National Security and Intelligence Services
Focused on protecting national security, both domestically and internationally the work of the UK security and intelligence services is vital.
The United Kingdom's National Security and Intelligence services sector is a critical component of the country's defence and public safety infrastructure. It is composed of several key agencies, each with distinct but complementary roles. The Security Service (MI5) is responsible for protecting the UK against internal threats such as terrorism, espionage, and subversion. The Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) operates globally, gathering foreign intelligence to support national security and foreign policy objectives. The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) focuses on signals intelligence and cyber security, safeguarding the UK from cyber threats and supporting military operations. GCHQ also includes The National Cyber Security Centre ( NCSC). The National Crime Agency leads the UK’s fight to cut serious crime and organised crime.
More than 15,500 people work for the British intelligence agencies. Graduates can apply to any of the jobs advertised by these organisations, but there are also specific development programmes and graduate schemes. You may also want to consider a career in.
If you are interested in these area you may be curious to read more about the role of a Cyber security analyst and cyber security. Cyber security professionals are employed by a range of organisations across both the public and private sector. To learn more about the different areas of work in this field, review the Cyber Career Framework.
Every employer is different so there are no definitive lists here. These are meant as a guide and should be considered in addition to fully exploring role requirements outlined in person specification, job description and advert for each role you consider applying for.
- Ability to work discreetly, using integrity and under pressure
- Adaptability, flexibility and problem solving
- Degrees in international relations, political science, computer science, languages, law, or engineering are particularly useful
- Effective communication both verbal and written
- Language proficiency and cultural awareness (especially in high-interest regions).
- Strong analytical, research, and writing skills
- Teamwork and collaboration
Security clearance is mandatory for the majority of roles in this sector; this involves thorough background checks and interviews.
Prospects have noted some additional skills in their intelligence analyst profile.
In order to develop these skills, remember Career Zone also offers a range of Personal and Professional Development sessions which are available to book on Handshake and run at least once per term. Please also read through the sections about Gaining Experience and Further Study and Professional Development to discover how you can develop your skills through experience and by gaining further knowledge or qualifications.
All experiences ranging from volunteering, active involvement in clubs/societies can help you to develop relevant and transferable skills. You may wish to consider involvement in:
Volunteering
- Involvement in university committees and representative roles can help you demonstrate leadership and advocacy skills. Explore opportunities with the Falmouth & Exeter Students’ Union and Exeter Students’ Guild.
- You can also find opportunities to volunteer in the local community on the Falmouth & Exeter Student’s Union and Exeter Students’ Guild websites.
- Consider opportunities that enable you to develop a broad skill set including analytical thinking, communication, discretion and reliability and problem solving. Explore volunteer opportunities in charities such as Red Cross and other international aid organisations, refugee support charities, or language interpretation services.
- Think about joining debating societies or research-based clubs, contribute to student newspapers or journals and get involved in roles that require responsibility and confidentiality.
- Look out for opportunities such as Model United Nations (MUN) or geopolitical discussion groups, Cybersecurity clubs, language societies and cafes and Armed Forces or Officer Training Corps (UOTC).
University of Exeter Employability Schemes
- Career Zone Internship schemes: Internships can be extremely useful, so try and get relevant vacation work or placements
- The Exeter Award will help you stand out from the crowd and give you the confidence to shout about the experiences you've had at university
- The Global Leaders Experience is a unique opportunity to develop your intercultural skills as part of a short, outbound mobility experience.
Speculative applications and where to find opportunities
Undertaking relevant work experience will also allow you to develop new skills and gain a valuable insight into the sector. As jobs and opportunities are not always advertised, it can be useful to develop your networking skills and apply speculatively. Before visiting the sites below you may find it useful to read our Researching employers page.
Finding part time work
- General job sites such as Find a Job, Indeed and LinkedIn advertise part-time work.
- You could also have a look at Handshake, our vacancy database with employers who are targeting University of Exeter students.
- Employers looking for part-time and casual staff attend events such as careers fairs on campus.
- Attend the ‘Finding a Part-Time Job’ advice session which explores the benefits of gaining part-time work, where you can find these opportunities and top tips for your applications. This session will be listed on Handshake.
Listen to this episode of the Career Zone podcast for more advice about finding a part-time job
Competition can be strong, especially for entry-level positions. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers.
For general information about finding graduate opportunities, please visit our Graduate Jobs page.
