The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is hiring more than just spies.
The CIA currently has a job opening for a librarian.
Pay is excellent. The listed range is $50,864 to $118,069 a year — above the typical income for a U.S. family. The salary isn’t far off what some “reconnaissance” positions get.
And that’s saying nothing of the benefits.
In addition to the cachet of working at the CIA, “librarians also have opportunities to serve as embedded, or forward deployed, information experts in CIA offices and select Intelligence Community agencies.”
Translation: There may be some James Bond-like opportunities, if you want them.
Requirements for the job include a master’s degree, some prior library experience and the ability to pass an intensive background check. It includes a medical and psychological exam and a lie detector test.
The CIA also says applicants “must generally not have used illegal drugs within the last 12 months.”
Librarians play an “essential role” in intelligence gathering and managing CIA materials. The federal government employs over 1,400 librarians.
America’s unemployment rate is now 4.9%, a rate that many consider full employment. Companies (and likely the government) say they are having trouble finding skilled workers.
Job prospects for librarians are decent, but not great. The Labor Department forecasts “slower than average” growth for librarian positions.
