CIA requirements

[sporMP]

What exactly do they look for education and experience stuff like that and how hard is it to be a agent in the CIA?

[cecilVA]

LOTS of foreign policy, language experience is nice if you want to be in the clandestine service. How hard? I'm sure its pretty competitive because lots of people want to be secret agent man. But the CIA has lots of other jobs that you should look into as well.

[Joxer]

There's lots of info here

CIA Careers

[Ronin]

What exactly do they look for education and experience stuff like that and how hard is it to be a agent in the CIA?

Not to be picky, but if you want to be a CIA "AGENT", you technically need to be living in a country other than the United States, probably be a natural born citizen of that country, and have a job that allows you to steal your nation's secrets.

Other than that, the Agency looks for education, foreign language skills, foreign travel and/or living abroad, and a stint in the military probably wouldn't hurt. I applied with them for a CSO position earlier this year, but dropped the process after a heart to heart with the family. AWESOME job if you're single, but if you're married, you'd better have a REALLY understanding spouse. I'm gone over 50% of the time now for my job, and don't want to put my wife through an entire marriage of this.

Like Cecil said, there are a ton of support positions as well, and they all do pretty interesting work. The recruiter I interviewed with recommended a book called "Inside the CIA" by a guy named Kessler. Pretty good read, and it gives you what he said was the most honest look inside the Agency without actually getting classified.

[SnowLeopard]

Early 90's when I was getting out of the Navy, word got back to me about a recruiter for the CIA: "I want the person to have a master's degree. It doesn't matter in what. It is that having a master's degree shows a higher level of thinking."

Now, granted, that was a while ago and that was just one recruiter, but it does show how things could go.

First thing to do, to find out? Go to their web site, cia.gov. Tends to be rather informative.
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("The counsel was Webb, a ministry man who had been around. He had been laisoned to the CIA for some confidental work, whatever that had been.............,"--(wtte), Book: UFO by Robert Miall)

[sporMP]

Sounds like a real fun job it reminds me of the movie Bourne Identity.I think ill be a good canditate since im fluent in spanish and Im about ready to go to the Air Force.What kind of degrees will they prefer?

[SnowLeopard]

>sounds like the Bourne Identity

I'll take your word on that; it's not my must see list.

>what sort of degree do they want?

Have you even looked at the web site? That would depend on the branch. Officer of General Counsel, for example, wants a law degree.

Further, realize two things at least: first of all, how long does it take someone to get a BS? Generally, four years. Okay, if they said, "Okay, we want everyone to be engineers," that would interpret that "we" estimate in four years that the emphasis will be on engineering and will stay that way for at least 4 years....

................if only the intelligence world was so easy! Of course, it isn't and from the look of the web site, they have diversify quite a lot to handle various assignments.

Secondly, there is a general indication about degrees. A BS usually says that your are disciplined enough to sit down and do your homework without your parents telling you to. A second BS usually says that you are disciplined enough to seek out retraining and not sit on past accomplishments. A Masters usually says that you are able to do research. Not really sure what they say a PhD says; maybe that you are a respected expert in the field because until you have the Dr. infront of your name, other Dr.'s don't listen to you much.

So go to the web site and look around.
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("Kendrick is in London. I'd like to say we know this thru brillant detective work but the truth is, one of my men just recognized him as he walked thru the airport."--KGB spychief, (wtte), "Hopscotch")

[juiceylucie]

[QUOTE=Ronin]Not to be picky, but if you want to be a CIA "AGENT", you technically need to be living in a country other than the United States, probably be a natural born citizen of that country, and have a job that allows you to steal your nation's secrets.
QUOTE]

i was born in england and im still living here. My parents are vietnamese meaning i speak fluently in english and vietnamese does this make me a potential canditate to steal my nation's secrets for the CIA? :rolleyes:

[Ronin]

i was born in england and im still living here. My parents are vietnamese meaning i speak fluently in english and vietnamese does this make me a potential canditate to steal my nation's secrets for the CIA? :rolleyes:

lol Always at least one....Ya know, I think England and Canada are the only two countries that we "officially" don't spy on, so I'm not really sure how to answer that question. Now, if we're talking Vietnam, might be a different issue...

[juiceylucie]

lol Always at least one....Ya know, I think England and Canada are the only two countries that we "officially" don't spy on, so I'm not really sure how to answer that question. Now, if we're talking Vietnam, might be a different issue...

oh damnit!!! there goes my chances all because our prime minister keeps kissing the presidents butt