Graduate Schemes and Internships
- Collection for internships.
- University of Exeter Graduate Business Partnership (GBP): The University’s GBP scheme supports graduates in starting their careers in higher education. Search for vacancies on Handshake.
- University of Exeter Student Campus Partnership (SCP) Internship Scheme: The SCP scheme is exclusively for University of Exeter students to gain paid work experience on campus. Students work with an academic or professional services team gaining experience in research, project management, event management, social media marketing, IT, and much more. Vacancies are advertised on Handshake.
There are several graduate schemes and internships in the UK national security and intelligence services sector. These programmes are designed to attract talented graduates from a wide range of academic backgrounds—technical, analytical, linguistic, and more.
Graduate schemes include:
- Intelligence Officer Development Programme (IODP). Fast-track scheme into operational intelligence work. Rotations across teams like counter-terrorism or cyber threat analysis.
- Intelligence and Data Analyst Development Programme. For those with strong analytical and data interpretation skills.
- Technology Graduate Development Programme. Focused on cybersecurity, software development, or data engineering.
Internships include:
- Summer Diversity Internship Programme (SDIP). 6–9 week summer internships for underrepresented backgrounds. Open to final-year students or recent grads.
Graduate Schemes include:
- Intelligence Officer Grad Scheme involves intelligence collection, assessment, and operational planning.
- STEM Grad Scheme for software engineers, cybersecurity specialists, data scientists.
- Business Support Roles. Project management, HR, finance, legal, etc.
MI6 generally does not offer public summer internships due to security, but they do occasionally run graduate insight events.
Graduate Schemes include:
- CyberFirst Graduate Scheme. 3-year programme in cybersecurity, open to STEM graduates.
- Technical Graduate Programme. Covers software engineering, data science, cryptography.
- Intelligence Analyst Development Programme. Focused on interpreting communications data and threat intelligence.
- Language Analyst Scheme. For graduates fluent in priority languages (e.g., Arabic, Russian, Mandarin).
Internships
- CyberFirst Summer Placements. For undergraduates interested in cybersecurity roles. Paid and can lead to future roles.
- Summer Intelligence Internships. Includes analysis and technology placements.
Defence Intelligence - Ministry of Defence
- Recruits’ analysts, linguists, and technical specialists via Civil Service jobs or Fast Stream. Strong focus on military intelligence and geopolitical analysis.
National Crime Agency – Analytical and cyber roles.
Home Office Intelligence Unit - Strategic analysis and policy.
Placements
If you are interested in finding out more about work placements, you can also access the Work Placements SharePoint via Single Sign-On. This resource covers all aspects of credit-bearing work experiences as part of your degree, including what a placement is, how to apply for them, and bespoke information for international students or those interested in working abroad.
Further sources of support
If you are an international student, visit our international webpages for help finding opportunities both in the UK and globally.
To find opportunities outside the UK use GoinGlobal.
For help with making speculative applications you may find it useful to read our Researching employers page.
Some individuals decide to undertake further study to develop their skills and knowledge of the sector and related occupations. Not all roles or employers will require this, so it is important to research entry requirements and employer preferences before committing to additional training or qualifications. Use the sites below to research your further study options.
Use the Prospects website to search for postgraduate courses in fields such as intelligence studies, security studies, international relations, cyber security, criminology, and strategic studies.
- FindAMasters.com and mastersavenue.com offer comprehensive databases of postgraduate Masters courses, featuring a wide range of Master’s degree programmes from universities in the UK and across the globe.
- Find further information about Choosing Postgraduate Study on the Career Zone website.
- For more information on continuing onto further study (taught programmes and research degrees) visit the Prospects website, or the Target Postgraduate site.
Advice
If you are considering postgraduate or doctoral level study before entering your chosen sector, please visit our Postgraduate Study page for more information about choosing further study.
Information and links from professional bodies
If you have studied a related degree, check if your course is accredited by one of the professional bodies. Being a member of a professional body is voluntary; however, it can be valuable for developing networks, continuing your professional development, and generally keeping up to date with what's happening in the sector.
While not specific to intelligence, many professionals within the intelligence community may be members of related bodies:
- Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) – For professionals in cyber and information security.
- British Computer Society (BCS) – Includes cyber and security professionals.
- Institute of Risk Management (IRM) – For those working in national security risk management.
- Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) – A defence and security think tank, not a professional body, but influential and respected in policy circles.