A good operational officer has a number of different cover stories. With these new resources, M managed to trace the full names of what he believes to be his handlers, Wolfgang Koch and Heinz Ntzelmann. Now advances in technology mean maintaining people's covers has become a specialist area and it is a much more sophisticated operation. The possibility of treason from within the CIA became an obsession. In this article we at Filestage are going to discuss the pros and cons of working as a creative at an advertising agency. He asked for their assistance in getting treatment from an agency with experience in treating the emotional burdens of a long-time double agent. They rob you, as it were, of your identity and take away every shred of humanity. Mentally, he recited the mantra: Keep denying, do not give in. As well as a frequent commentator on espionage, Ferguson is currently helping to promote the hit US TV series The Blacklist, starring James Spader as a master criminal turned FBI informer. BUT, at an agency the clients come first. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Potential approaches of KGB officers were preceded by psychological assessments that could estimate their willingness to collaborate. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I just said: "Yeah, sure." CIA field agents captured in hostile territories or nations have been imprisoned, tortured and even executed. If you believe the pros of working for the FBI outweigh the cons and you'd like to apply for employment, know that the application process is one of the most rigorous in the nation. In some ways, this is the most brute force act of cyberaggression out there: you're not altering. In fact, good insurance products are crucial so that people are covered in case of emergency. Real estate agents decide how many clients they take on, which means they are in charge of how much they can make per year. As of 2019, pay for CIA operations officers generally ranges from $59,426 to $90,461 annually, though special pay programs can increase those amounts. The net is now thrown much wider, though you can still get the tap on the shoulder at university. Or was it just a way for the East Germans to test his mental resilience, to check if they could count on him in a stressful situation? I conducted various interviews with employees to give you a good impression of what working in different fields will look like and that you can make the best possible decision regarding your future career choice. He spoke about issues he hadnt even told his wife about. Because of their undercover nature, CIA clandestine service officers receive little public recognition for their sometimes heroic service. (Source: PayScale). They told him he was in the Untersuchungshaftanstalt (pre-trial detention center) Berlin-Hohenschnhausen, a notorious site during the cold war under the control of the Ministry of State Security (Stasi). Consequently, if the message spreads that you sell dodgy insurance policies, you may no longer be able to work in this field and may have to go for another career path instead, even though your intention might have been good. He told us about his life as a double agent and how, in the end, he was abandoned by the masters he had served. Real estate agents can work indoors. Everything you need to create your best work, delivered from our brains to yours every other Wednesday. We at Filestage are looking forward to your comments. But it is emotionally crushing for officers in the secret services and you can never really share that guilt with anybody. Another advantage of being an insurance agent is that you also dont have to work at nighttime. Advantages of Being an Insurance Agent. One of my personal favorites is the management tool Asana. The Americans were keen to use him when they learned he had also been recruited by the foreign intelligence arm of the Stasi the renowned Hauptverwaltung (Chief Administration) A, known by its acronym HVA. You will often have regular workweeks. During the cold war, the KGB, of course, worked very closely with the Stasi. While you may take this for granted, there are still many people out there who are not able to enjoy the luxury of working indoors. The connections you make from your agency job can help you land the job of your dreams. Wolf had arrived at the safe house in a Volvo, the favourite car of high officials in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), escorted by motors at the front and rear. Changes in the needs of the government can result in agents being transferred, and not always to a desirable location. A lot of being a spy is terribly mundane. CIA operations officers serve 60 percent to 70 percent of their careers overseas. What are the disadvantages of joining both the military and the intelligence services at the same time? For decades in fact, CIA field agents have operated unseen and unknown in parts of the world antagonistic to the U.S. Vital to U.S. security interests, field work carried out by CIA field agents can also be dangerous. How honest is he? Also, I would have put myself in a vulnerable position with the East Germans by saying yes. In other words, M always had to be on guard in his dealings with the Stasi, even with his friends Wolfgang and Heinz. Once your life is stable and you have done other things you are going to make a much better agent and operational officer. Of course, if the operation goes tits up, the person who is going to suffer is the agent, not me. Cost - using a network of agents can be a. In fact, if you are able to get a job at one of the big insurance companies, chances are that you will be able to enjoy plenty of leisure while still making decent money at the same time. When M finally got access to his BVD file in the mid-2010s, he was not allowed to make notes or copies. Learning the tricks of selling ideas, managing clients and developing strong concepts from established agency creatives, can help to take your work to the next level. M worked for the Dutch service for many years and subsequently for the CIA. Over the past five years, I have done over 400 deals, meeting mortgage brokers, title companies, lenders, insurance providers, and other real estate agents along the way. The classic example of a loss of availability to a malicious actor is a denial-of-service attack. He loves to dig into behavioral economics to uncover