The glamorous but dangerous life of the Hollywood spy as depicted on the silver screen has probably caused more than a few of us to consider a career in espionage without really knowing what the job actually entails.
A modern fictional take on the life of secret service operatives is probably more accurate than that of James Bond swanning around a Monte Carlo casino in a white tuxedo. Hours chained to a computer, going through documents and surveillance footage, while rarely setting foot in the field, is perhaps the reality for the vast majority of people that we would, these days, consider spies, RTBF reports.
Should this covert drudgery still appeal, you may ask how and whether it is possible to still become a spy in this day and age. The answer is, yes, it is perfectly possible.
How to apply
To qualify, you must have a university or technical degree, depending on the profiles sought. These can range from a degree in criminal justice, to computer science, finance, law, psychology and international studies, among many others. Fluency in several foreign languages would also be an advantage.
While job ads rarely state "Vacancy for Spy" or "Undercover Operative Sought", the intelligence services do advertise, but only for the initial jobs that would-be spies have to go through before moving into espionage. These can be in technical teams, translation departments, and so on.
With most jobs, an applicant would fill out a short form via the service’s website to confirm they meet the initial eligibility criteria. This is usually followed by a combination of online forms, online tests, interviews and assessment centres, which vary according to the role applied for. If successful the applicant will then receive a conditional job offer, subject to a vetting process that most who have gone through it describe as "uncomfortable".
Double the recruitments in 2024
What must be considered, however, is that 100 candidates out of 4000 were hired by the Belgian secret service during the last selection campaign. So even getting in at entry level is incredibly hard, despite the news that Belgium is looking to double the number of recruitments by 2024.
Additionally, and more romantically if you are a fan of spy fact or fiction, you may get recruited by an existing spy who wants to turn you into an asset. Again though, modern life has added a more pragmatic twist to this legendary route into spycraft.
Instead of meeting in darkened university corridors or smoky Parisian cafes, recruitment of this type typically takes place online these days. It was recently discovered that Russia was trying to recruit French spies on a sales site, and that China had approached several thousand high-level French executives via LinkedIn.
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If you are considering becoming a spy for the Belgian secret service, you may find also that ours is a country whose security depends less on its ability to spy on its enemies.
Rather, Belgian espionage is focused on the ability to protect Belgium from the legions of foreign spies that populate mainly Brussels – due to the capital being the location for a number of high-profile international organisations. Indeed, the headquarters of NATO and the European Union attracts nearly 250 Chinese and 200 Russian spies, making this small nation a true nest of foreign spies.
Even if you are successful, it is more likely that you will be stationed closer to home than on a faraway, remote island. While there are certainly benefits to the career, it may lack the exoticism portrayed in movies.