegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw3TCzdC5npMN8ucsNSacqIe]]

I applied 20 odd years ago! They placed an advert in a Bristol newspaper. I got through the first round but wasn't chosen to be interviewed for the second round.

@Arnoldthecat are you really going to leave us hanging like that 😼

I applied to MI5 a few years back, to the graduate entry. I did the first stage selection which is psychometric tests and an in-tray exercise. Then they vet you and you go to a selection centre. Don't know what happens after that as I ended up doing something else. Already at the application stage it warned not to tell anyone except close family.

Great ideas for his Christmas stocking.
Knowing my luck the little shit will hack into their system and a swat team will kill us all.

They’ll have contacts at universities who will flag likely candidates but I’d imagine a computer person who is good at languages would be of interest, especially if he went for Arabic/Russian/Chinese etc.

As far as I’m aware you can’t tell anyone where you work except partners so it would be ‘civil service’ or something. Even MOD would sound a bit too interesting - they’d probably prefer you say Ministry of Agriculture or something!

The checks are extremely rigorous and they’ll look into family as well, so you could be ruled out by something that they find that isn’t about you, but which could be a vulnerability (eg drugs/gambling) in a family member that could be used as a pressure point.

They recruit in many ways these days to find the profiles of staff that they need to meet the requirements of modern day intelligence work.

Anyone that discloses much about the recruitment process shows that they are good at identifying who to reject.

The pay is not very good at all, but such a life really is vocational.

Saw an job ad for a Russian speaker at CCHQ last week!

I often wonder (I watch spy films too), which normal looking businessman is actually dropping off a newspaper to someone in a park somewhere lol.

A friend of mine applied (online I think) and got a long way through the application process - written tests, aptitude tests, interview - down to what was, I think, the final stage, which was a home visit. At the time he was lodging with a friend (having recently left the armed forces), and they were living a fairly boozy "laddish" life at the time. He was honest about this, and also the fact that he had a mate in the city who sometimes used cocaine. He was told by letter that he'd failed that final stage. No reason was given, but I suspect they thought his party lifestyle and dodgy friends were too risky. You have to be whiter than white apparently.

@Yarboosucks Maybe I'm recruiting right now?

Arnold the Cat is winning in terms of keeping things to himself right now.

I just got a PM from them asking me if I want a job