Department Languages /

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• Location(s) Cheltenham, London, Manchester /
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• Hours of Work Full-time and part-time opportunities (flexible working hours available) /
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• Salary £34,663 - £43,490 /
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• Job description

Your knowledge of Mandarin could open up a career in intelligence. By joining MI5, MI6, and GCHQ, you can play your part in protecting the UK.

About Us

MI5, MI6, and GCHQ are the UK’s Intelligence Services. We work together to safeguard Britain’s people, interests, and businesses from various threats at home, overseas and online, including cyber-attacks, espionage, terrorism, and organised crime. Working across our vital missions, you’ll deliver impact at the heart of national security, all within a supportive and inclusive environment that allows everyone to thrive.

About The Role

If you have a passion for languages, working as a Language Specialist for the UK intelligence agencies presents a truly unique opportunity. You’ll be working at the heart of our mission, supporting high-value activities that will keep the country safe. We’re looking for Mandarin linguists for a role that is well beyond translation and transcription. Your knowledge of the Mandarin language, as well as your in-depth understanding of Chinese culture, ideology, and politics will be a significant asset in helping to safeguard the UK.

With an adept knowledge of Mandarin language and Mandarin culture, you’ll be able to identify nuances, and seek out key information from spoken and written materials, contextualise and, then make the information accessible and understandable to others. And, every step of the way, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to develop your own career path, focusing on the areas that interest you most. Whatever you’re doing, you’ll enjoy varied, unique work using Language skills you would never have considered could create such impact.

At MI5 and MI6, you’ll be part of a multi-disciplinary team and play an active role in directing projects and driving forward investigations. It’s rewarding work, which will draw on your judgement, people skills, as well as linguistic and cultural expertise. Confident reading, writing, speaking, and listening to Mandarin, you’ll do everything from translation and interpretation to operational work that includes planning, casework, and training.

At GCHQ, you’ll combine language and technical skills to piece together snippets of information, collected from a variety of digital communication sources. Working in a diverse team of technical experts, you’ll apply analytical skills and an understanding of communication technologies to build an accurate intelligence picture, enabling you to identify reportable intelligence and progress operations, as well as help shape and influence Government policy.

About You

You don’t need any experience or qualifications to be a Mandarin Language Specialist with us, just active and passive language skills, excellent written English, and a good knowledge of Chinese culture, history, religion, and politics. Essentially, you’ll be passionate about the language and a proficient user (at C1 level, see explanation below) of Mandarin language in all its forms. Your proficiency could come from growing up in a multi-lingual family, undergoing language training in the military or studying Mandarin to a high level academically.

At C1 level or higher, you’re able to :

You can also access theCEFR self-assessment grid for more information on our requirements.

Having a keen interest in technology will support you at GCHQ. But whichever organisation you join, we are looking for problems solvers with interpersonal skills and a high attention to detail. You will also need :

During the interview process, you’ll need to pass a language proficiency test by reading and translating newspaper articles and broadcasts. The result will be considered alongside the role requirements on a case-by-case basis. Have a listen to a Mandarin audio clip here. If you can understand most of what’s said, we strongly encourage you to apply!

Training and Development

At MI5, MI6, and GCHQ, we have an inclusive and supportive working environment that’s designed to encourage open minds and approaches. We value and nurture talent and we’re committed to ensuring you have the support and guidance to build a rewarding career at the heart of national security. From language events and workshops, to acquiring professional qualifications, our strong learning culture will continuously develop you, your knowledge, and skills. By joining MI5, MI6, or GCHQ, you’ll be joining a network of colleagues across all three agencies. This widens our perspectives so we can engage through diversity of thought and approach.

As part of the selection process for MI5 and MI6, we’ll identify specific areas for development and tailor a training plan to meet your needs. When you join, you’ll have an induction and be assigned a buddy from the same language area to help you settle in. You’ll also be paired up with a profession head to oversee your career interests. You’ll receive training in applied skills such as interpretation and gain access to a range of language and non-language training opportunities, including our corporate academy.

GCHQ has an equally strong development offering. You’ll work alongside and learn from a community of language experts who’ll share their knowledge and encourage your contributions. And as well as being assigned a buddy on day one, you’ll undertake a comprehensive induction package that spans multiple areas of the business, so you can see how we use the Mandarin language in our work. Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) qualifications can be attained, and you’ll also have opportunities to upskill, which in turn will attract financial rewards.

Whatever your career path, you’ll be part of a community of passionate, dedicated, and talented linguists, working together on critical work you won’t find elsewhere.

Rewards and Benefits

At MI6 and MI5, you’ll receive a starting salary of £37,281 - £43,490 (plus the possibility to qualify for additional language allowances once in role).

At GCHQ you’ll receive a starting salary of £34,663. Upon successful completion of the 6–month probationary period, you’ll be eligible for an additional payment of £3,000 per annum in recognition of your language skill.

Other benefits include :

Equal Opportunities

At MI5, MI6 and GCHQ diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word : those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.