- Sources claim diverse spies are needed to help MI6 fight international terrorism
- The recruitment campaign starts tonight at 9pm on Radio 1Xtra
Ian Fleming’s 007 is considered a typical MI6 agent. He is an Oxbridge-educated, genteel white man with a thirst for the high life and impressive powers of seduction.
But as part of a larger push for diversity, MI6 is set to launch a campaign this week to attract more black and Asian spies.
For the first time in its history, two black and Asian directors will be interviewed on BBC Radio.
It is also the first time MI6 has admitted to employing ethnic minority staff at such senior levels.
They report to the Director-General, Sir Richard Moore, known as C, and three Director-Generals, all of whom are women.
The recruitment campaign will begin tonight at 9pm on Radio 1Xtra, with a black MI6 director called Kwame speaking about “what it takes to work for MI6”.
Tomorrow, another director from India, Jay, will be speaking on Radio 5 Live’s Nihal Altanayake Show from 1pm.
Sources said black and Asian spies were needed to help MI6 fight international terrorism and gather intelligence on hostile nations such as Russia and Iran.
Just under 9 per cent of MI6 staff are from ethnic minorities, compared to an average of 15 per cent in Whitehall departments, and their average pay is 13.2 per cent lower than their white colleagues.
The BBC interview is likely to dispel some myths about MI6, including the power of James Bond’s ‘license to kill’.
Another misconception is that “shoulder taps” are used to recruit agents at Oxbridge universities.
Applications to become secret agents, known as spies, are usually made through a website, with starting salaries ranging from £39,709 to £50,160.
Last month, MI6, MI5 and GCHQ released their pay gap report, which revealed that ethnic minorities and women receive significantly less pay and bonuses than white men.
Statistics show that 38 percent of MI6 employees are women, but men earn an average of 12.9 percent more.
Sir Richard said the pay figures were “disappointing”, but added that MI6 was working to increase the number of ethnic minority staff as part of its “talent strategy”.