You’ll need to be in your penultimate or final year of uni, from an Ethnic Minority, and from a socially or economically disadvantaged background. We need a range of backgrounds and perspectives to be successful. You could be exactly who we need to help us achieve our mission.

If you’re eligible, you’ll need to choose the agency that’s right for you. Both MI5 and MI6 look for naturally inquisitive team players with real enthusiasm. At MI5, you’ll need to be a problem solver who enjoys working collaboratively. Plus, you’ll have an appetite for learning and developing. MI6 are internationally focused, so you’ll have an interest in the world and different cultures, and want to know how people tick.

You need to be on track for at least a 2:2. You don’t need to be studying a particular degree, or even have relevant experience. Whichever agency you choose, you’ll share our values – and the desire to have a positive impact on the UK.

For more information on the eligibility criteria, please visit our Summer Diversity Intelligence Internship page.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. One of your parents must be a British Citizen or must have one of the nationalities or citizenships from one of the following: British Overseas Territory, British Subject, British National (Overseas), British Overseas Citizen, British Protected Person, citizenship of a country in the Commonwealth, citizenship of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA), or citizenship of the United States of America (USA). If deceased, they should have had such citizenship or nationality before death. If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will nonetheless be considered. If successful, you will not normally be required to give up your non-British citizenship but, as a condition of your employment or secondment, MI5/MI6 may impose restrictions on your postings, work travel and/or general use of that nationality. Candidates must normally have been resident in the UK for seven out of the last ten years. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK. Each case will be carefully considered on its own facts. You can apply at the age of 17 years and 6 months, if successful you will not be offered a start date prior to your 18th birthday. Discretion is vital. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member. Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside of the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. Further information on our eligibility criteria can be found on the Applying section.

Discretion

Discretion is vital. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member. Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. Further information on our eligibility criteria can be found on the ‘How to Apply’ section.

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Date of internship: Monday 20 June 2022 - Friday 2 September 2022

Salary: £26,210 (salary plus enhancement) per annum (pro-rated over 11-week programme £5,242.01). Assistance with accommodation will also be available.

MI5 and MI6 may be different organisations, but we share the same goal. We keep the UK safe. MI5 protects our national security, while MI6 focuses on threats from overseas. Our operations are hugely varied, which is why increasing the diversity of our people is needed more than ever before. That’s why we’re re-opening our Summer Diversity Intelligence Internship scheme.

Whether you’re supporting MI5 to protect the UK from threats to national security, or helping MI6 mitigate threats emanating from overseas and promote the UK’s prosperity, you’ll see how frontline operations are run. Whichever agency you choose, you’ll piece together intelligence and identify possible threats. With training from the start, and support from mentors, managers and development partners, you’ll develop new skills and grow in confidence. As part of a cohort of fellow interns, you’ll gain unique insights into the intelligence agencies – while sharing your own.

The Summer Diversity Intelligence Internship represents one of the many things that MI5 and MI6 are doing to increase diversity amongst our teams. Individuals from ethnic minority and socially or economically disadvantaged backgrounds are currently under-represented in our teams, and we’d therefore like to encourage people from these backgrounds, who might not necessarily see MI5 or MI6 as a viable employer, to join us for an 11-week Internship and see what life in MI5 and MI6 is really like.

Benefits

The internship will run from June 20th 2022 to September 2nd 2022. If you need assistance, we’ll help you with accommodation for the duration of your internship. You’ll benefit from a competitive salary and five days annual leave. In addition, you’ll be free to enjoy organisation-wide events where you can learn and network.

Culture, Sport and Working Environment

We are proud of our inclusive working environment, and we recognise that you don’t get that without diversity. As part of our team, you’ll discover a workplace that’s welcoming, supportive and encouraging. You won’t be joining on your own. You’ll be part of a group who all want to make an impact.

We also work hard to ensure our people can bring their whole self to work. Aside from fostering an open culture, we’ve got a range of growing affinity groups. These currently include:

• Our Ethnic Minority networks
• Communities supporting gender diversity and social mobility
• Various groups supporting staff with illnesses and disability
• Faith/No Faith – communities for staff with a faith, or no faith, to come together
• LGBTQ+ groups – networks supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans staff
• You’ll also find a range of sports and social groups to help you settle in and connect with people with similar interests.

Find out more at our Diversity page here.

Recruitment Process

At MI5 and MI6 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we are seeking to build a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodiverse conditions.

As a Disability Confident leader, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. This is known as Offer of an Interview. To secure an interview for this vacancy, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:

• Eligibility questions – You will be asked a series of questions relating to this vacancy. If you meet the eligibility criteria you will be directed to the initial application form.
• Situational Judgement Test – You will be required to reach the pass mark set.
• Application form – You will be required to pass an application form sift.

On successful completion of these stages:

For MI5:

• Half Day Online Assessment Centre – this consists of an interview, a roleplay and a written report.

For MI6:

• Online Interviews and Roleplay

Please note that you’ll need to pass security checks – your placement will depend on this.

Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.