Language Specialist

Programme start date: September 2027, with the chance to start a full-time role straight after the programme, Flexible working: this programme is full-time and office-based for the duration of the 11 weeks, to ensure you get the most out of your time with us. Full time attendance is 37 hours per week, with some specific hourly attendance required e.g. for training courses. You'll be notified of these well in advance.

To apply, you'll need to have, or be expected to obtain, a 2:2 degree or above in Mandarin. You'll either be starting the final year of your degree in Autumn 2026 or have graduated in Summer 2023 or later. You should be adaptable, organised and collaborative, keen to use your language skills and learn new things. You don't need a technical background for this role, but you must be willing to develop new skills, especially those that are technical and complement your language abilities. You'll be resilient and able to cope with a steep learning curve and demonstrate both curiosity and motivation to grow your analytical abilities as well as your language expertise. Most importantly, you'll be genuinely interested in a career with us and committed to starting a full-time role immediately after the programme, should you decide it's right for you. Training and development This is a dedicated, supportive programme designed to give you the necessary skills and experience required to apply and fulfil a full-time role with us. You'll be trained in operational language and analysis work, which may include on-the job training and some classroom-based learning, allowing you to grow your skills and decide if a permanent role is right for you. You'll be supported by a dedicated mentor who'll provide guidance tailored to your individual needs. This is in addition to a 'buddy' who'll help you settle into the programme, and the support of your wider team. Your mentor will assist your learning and work with you on genuine operational tasks, helping you hone your language skills ahead of the language test and competency interview. Your mentor will also put a focus on your analysis of Mandarin text-based and audio content, the proficient and compliant use of language analysis tools, and the production of accurate language analysis reports. Should you be successful in transitioning into a full-time role, your training and development doesn't stop. We're committed to developing our staff, which is why you'll have access to ongoing training, coaching and mentoring as we work with you to build the skills you need, enabling you to excel throughout the programme and your career., 1. You'll be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the online Situational Judgement Test (SJT), which assesses criteria important for all roles in our organisation 2. Meet the minimum pass mark on how you have demonstrated your motivation for the role and the organisation. This is assessed through questions on the application form 3. A demonstrable high level of Mandarin by achieving a pass in our language tests Upon successful completion of these stages, you will be invited to an interview. This is your offer of interview.

GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity and partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks and espionage. At GCHQ you'll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork. The programme This job description is for the Mandarin programme at GCHQ. If you're looking for the Russian Language Talent Programme at GCHQ or MI5, please visit the job description via this link. The Language Talent Programme (LTP) is an exciting, hands-on pathway towards a permanent role as a Mandarin Language Specialist. Across the UK's Intelligence Services, Language Specialists play a uniquely valuable role translating, interpreting and contextualising foreign language content, providing mission-critical insights that have a tangible influence on our operations. Over the course of 11 weeks, you'll bring your language skills and cultural knowledge to GCHQ and immerse yourself in a mix of dedicated training and genuine exposure to real operations. By the end, you'll have got a taste for what a full-time role could look like and, should you decide it's right for you, have the opportunity to apply for a permanent position. You'll start with a three-day induction where you'll learn what we do, how we do it, and meet the friendly team you'll be working alongside. From there, your time will be split between supervised operational work and training. With privileged access to current operational intelligence, you'll develop your understanding of language as you analyse, transcribe and translate audio and written materials in Mandarin. And it's not just translation you'll be doing. You'll learn to use our language tools as you identify valuable insights and may even have the chance to carry out wider analysis and draft intelligence reports. You'll also be introduced to other teams across GCHQ to help you understand the wider impact of language work on our operations. At all times, you'll be surrounded by people willing to provide help, advice and guidance. You'll have supervision from an experienced mentor when doing operational work, as well as being embedded in a welcoming, collaborative team who share your passion for language. Plus, you'll be supported by a senior linguist while you develop the skills needed to pass the language test which forms a key part of the full-time role assessment.

You'll receive a payment of £6,380 for the 11-week programme. Applicants who pass the end-of-programme language tests and competency interview, and who are made and accept an offer of employment with us, will receive a starting salary of £37,892. While on the programme, you'll also receive other benefits including:

• 5.5 days of annual leave to be taken during the 11 weeks
• access to a subsidised gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars in the Cheltenham office, Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
1. An initial online application form including pre-screening questions to ensure you meet our eligibility criteria 2. Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) in which you rate the appropriateness of responses to a series of short scenarios. 3. Full online application form 4. In-person language test in either Manchester or London 5. In-person interview in either Cheltenham, Manchester or London 6. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer to join the programme (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 to 9 months to process, including vetting, so we advise you to continue any current employment until you've received your final internship offer. Before you apply To work at GCHQ, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Read about our eligibility criteria on our website. This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It's something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Find out more about the vetting process on our website Please note we have a strict drugs policy. 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 practice and will help you manage your application with us more securely. Please note the role at is based in Cheltenham or Manchester, so you'll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs. We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in person appointments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation. Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel, using the most economical option, and provide original hardcopy receipts for reimbursement.