Department
Languages
Location(s)
London
Salary
£39,152 to £44,818, depending on the organisation.
Job description
Flexible Working: we support full-time, part-time, compressed, and flexible hours. Remote and homeworking are not available, as the role is office-based.
Your knowledge of Persian could open the door to a career in intelligence. By joining MI5 and MI6, you’ll play a vital role in protecting the UK.

ABOUT US

MI5 and MI6 are part of 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. By working across our vital missions, you’ll make an impact at the heart of national security, all within a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

ABOUT YOU

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

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

• Understand a wide range of longer and more demanding texts or conversations
• Express ideas without too much searching for words
• Use the language effectively in social, academic, or professional situations
• Create well-structured and detailed texts on complex topics

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

We’re looking for problem solvers with strong interpersonal skills and a keen eye for detail. You’ll also need:

• An analytical, enquiring mind
• Good judgement and effective people skills
• A collaborative approach, as you’ll share your knowledge and contribute to professional standards of best practice

During the interview process, you’ll be required to pass a language proficiency test, which involves reading and translating newspaper articles and broadcasts. The results will be assessed alongside the role requirements on a case-by-case basis.

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 at the heart of our mission, supporting high-value activities that help keep the country safe. We’re looking for Persian linguists for a role that goes far beyond translation and transcription. Your knowledge of the Persian language, along with your deep understanding of Iranian culture, ideology, and politics, will be a vital asset in helping to safeguard the UK.
With proficiency in the Persian language and a nuanced understanding of the surrounding culture, you’ll identify subtleties and extract key information from spoken and written materials, contextualise it, and make it accessible and understandable to others. Throughout your career, you’ll have opportunities to shape your own path, focusing on areas that interest you most. Whatever you’re working on, you’ll enjoy varied and meaningful work, using your language skills in ways you may never have imagined.
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 that draws on your judgement, people skills, and linguistic and cultural expertise. Confident in reading, writing, speaking, and listening to Persian, you’ll be involved in everything from translation and interpretation to operational work, including planning, casework, and training.

MI5 and MI6 are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme. This scheme encourages employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain, and develop disabled people. As a Disability Confident leader, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. (This is known as the Offer of an Interview) To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:

• Demonstrate a motivation and commitment to work for the UK intelligence agencies, assessed at the application form sift
• Achieve a pass in the Persian language test