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GCHQ summer schools to pay teenage hackers £250 a week

Apply now to earn megabux, free accom in Manchester

Hey, teenage hackers, do you want to infilitrate GCHQ to become the next Edward Snowden? The spooks are offering £250 a week - money you'll need to save for when you're subsequently awarded accommodation at Her Majesty's luxury resort at Belmarsh.

Here's your entry route: applications are now open for the surveillance agency's two summer schools in 2016, where you'll be reclaiming £250 a week from that £3.2bn bounty gifted by Chancellor Osborne.

The move parallels similar activities by the FBI in the States, where the FBI has regularly complained about the lack of willing applicants due to higher salaries in the private sector.

GCHQ told The Register that "While the private sector will often be able to offer a more financially lucrative career, GCHQ can compete on the value of our Mission. We offer technically rewarding jobs working alongside world-class experts, which at the same time allow our staff to contribute to society and help keep the UK safe.

Now in its second year, the summer schools programme will be based at four sites across the UK for the sake of meeting demand. At the end of the placements students may be offered the opportunity to apply for future summer schemes or permanent roles at GCHQ.

Cyber Exposure is targeted towards A-Level students who have five GCSEs, including Maths and English, and are also on track to achieve two A-Levels at C grade or higher. It will run from 11 July to 19 August at sites in Scarborough, the Manchester area and the Thames Valley.

Cyber Insider, meanwhile, will run from 4 July to 9 September in Cheltenham, and will give first or second year university students a high-quality training programme featuring targeted learning from cybersecurity experts, alongside guest speakers from some of the world's leading technology companies.

Applications close on 7 March, and are open to students studying for their first degree in Computer Science, Physics, Maths, or a closely related course. The recruitment posting explains that students will "receive £50 per day or up to £250 per week, attendance permitting, excluding bank holidays!" alongside free accommodation.

The recruitment posting notes attendees will receive "free accommodation for the six-week course and you’ll also receive £250 per week!"

GCHQ told The Register that "the students are able to refer to their attendance at the Cyber Summer School on their CV. For security reasons, we encourage them not to mention it on CVs they upload to the internet, for example, on networking sites, but it's a great experience which they can talk about in interviews."

As per Prison Service Order 4460: "all prisoners who participate in purposeful activity must be paid," however in 2008 this was on average merely £9.60 a week. Your destiny is in your own hands! ®

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