Flexible Working: We support full-time, part-time, compressed, and flexible hours. Remote and homeworking are not available in London. There are limited opportunities for homeworking in Cheltenham and Manchester, as the role is primarily office-based.
Your knowledge of Mandarin could open up a career in intelligence. By joining MI5, MI6, and GCHQ, you can play your part in protecting the UK.
About Us
MI5, MI6, and GCHQ are the UK’s Intelligence Services. We work together to safeguard Britain’s people, interests, and businesses from various threats at home, overseas and online, including cyber-attacks, espionage, terrorism, and organised crime.
About The Role
If you have a passion for languages, working as a Language Specialist for the UK intelligence agencies presents a truly unique opportunity. You’ll be working at the heart of our mission, supporting high-value activities that will keep the country safe. We’re looking for Mandarin linguists for a role that is well beyond translation and transcription. Your knowledge of the Mandarin language, as well as your in-depth understanding of Chinese culture, ideology, and politics will be a significant asset in helping to safeguard the UK.
With an adept knowledge of Mandarin language and Mandarin culture, you’ll be able to identify nuances, and seek out key information from spoken and written materials, contextualise and, then make the information accessible and understandable to others. You’ll enjoy varied, unique work using Language skills you would never have considered could create such impact.
At MI5 and MI6, you’ll be part of a multi-disciplinary team and play an active role in directing projects and driving forward investigations. It’s rewarding work, which will draw on your judgement, people skills, as well as linguistic and cultural expertise. Confident reading, writing, speaking, and listening to Mandarin, you’ll do everything from translation and interpretation to operational work that includes planning, casework, and training.
At GCHQ, you’ll combine language and technical skills to piece together snippets of information, collected from a variety of digital communication sources. Working in a diverse team of technical experts, you’ll apply analytical skills and an understanding of communication technologies to build an accurate intelligence picture.
About You
You don’t need any experience or qualifications to be a Mandarin Language Specialist with us, just active and passive language skills, excellent written English, and a good knowledge of Chinese culture, history, religion, and politics. Essentially, you’ll be passionate about the language and a proficient user (at C1 level) of Mandarin language in all its forms.
At C1 level or higher, you’re able to:
1. Understand a wide range of longer and more demanding texts or conversations.
2. Express ideas without too much searching.
3. Effectively use the language for social, academic, or professional situations.
4. Create well-structured and detailed texts on complex topics.
Having a keen interest in technology will support you at GCHQ. But whichever organisation you join, we are looking for problem solvers with interpersonal skills and a high attention to detail. You will also need:
* An analytical, enquiring mind.
* Good judgement and effective people skills.
* A collaborative approach, as you will share your knowledge and contribute to professional standards of best practice.
During the interview process, you’ll need to pass a language proficiency test by reading and translating newspaper articles and broadcasts. The result will be considered alongside the role requirements on a case-by-case basis.
Training and Development
At MI5, MI6, and GCHQ, we have an inclusive and supportive working environment that’s designed to encourage open minds and approaches. We value and nurture talent and we’re committed to ensuring you have the support and guidance to build a rewarding career at the heart of national security.
Rewards and Benefits
At MI6 and MI5, you’ll receive a starting salary of £37,281 - £43,490 (plus the possibility to qualify for additional language allowances once in role). At GCHQ you’ll receive a starting salary of £34,663.
Other benefits include:
* 25 days’ annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days’ public and privilege holidays.
* Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme.
* Excellent pension scheme.
* Cycle to work scheme.
Equal Opportunities
At MI5, MI6 and GCHQ diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve.
What to Expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit.
Before You Apply
To work at MI5, MI6, or GCHQ, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality.
Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
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