In the 007 spy films, James Bond’s driving passions are deadly weapons, fast cars and faster women. But according to a job advert placed by MI6 yesterday, the world of espionage is rather more mundane. The Secret Intelligence Service says it wants ‘empathetic’ recruits who are ‘able to get on with diverse groups of people’. In its advert, reproduced above, MI6 proudly displays its equality credentials by carrying a Stonewall gay rights logo. Anyone interested in ‘guns and fast cars’ need not apply. The details are included in an advert for intelligence officer posts, published yesterday in the Economist newspaper. The officers collect, analyse and report secret intelligence material from around the world. The job advert – presented as a flowchart – has questions including ‘Do you want to protect your country?’, ‘Do you have an instinctive curiosity?’ and ‘Can you be trusted?’. Applicants are also asked about their language skills and whether they want to carry out work overseas. Hopefuls must say if they are male or female before being told their gender does not matter. The same goes for sexuality and ethnicity – although candidates must have British nationality. Secrecy is a key issue naturally. Anyone answering yes to the question ‘Would you tell anyone else about your application?’ is told ‘Thank you for your time’. An identical response is given to anyone believing that MI6 is ‘all guns and fast cars’. Where Bond routinely defies his bosses and breaks the rules, the MI6 advert warns against the idea that Britain must be protected ‘by any means possible’. MI6 headquarters on the south bank of the River Thames at Vauxhall . MI6 has signed up to Stonewall’s diversity champions programme, which aims to make workplaces ‘gay friendly’ and ensure employers comply with equalities legislation. The advert states: ‘The Service strives for diversity in the workplace and is committed to the creation and maintenance of a climate in which all staff are treated fairly on the grounds of merit and ability.’ Last year MI5, the sister agency responsible for protecting Britain against foreign and domestic enemies, came 25th in the list of Stonewall’s top 100 gay-friendly employers. The scene from Skyfall where Javier Bardem's villain Raoul Silva undoes the shirt worn by James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, and touches him on his chest and thighs . Both agencies’ attitudes to gay employees have changed markedly in a short period. Until the mid-1990s, homosexuals were banned from sensitive posts in the diplomatic or security services, on the grounds that they were more vulnerable to blackmail. Two members of the Cambridge Five, the notorious ring of communist spies who worked for the Soviet Union in the 1940s and 50s, were gay. Guy Burgess, who worked for the Foreign Office and MI6, lived with a boyfriend even after he defected to Moscow in 1951. Anthony Blunt, an MI5 officer and leading art historian, also had a secret gay life. The most recent Bond film, Skyfall, raised eyebrows among critics with a highly charged gay ‘flirtation’ scene. Bond baddie Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem, undoes Bond’s shirt, and strokes his chest and legs while he is tied to a chair, suggestively saying ‘First time for everything?’ Daniel Craig, who stars as Bond, replies: ‘What makes you think this is my first time?’
MI6 has signed up to Stonewall’s diversity champions programme .
It aims to make workplaces 'gay friendly' and compliant with equality law .
In the 007 spy films, James Bond’s driving passions are deadly weapons, fast cars and faster women. But according to a job advert placed by MI6 yesterday, the world of espionage is rather more mundane. The Secret Intelligence Service says it wants ‘empathetic’ recruits who are ‘able to get on with diverse groups of people’. In its advert, reproduced above, MI6 proudly displays its equality credentials by carrying a Stonewall gay rights logo. Anyone interested in ‘guns and fast cars’ need not apply. The details are included in an advert for intelligence officer posts, published yesterday in the Economist newspaper. The officers collect, analyse and report secret intelligence material from around the world. The job advert – presented as a flowchart – has questions including ‘Do you want to protect your country?’, ‘Do you have an instinctive curiosity?’ and ‘Can you be trusted?’. Applicants are also asked about their language skills and whether they want to carry out work overseas. Hopefuls must say if they are male or female before being told their gender does not matter. The same goes for sexuality and ethnicity – although candidates must have British nationality. Secrecy is a key issue naturally. Anyone answering yes to the question ‘Would you tell anyone else about your application?’ is told ‘Thank you for your time’. An identical response is given to anyone believing that MI6 is ‘all guns and fast cars’. Where Bond routinely defies his bosses and breaks the rules, the MI6 advert warns against the idea that Britain must be protected ‘by any means possible’. MI6 headquarters on the south bank of the River Thames at Vauxhall . MI6 has signed up to Stonewall’s diversity champions programme, which aims to make workplaces ‘gay friendly’ and ensure employers comply with equalities legislation. The advert states: ‘The Service strives for diversity in the workplace and is committed to the creation and maintenance of a climate in which all staff are treated fairly on the grounds of merit and ability.’ Last year MI5, the sister agency responsible for protecting Britain against foreign and domestic enemies, came 25th in the list of Stonewall’s top 100 gay-friendly employers. The scene from Skyfall where Javier Bardem's villain Raoul Silva undoes the shirt worn by James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, and touches him on his chest and thighs . Both agencies’ attitudes to gay employees have changed markedly in a short period. Until the mid-1990s, homosexuals were banned from sensitive posts in the diplomatic or security services, on the grounds that they were more vulnerable to blackmail. Two members of the Cambridge Five, the notorious ring of communist spies who worked for the Soviet Union in the 1940s and 50s, were gay. Guy Burgess, who worked for the Foreign Office and MI6, lived with a boyfriend even after he defected to Moscow in 1951. Anthony Blunt, an MI5 officer and leading art historian, also had a secret gay life. The most recent Bond film, Skyfall, raised eyebrows among critics with a highly charged gay ‘flirtation’ scene. Bond baddie Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem, undoes Bond’s shirt, and strokes his chest and legs while he is tied to a chair, suggestively saying ‘First time for everything?’ Daniel Craig, who stars as Bond, replies: ‘What makes you think this is my first time?’
Thames at Vauxhall . MI6 has signed up to Stonewall’s diversity champions programme, which aims to make workplaces ‘gay friendly’ and ensure