MI6 woos 'Jane Bonds' with offers of family-friendly employment

Link: https://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=454588



James Bond would surely raise an eyebrow. MI6 has decided that, if it wants to recruit more female spies, it must move with the times.

And that means family-friendly hours, childcare vouchers, a maternity package - and absolutely no seducing of the enemy.

While the fictional 007, currently played by Daniel Craig, might use the art of seduction to break down the defences of exotic foreign agents, that could put off potential recruits with a husband at home.

So MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service, says that - as a "family organisation" - female agents will "absolutely not" be used as a "honey-trap".

"The Service does not use this or similar tactics," a website recruitment campaign says.

MI6, like its domestic counterpart MI5, is desperate for more women officers so part-time spying, childcare vouchers and "generous maternity pay" are on offer.

And women who are single when they join up are promised they will not have to leave should they marry, and have children.

The website says: "We're a family-friendly organisation. Women who've been in SIS for more than 12 months may be given six months' maternity leave on full pay. With few exceptions, partners and children can accompany officers on postings."

After stating plainly that "we want women to apply", the website gives profiles of two fictional operational officers who can expect to undertake covert missions and represent the service in Whitehall.

One, 'Isobel', was married with children when she joined MI6 ten years ago. In her profile, she says: "I had a posting in Asia. We all moved out there - me, my husband and our children.

"Since we got back to the UK, I've moved into our Middle East department, and I'm working a four- day week so as to have a bit of flexibility with the kids' timetables."

Hannah, who has a masters degree in Middle Eastern history, tells how she has been allowed to go part-time because her partner's job has been moved out of London.

She says: "I chose to take a parttime position to allow me to spend a bit more time with him. I plan to return to full-time work when my partner returns to work in London."

MI5 is also busy scouring the land for female recruits, and will begin a targeted campaign this week.

Despite having two recent female leaders, women account for only 38 per cent of new applicants. A security source said: "We need to get that increased so we're not going to have a problem further down the line. We have to reflect the diversity of the UK to do our job properly."

This week's campaign will include adverts on London buses and Tube trains as MI5 seeks to fill a range of jobs from caterers to drivers, intelligence officers, linguists, surveillance officers and technology experts.

Applicants for the security services are screened by a recruitment agency to weed out dreamers and no-hopers.

Then they must pass an initial assessment, an interview with a recruiter, a day of tests at agency headquarters and a final selection board.

In parallel with the final stages, they are subjected to six to eight months of security vetting.