Typical work activities Linguists translate, transcribe and analyse written and taped material into English. They need good judgment to identify key pieces of information, an interest in current affairs and excellent passive language skills. They need to explain information verbally to other colleagues, and produce reports in good business English either alone or in conjunction with colleagues. Time management skills are important. Freelance is not possible because of the classified nature of the information.
All employees have to be vetted.
Retraining is full-time and can involve a period of study abroad. Some become specialist managers, eg policy or IT or move into analyst role. Inexperienced graduates start lower down the scale. Mature candidates could start higher up. Special allowances paid for skill level.