Programme payment: £6,380 for the 11-week programme
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.
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.
Language Specialists play a vital role translating, interpreting and contextualising foreign language content, providing mission-critical insights that have a tangible influence on our operations. And now, you have the opportunity to experience what a career with us could look like as you bring your Mandarin language skills to our Language Talent Programme (LTP).
This 11-week paid programme is an exciting pathway towards a permanent role as a Mandarin Language Specialist. You’ll be embedded within a friendly team who share your love for language and get privileged access to current operational intelligence. With your Mandarin language skills and cultural insights, you’ll analyse, transcribe and translate audio and written materials, learn to use our language tools, and even draft intelligence reports. At the end, should you decide it’s right for you, you’ll have the opportunity to apply for, and start, a permanent full-time role as a Mandarin Language Specialist (subject to a language test and competency interview).
At all times, you’ll be surrounded by people willing to provide help, advice and guidance. As well as a welcoming community of Language Specialists, you’ll be supervised by an experienced mentor when doing operational work. You’ll also have the support of a senior linguist who’ll help you develop the key skills required for the language test. Collaborative and keen to learn, you’ll seize the opportunity to ask questions and grow your knowledge, while also sharing your own ideas and findings.
To apply, you’ll need to have, or expect 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’ll receive a payment of £6,380 for the 11-week programme, as well as other benefits including 5.5 days of annual leave and access to our subsidised gym, restaurant and (at Cheltenham) on-site coffee bars.
Around 7 to 9 weeks in, you’ll sit your language test and competency interview. Should you be successful, you’ll start immediately in a full-time role. This means you’ll be unable to defer your decision, so we ask that you consider if you’re able to begin a full-time role once the programme ends.
To find out more and apply, please visit our website.
At GCHQ diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.
To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will nonetheless be considered. Candidates must normally have been resident in the UK for seven out of the last ten years. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK. You can apply at the age of 17 years, if successful you will not be offered a start date prior to your 18th birthday Full eligibility details can be found on our website.
