The National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which recently overhauled its website and inaugurated an “intelligence academy,” ranks prominently in the employment prospects of Turkish youth. Last year alone, more than 22,000 people applied for jobs in the organization and applications were mostly from those between the ages of 20 and 30.
Inherent to its nature, MIT was shrouded in secrecy and its workings remained under wraps for decades; but since 2010, the agency has been undergoing what has been broadly described as a “revolution” through which it launched headline-making cross-border counterterrorism operations, busted spy networks at home and developed a complementary mechanism for Turkish diplomacy.
The intelligence agency, which marks its 97th anniversary this year, hosted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a rare event at its headquarters in Ankara earlier this month. The agency’s current director, former presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın, highlighted the changing face of the agency at the event where he announced the foundation of the National Intelligence Academy and an updated website, more “accessible” to the public. Though the website gives few details about the agency, naturally, it received more than 2 million visitors in 2023, particularly drawing traffic to its “career” section. The number of university students seeking a career with the agency is on the rise. Current job openings at MIT include intelligence expert, engineer, language expert, health care personnel, unmanned aerial vehicle pilot and bodyguard.
Only Turkish citizens can apply for jobs, though applications are open to people with dual citizenship. All jobs require a minimum education level of “vocational college” or a two-year undergraduate school but for applicants to “language expert” jobs, educational requirements are more lax. High school graduates can apply for those jobs requiring a good command of languages outside English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch. MIT also rejects applicants with tattoos. On the frequently asked questions section of the website, the agency says MIT does not provide “internships” for university students due to its “principles of secrecy.”
Along with job applications, MIT sees a rise in tip-offs. The agency’s online hotline received 142,373 tipoffs last year, a 33% rise compared to 2022. More than 8,000 tipoffs were related to terrorist groups, from the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) to the PKK and Daesh. Some tipoffs led to counterterrorism operations by MIT and law enforcement. Apart from Turkish tipoffs, the agency also received tipoffs in English, German, French, Russian and Arabic.
