We currently employ about 4,400 people. More than 43% of staff are women, the average age of our employees is 39, over 9% are from black or ethnic minority backgrounds and 4% have a disability.
MI5 deals with very sensitive information. Lives may be put at risk if sensitive information is disclosed carelessly. This makes it vital to manage information properly and release it only when absolutely necessary.
Section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1989 prohibits our current and former staff from making unauthorised disclosures of information concerning security or intelligence that they acquired while working for MI5. We can only pass on information as is necessary for purposes of protecting national security.
The Official Secrets Act does not prohibit disclosures of unimportant matters. However, we advise our staff to be aware of the sensitivities and potential risks when discussing their involvement with or knowledge of MI5.
There’s no such thing as "a typical MI5 officer".
We seek to recruit from all areas of the UK and all sections of society. Our staff members come from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, reflecting the diversity of the communities in the UK that we serve.
MI5 is an equal opportunities employer. 43% of our staff are women and just over half of our staff are under the age of 40. An increasing number of staff members (currently around 9%) are from black or ethnic minority backgrounds, and 4% have a disability.
See Careers for more information about our current vacancies and working at MI5.
Yes. MI5 takes the welfare of its staff very seriously.
We work to ensure that our staff have a healthy work/life balance with reasonable working hours. Most roles provide a wide range of flexible working arrangements, including flexi-time, job-sharing and compressed hours.
We offer generous maternity and paternity leave. There is a strong support network within MI5 to provide advice and assistance for our staff.
For more information, please see Careers.
If you’ve started an online application that you want to re-visit, see Access my application.
If you’re having problems with the careers part of our website, please contact our recruitment team on 0845 450 2152 or at [email protected]. If your enquiry is urgent then please ring the recruitment team.
