John said recruits could look forward to generous government employee benefits and the possibility of part-time working designed to give staff the flexibility to raise their families. They follow the SIS's 2006 introduction of job adverts in newspapers and the 2005 launch of its Web site, all designed to lure applicants from a more diverse range of backgrounds. The macho image, partly the result of the popularity of the James Bond thrillers, is not reflected in the straightforward job adverts on radio stations in London and across the UK. The idea behind the advertising drive is to cast the recruiters' net wider than the elite fee-paying schools and universities they once relied upon, reflecting the UK's multicultural reality. In fact, 'a clear majority of the intake do not come from the military, or from Oxford or Cambridge.' There's a tendency for more women to perceive us as a military-type, male organisation.' 'A lot of people think recruitment is still by a tap on the shoulder by a talent-spotter. 'We're trying to dispel tenacious misconceptions,' said the SIS recruitment officer, introducing himself as 'John' in an interview at its headquarters in central London. The drive is part of a policy of openness that constitutes a big cultural shift for a service that 20 years ago was so secret the government would not publicly acknowledge its existence, even if it still enjoys more anonymity than its close CIA ally. Turn on the radio in Britain these days and you could hear an advert for a job in the shadowy world of intelligence: it's an unusual bid by the country's spy service to shed its image as stuffy, macho and upper-class - says Reuters.ĭiversity is the watchword in a publicity campaign that portrays a career in the Secret Intelligence Service or MI6 as fascinating and family-friendly, albeit with moments of risk.

Misconceptions by Blu Daniels