Based in London, the role is described by the agency as “one of the most challenging, stimulating, and rewarding careers you can imagine.”

What is the job?

Successful applicants will work for two years as part of a development programme, learning techniques used by MI5 to analyse intelligence and support investigations.

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Intelligence officers need to be confident communicators, who trust their own judgement and have a good eye for detail.

Recruits will spend the time writing policy, scrutinising counter-terrorism warrants, as well as studying legal casework.

MI5 is offering £31,807 salaries to new starters, which rises to £34,385 once the development programme is completed.

What are MI5 looking for?

The agency insists that people from all walks of life can make a valuable contribution to MI5, and it is an equal opportunities employer.

MI5 is offering £31,807 salaries to new starters, which rises to £34,385 once the development programme is completed.

Applicants will need to have - or expect to have by the end of 2020 - a 2:2 or higher in any degree discipline, or be able to demonstrate equivalent work experience.

Intelligence officers need to be confident communicators, who trust their own judgement and have a good eye for detail.

MI5 expects its employees to have a high degree of honesty and integrity, who are able to collaborate to solve problems and make decisions.

How do they recruit?

The entire recruitment and vetting process can take around nine months to complete.

After the initial application stage, some candidates will be asked to sit a situational judgement test - a 90 minute long exam to see what decisions they would make under pressure.

If successful, the next stage is a telephone interview. This will include competency based questions and will explore your motivation to work for MI5.

Having passed the telephone interview, the remaining candidates will be invited to attend an assessment centre in London.

Applications close on 4 November 2019.

Telephone interviews start in early November 2019.

Assessment centres begin from early December 2019.