CIA actively recruits students at Baruch College
I received a email from an old friend indicating the CIA’s Clandestine Service still continues to recruit students at Baruch College in New York.
Back in 2012 the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) held an “information session” in Baruch College regarding recruitment for its National Clandestine Service Branch, according to a recent article (Source: theticker.org).
Baruch College is ranked among the region’s and nation’s top colleges by U.S. News & World Report,Forbes, Princeton Review, and others. Baruch is within easy reach of Wall Street, Midtown, and the global headquarters of major companies and non-profit and cultural organizations, giving students unparalleled internship, career, and networking opportunities. The College’s more than 17,000 students, who speak more than 110 languages and trace their heritage to over 160 countries, have been repeatedly named one of the most ethnically diverse student bodies in the United States.
Clandestine services (CS) is the department of the CIA that conducts covert operations in overseas affairs. Analysts are sent to collect information regarding government and social affairs of a country.
“The National Clandestine Service (NCS) serves as the clandestine arm of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the national authority for the coordination, de-confliction, and evaluation of clandestine operations across the Intelligence Community of the United States,” is noted on the CIA’s website as a description for the service.
Undergraduate Internship Program
The National Clandestine Service (NCS) Undergraduate Internship Program is designed to give a limited number of talented undergraduate students the opportunity to support the NCS mission. The NCS intern will be part of a unique world of important events and meaningful accomplishments.
Interns work at our Headquarters facility in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with knowledgeable professionals.
Student internship positions offer “salaries competitive with the private sector and the same benefits as federal employees.” (See: https://www.cia.gov/offices-of-cia/clandestine-service/internship-programs.html ).
A recruiter calling herself Leanne, who students describe as rather attractive lady, using a “cover name” to conceal her real name, introduced the other two representatives, Zack and Julie, who were also concealing their real names.
Leanne began the presentation and clarified what the agency does and does not do. While flashing an award winning smile.
“She was freaking hot”, said one male student.
The National Clandestine service only focuses exclusively on what she called: “foreign intelligence issues”.
WE DON’T SET POLICY
“We do not set policy or recommend changing policy, we only inform,” Leanne said. She quickly brushed up the “About Us” portion of the organization, and handed the stage to the next representative.
Julie began by noting the CIA’s three main objectives: 1) Intelligence Collection, 2) Intelligence Analysis and 3) Covert Action.
“We make an assessment based on intelligence analysis over the years and we inform the President,” she said.
Noting several locations worldwide, ranging from Iraq Analysis, Crime and Narcotics Analysis to Weapons Intelligence Proliferation & Arms Control, Julie also noted the Clandestine Service’s most valuable careers.
CAREERS ARE US!
Careers in Medical Analyst, Science & Technology and Weapons Analyst, and Targeting Analyst, the analysis of distinguishing potential targets to determine military tactics and actions, were among the top three most valuable positions in the CIA.
BENEFITS AND OTHER PERKS!
“They pay is very competitive and the benefits are great”, she said.
A few Directorate of Intelligence (DI) products Julie mentioned included: The President’s Daily Brief, a report that the president reads that includes information along the many fields the CIA covers, Worldwide Intelligence Review, and “other assessments,” and noted that a normal day at the CIA included tasking, drafting the articles, coordinating, reviewing, editing, meeting with the briefer and getting feedback.
Julie then invited Zack onto the stage to speak more on what clandestine services are.
HOW TO PROPERLY STEAL FROM A SAFE
Zack started off his portion of the session by saying, “Allow me to give you all a context of where you will be.” He then gave a “movie” example of what the CIA does.
His example of the CIA through what many believe it to be was the stereotypical spy (007) who ropes down the tall building, cuts the glass, cracks the safe and then comes back to Washington with the secret documents.
The spy, in Zack’s example, gives the documents to his boss, but his boss tells him that there is new intelligence and his documents are outdated.The spy now has to go back, break in again, get into the safe, and get the new documents.
“This method is inefficient,” Zack said.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS – ONE AT A TIME!
The purpose of clandestine services is “to collaborate with someone who actually has the combination to the safe, build a relationship with that person, and then recruit that person to commit espionage,” Zack said.
The National Clandestine service’s mission is to incorporate “foreign intelligence, counter intelligence and covert action” to effectively create reports so that government officials can make strategic decisions.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS INCLUDE A COLLEGE DEGREE
In order to be considered, ages 21-25 must have earned a college degree and ages 26-35 must have earned advanced college degrees and have military experience.
NO POT SMOKERS ALLOWED! BOOZE OK!
Leanne then spoke about the Directive of Integrity, which consist of the CIA’s policy to screen for drug involvement, criminal conduct, and other relations of that sort.
According to the CIA’s website, drug use within the past 12 months will exempt you from being accepted for the position.
An audience member asked, “What do we tell our family?” Referring to the extreme secrecy of the clandestine service and an analyst’s inability to speak about his or her work.
Zack answered the question by saying that not all analysts are “covert”, and that many CIA employees in the clandestine service speak openly about their operations in the office.
Internship opportunities are available only to sophomore and freshmen. CIA internships span over two summers.
College graduates are encouraged to apply regardless of “past experience” for related fields with a preference for the applicant being fluent in a “foreign language”.
“That is a definite plus”, she said.
CIA CORE VALUES ?
Core values guide our professional and personal actions.
- Service. We put country first and Agency before self. Quiet patriotism is our hallmark. We are dedicated to the mission, and we pride ourselves on our extraordinary responsiveness to the needs of our customers.
- Integrity.We uphold the highest standards of conduct. We seek and speak the truth – to our colleagues and to our customers. We honor those Agency officers who have come before us and we honor the colleagues with whom we work today.
- Excellence.We hold ourselves – and each other – to the highest standards. We embrace personal accountability. We reflect on our performance and learn from that reflection.
(See: https://www.cia.gov/offices-of-cia/clandestine-service/code-of-ethics.html ).
Students interested should apply via CIA.gov
The CIA recruiters then left the scene, waving to some of the students, like they were celebrities according to witnesses. You must excuse them they may have had other colleges in New York to visit.
“This is pretty standard how the CIA recruits kids out of colleges. In this case it was done with the approval of the faculty and staff of the college”, said one former CIA analyst now retired in Charlotte, N.C. “Kids today are very easy to recruit because they are so dumb today. They also have five figure and six figure student loans to pay off in most cases. I think the CIA would recruit more qualified students if they offer to forgive student loans and offer free healthcare, in addition to all the beer they want to drink”, the former analyst said.