MI6 hunting for next real James Bond

30 April 2006 10:19 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Do you see yourself as the next James Bond, solving international crime, chatting up all the ladies, but more importantly getting to play with all those cool gadgets?

Then your luck might just be in. The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) is advertising in UK newspapers for would-be James Bonds.

Better known as MI6, the UK agency has placed adverts in a number of papers for "people we can depend on".

"We operate around the world to make this country safer and more prosperous", read the ad which features images including a gun, jungle, desert plane, and the service's headquarters in central London.

A half-page advert in the Times careers supplement offers jobs for "operational officers", technology experts and "thoroughly efficient administrators".

Would be Bonds however should take note, buried in MI6's FAQ on its website is a statement that reads:

"James Bond, as Ian Fleming originally conceived him was based on reality. But any author needs to inject a level of glamour and excitement beyond reality in order to sell. By the time the filmmakers focused on Bond the gap between truth and fiction had already widened. Nevertheless, Staff who join SIS can look forward to a career that will have moments when the gap narrows just a little and the certainty of a stimulating and rewarding career which, like Bond's, will be in the service of their country."

Those applying are also warned that they should not tell anyone other than a spouse or closer partner that they are putting their name in to getting one step close to those gadgets.

Full tags

Software, Online, Websites, MI6, James Bond