France to hire 600 new spies
The name is Bond. Jacques Bond: France is looking for a new generation of spies and they should all be ‘young, qualified and well connected’.
In the face of increased terror threats and cyberattacks, the DGSE (Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure) – France’s intelligence agency, equivalent to MI6 or the CIA – is now hiring.
Up to 600 new engineers, linguists (particularly in Oriental languages) and analysts are being sought between now and the end of 2019, to bring the total number to 7,000.
The head of the DGSE, Bernard Bajolet, hopes to lure some of France’s top young professionals from the ENA - France’s illustrious National School of Administration - luring them with an annual salary up to €40,000.
All candidates must be fluent in English and speak a third language. Alongside Chinese, Persian, Korean and Arabic are desirable.
According to a survey by Le Figaro, 71% of French people believe that, in the combat against terrorism, France’s intelligence bodies should not be required to adhere to usual state transparency rules.
