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?

No doubt there are still some people tapped on the soldier but mainly you just apply on the website. It isn't very secret at all.

too

you apply as for a normal job and there are a series of online tests/scenarios over many months. You either pass and move onto the next scenario or fail.

I don’t get what your AIBU is...

But you just apply, various stages, assessment centres appropriate to what you’ll be doing.

Security clearances are another hurdle in themselves, and they’re very thorough!

Your son could do Intel in the Armed Forces - I was RAF Intel for 20 years and had a very enjoyable career. I worked in many countries, Whitehall and GCHQ and other UK locations. I speak Russian, Serbian, French and Spanish. Degree in Russian.

They recruit at universities

@goodluckdontdie Information Retrieval?

I was having great fun reading this as I’ve always been interested in the cloak and dagger until I gave myself chills as the daft thought of the thread being posted by MI5/6 to see if anyone in the know broke confidentiality struck me...
I’ve clearly read far too many spy novels!

Op, your son might not be quite the material they are looking for if he’s left his mum to research it!

I think it's like the bloke in the pub who was in the SAS but can't talk about it- yet everyone knows he was in the SAS and he starts an awful lot of sentences with 'When I was in the SAS' for someone who can't talk about it! If you know the details of a friend/ friend of a friend's meeting in a field it's probably quite exaggerated. It's probably similar with all the 'my auntie's neighbour's son was interviewed by them about his colleague' -I'd imagine a lot of people are turned down even once they're doing well in the process because of others' loose lips.
Most of what's been mentioned here is open too- they've done a few big recruitment drives, it was all over here and the papers a few years ago and there was a website you went to, filled out some brief info, did a couple of tests and it was made very clear on there that if selected you'd be vetted and it was explained you'd have to disclose family/ financial information, friends and family would be spoken to and that any form of inappropriate disclosure would immediately terminate your application. I know all that and I didn't even apply, I was just nosing about. The salaries are shit but I assume if the salary is disclosed so is the job so we hardly know what the secret agent types are on!
It's also not a secret that they do recruit from the military, a lot of ex-armed forces know of someone who sort of went off but it's just not really spoken about.

They have a normal application process for a huge variety of jobs, keep an eye on their websites. They are really interested in certain specialist skills like languages but do not “tap people on the shoulder” anyone who claims to have had an interview in field is full of bull.

A friend who was a languages graduate applied to the Civil Service fast stream in the early 90s. He was asked if he'd be interested in the Intelligence Services and, if so, not to tell anyone. He wasn't and told loads of people he never did become a civil servant.

I’d love to work for MI6. I think it would be a fascinating experience knowing that you are at the heart of keeping people safe.

I might apply for the commercial solicitor job. As a current local government commercial solicitor, I might have a chance. Of course, I won’t be confirming or denying that I have applied..... However, if the interview is in a field, I might have to give it a miss!

Wasn’t there a surge of job applications for either MI5 or police counter terror after Bodyguard? The BBC programme.

It's funny seeing the usual 'if you know about it, it's bullshit' types.

Oooo recruit me! I've not got a degree or even my maths gcse. I'm married with 2 small kids, overweight and vaguely boring. I'm maybe slightly too moral though and the last time I went near London was about ten years ago. I'm good at problem solving and I love Agatha Christie so am obviously fully equipped for this type of work!

You can apply and people are also approached. I know someone who was approached in the 89s and one who has been approached very recently. I have also been interviewed by them in several occasions to discuss applicants and what I know of them- had to attend away from my workplace and was told (and had to sign) that I would not discuss the interview or who they were recruiting etc.

Ok @spotsandstars. I'll give you a job answering phones saying that the mysterious 006 is out of the office 'on business'. You have to say that in a breezy tone. Like he's selling door handles or something to a warehouse. You can not disclose that him being away on business involves women, martinis, fast cars, helicopters, russians and all sorts of other stuff.

I want a job as Miss Moneypenny, but alas I think that day has passed.

Spotsandstars
Actually you would probably be great for things like surveillance. If you were standing at a bus stop with a shopping bag nobody would suspect you, apart from the James Bond logo on your T Shirt

They have a website where you can apply, but I don't know how they filter people out- I bet loads of people apply after a spy drama is on TV!
I think that they do a lot of background digging on applicants before they offer an interview. I dunno if they do it before they approach.

DoTheHop- interesting! I thought they couldn't tell anyone they worked for MI5?

I really hope this isn't a fishing expedition.

Perfect plot to get lots of people to talking about their connections to "civil servants", or that they got to the last round... hack mumsnet, find them all in real life, and work out who their friends are, or turn them into spies for enemy countries.

Mwa ha ha!!!!!

You can apply via the website for several roles there. As a student I was head hunted due to protesting, no way would I work for them.

Iborgia. I iz acutallyeez Russian spy.

I recently read a book by an ex-spy (obviously written with an alias). It was quite interesting and went into a fair bit of detail. He was in the army and was deployed in NI as a special ops person before he was recruited by them.
It's called Soldier Spy- author Tom Marcus.

That was exactly my first question! If he works for MI5, surely he can't tell you, but nope, she said salary, payslips etc. checked out. I guess they have to apply too like us civilians. This was in a different country to England though. Where he applied for the mortgage.