MI5 has launched a new recruitment drive to recruit teachers as spies.
An advertisement placed in the Times Educational Supplement reveals the campaign to recruit for operational intelligence officers, who earn £35,425 plus benefits.
The security service said teachers’ people skills made them ideal candidates.
The advert reads: “Your experience of dealing with people means you can build trust and relationships with all sorts of individuals, which makes you the ideal candidate for developing a career securing the information we need to protect national security.”
According to the job description, successful applicants would be responsible for building contacts with people who can “provide information of relevance to national security”. They would also give briefings and write reports.
A Home Office spokesman said: “The organisation advertises in a range of media, including local, regional and national newspapers, trade publications and online media, in order to attract a diverse range of candidates who may have the right skills and experience.”
Lawyers and City workers have previously been targeted for employment within the service to “frustrate terrorism” and prevent foreign espionage and weapons of mass destruction, according to the MI5 website.
