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. 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.
The Role
Technology sits at the heart of everything we do at MI5 and MI6, enabling us to disrupt serious threats to UK national security. We're looking for people who have a passion to learn, and an eagerness to acquire new skills, while working in a supportive environment.
Over the course of three years, you’ll enjoy varied and unique work, with a lot of on-the-job training. You’ll help us to build and maintain some of the world’s most sophisticated electronic equipment, while being supported as you work towards a BSc Honours Degree in Digital and Technology Solutions (software development). You’ll be a vital part of a team that ensures the UK Government can operate in cyber space with confidence and can stay ahead of the pace demanded by the evolving digital world.
As you become more confident and develop in the role, there’ll be placements in various multi-disciplinary product teams, where you’ll find yourself working alongside product owners, business analysts and agile delivery colleagues.
Joining MI5 or MI6 as a Software Engineering Apprentice offers a unique insight into the work of the Intelligence Agencies, providing you with the chance to put your new skills and knowledge into practice. You'll collaborate with colleagues and work in teams to build technology that will help catch criminals, expand our technical capabilities, and improve our ability to tackle threats to national security.
As our work constantly evolves, you’ll find yourself working with some of the most advanced technology while developing across a broad range of competencies, including teamwork, communication, and leadership skills.
We make use of modern approaches and cloud technologies such as AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Azure, and our tech stacks vary between products (Java, C#, React.js, Oracle, Mongo, Elastic Search and Hadoop). Do not rule yourself out if you are not familiar with these, as there is a vast amount of support from our experienced engineers along with certifications, training, and the degree to help you along the way.
Through a combination of on-the-job experience and classroom-based training, plus internal and external courses covering technical expertise, the Software Engineering Apprenticeship will help you develop the skills and knowledge needed to be an effective part of MI5’s and MI6’s technology workforce. There’ll be opportunities to get involved in technology events, as well as working with other apprentices across the three intelligence agencies.
During a standard week you’ll be expected to work 36 hours with 20% of your time allocated to study. During the academic year you’ll have set periods for annual leave.
You’ll also have the opportunity for remote working either at the organisation's offices or at home, such as for studying, and from time to time you’ll need to travel to our training provider’s site based in London or Central Manchester.
About You
While you don’t need to have a technical background, you’ll have an interest in either programming, problem solving, or technology, and you’ll have (or be expecting by September 2025) 72 UCAS points, along with GCSE grade 4/C or above in English language and maths or equivalent functional skills (Level 2).
You’re curious about technology with a desire to learn more – especially about software engineering methods using a variety of software engineering languages and frameworks.
We encourage applications from people who do not have any technical experience, the most important quality we look for is aptitude and the potential to learn.
Prior to commencing this apprenticeship, you must not have completed or undertaken a Level 4 qualification or higher in a software engineering subject such as Computer Science.
Training and Development
Learning and development are central to our engineering ethos, and we invest heavily in our staff. As part of your career, we’ll support you in broadening and deepening your technical and non-technical skills.
We use the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (formerly the Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) Profession Capability Framework) to provide guidance and tools to enable you to progress your career, whether this is growing as a leader or building deep technical knowledge and ability.
On the Software Engineering Apprenticeship, you’ll receive a formal training package, which will include structured external and internal training courses.
The apprenticeship combines university accredited classroom and lab education, mentoring and work-based placements and projects. In your first 6 months you’ll have an induction, followed by a period focused on your degree and an innovation project to help develop your knowledge and skills.
You’ll take on real business tasks in software engineering and receive full training and support throughout the programme. We'll enable you to grow your skills and perform to the best of your abilities. At the end of the apprenticeship, you’ll have the opportunity to apply for a permanent role at MI5 or MI6.
We are proud of our inclusive and supportive working environment that's designed to encourage open minds and attitudes. As organisations that value and nurture talent, we're committed to helping you fulfil your potential.
Rewards and Benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £25,996 - £27,846 dependent on location plus other benefits including:
- 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays.
- London Pay Allowance.
- Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme.
- Interest-free season ticket loan.
- Excellent pension scheme.
- Cycle to work scheme.
- Facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (at some locations).
- Paid parental and adoption leave.
Equal Opportunities
At MI5 and MI6 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.
Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our websites:
https://www.mi5.gov.uk/careers/diversity
https://www.sis.gov.uk/explore-careers.html
We’re Disability Confident
MI5 and MI6 are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain, and develop disabled people. Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a person-to-person interview to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI). To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:
- Demonstrate a strong motivation and commitment to work for the UK intelligence agencies, assessed at application form sift.
- Demonstrate an interest in IT and new emerging technologies, either through work experience or self-taught, assessed at application form sift.
- Achieve a pass in the online codility aptitude test.
What to Expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
- Application sift, looking at your technical interests and general motivation for the role and organisation.
- Online codility test, examining your responses to different situations typical to the role.
- Motivational Fit (exploring the skills you can offer and motivations for undertaking the role) Competency Based and Technical Interview (exploring your aptitude for problem solving and technology).
If successful, you’ll receive a conditional offer of employment, subject to vetting.
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 - 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.
Before You Apply
To work at MI5 and MI6, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria here:
https://www.mi5.gov.uk/careers/applying-for-jobs
https://www.sis.gov.uk/apply-now.html
This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes.
You can find out more about the vetting process here:
https://www.mi5.gov.uk/careers/applying-for-jobs/vetting
https://www.sis.gov.uk/clearing-you-through-security.html
Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practise and will help you to manage your application with us more discretely.
The roles are based in London or Manchester, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please note that the roles are based in Greater Manchester and NOT Central Manchester. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. An interest-free loan via our benevolent fund is available to assist with relocating into privately rented accommodation to take up the offer of employment.
Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.
Right to Withdraw Statement
Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
