Ananova:

MI5 is offering teachers "looking for something completely different" the chance to help screen would-be secret agents.

They are being recruited to do "pre-employment assessments of applicants for all jobs" in the security service, responsible for intelligence gathering within the UK, for a salary of £26,700-a-year plus pension.

An advert placed in the Times Educational Supplement said the service was also seeking people from the worlds of healthcare and counselling.

It stated: "We are looking for people with experience of varied or ethnically diverse appointments to carry out pre-employment assessments of all jobs."

Former teachers should have a head start, as the job involves talking to would-be spies and writing reports on them.

The job also offered opportunities to travel abroad, according to the advert, which featured the slogan: "Looking for something completely different? We are."

However, those who have tired of the classroom will have to come up with a cloak-and-dagger cover story to hide the truth about their new career.

The advert stressed: "Please avoid telling your friends about your application because discretion is an essential part of working for the security service."

The pay cheque was likely to appeal to a lot of teachers, said Nigel de Gruchy, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers.

"Anything to get out of the classroom and, with £26,700 a year, it's definitely an attractive option - I would recommend going for it," he joked.