the irrationality in our daily behavior. Agents working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, for example, make $151,000 annually. Rather poor since many people will no longer rely on the advice of insurance agents in the future but rather use our modern technology to make decisions in this regard. A lot of being a spy is terribly mundane. In the end, however, he told us about it in great detail something he had never done before, not even to his wife of many years. We see the varying degrees of gratitude and recognition that the Dutch security service, the CIA and the Stasi showed for Ms work, from personal attention and verbal expressions of gratitude to material gifts. What other pros and cons do you see? I knew very little really. [You are a traitor! You could get called out anywhere and your target could be anyone. This is a disadvantage that doesn't affect everyone equally. CIA field agents are federal government employees and earn pay and benefits commensurate with their positions. This means that you can meet up with your friends or spend your leisure on your hobbies. Knowing someone else was imprisoned, tortured or killed because you didn't do your job properly is a terrible burden. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. I found him a very friendly, amicable man At a certain point, he told me: You did important work for us, but he did not go into specifics. When M wanted to bring up his earlier unpleasant experience in the prison, Wolf cut him off by saying: We will not discuss it.. Creative agencies are not for everybody. Our professionals play critical roles in preempting threats and furthering national security objectivesfrom working against terrorism and cyber-attacks to preventing the spread of biological weapons and more. Another disadvantage of becoming an insurance agent is that you will also have to deal with many difficult people. Even though the medal from the chief of the HVA flattered my ego, it also contributed to mixed feelings. In our current state of the world, many people dont have this luxury since they just work in low-wage jobs and are not able to save enough money for retirement age. Here's a list of 10 jobs that are similar to CIA agents: 1. Working on commission, they earn part of a property's sale price. More is known, however, about the frequently tough conditions under which CIA spies must work. Each agency has a different personality, a different culture. Everything has to go through a process, the likes of which can be lengthy. However, if you have good people skills and your clients will trust you blindly, you will have good chances to succeed as an insurance agent and can make much more than people working in a fast food restaurant and many other people out there. At another meeting with Wolfgang and Heinz in the East, I received all kinds of special treats because I had gotten married six months earlier [in 1970]. For instance, the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics' 2019 report put the median annual income for travel agents at $44,410. Operations officer 2. In 2005, he starred with Mike Baker of the CIA in the BBC2 series Spy and wrote the book accompanying the series: Spy A Handbook. I can forget people's names two minutes after being introduced to them, but I retain a lot of seemingly unimportant details which can be terribly important when dealing with a mass of paperwork on your desk or when you are out in the field trying to remember what your brief was. Easy to find - agents are easier to recruit than experienced sales executives with specialist knowledge. Our research has found that agents and double agents desire a relationship with their handlers that involves trust and gratitude, not just one based on financial compensation. As you can see from the previous discussion, there are many advantages and disadvantages to working as an insurance agent. Family Life Many jobs in the FBI require mandatory travel. The Top 100 Advertising Blogs and their Best Posts. You are given the luxury of networking with other agencies, clients, suppliers, media owners and consultants as part of your business. While some agents possess certain skills and experiences that might not seem relatable to tactical situations, like being a certified public accountant or having law experience, all agents are armed and trained for tactical combat. In such a case, you as an insurance agent can greatly help them out and explain what insurance will be most beneficial for them so that they can avoid getting into trouble sooner or later. Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. The meeting with Wolf lasted about an hour. For instance, your boss may tell you that you have to sell a number x of insurance products. In between debriefings, they drank Georgian cognac with him, covered his expenses without much ado, took him for day trips and copious dinners in restaurants and accompanied him on visits to nightclubs in East Berlin and elsewhere. If the client wants a project done that you dont particularly care about, you still need to get it done. When he became engaged to his future wife, M confided during an intimate dinner at a restaurant that he was working as an agent against the Stasi. Numerous professional staff positions also require travel, but the frequency of their excursions varies greatly, even for positions within the same division. FBI positions are divided into two categories: special agents and professional staff. One of the most used tools to collaborate and organize projects is Trello. It was very much like a [John] le Carr novel. I didn't even know the difference between MI5 or MI6. Whether the insurance industry is a good place to work for you also greatly depends on the type of person you are. Ability to think yourself out of jams. Sure, not all insurance products make sense and whether one kind of insurance is suitable for you also depends on your individual circumstances. CIA operations officers must also be able to obtain security clearances. In my day, however, you could simply print a passport, hop on a plane and arrive. CIA field agents operate in both friendly as well as hostile nations. Every creative is familiar with the nagging worries about a potential creative block. Customers - they might sell to unsuitable customers who might undermine the . In fact, you will have a huge advantage in the job market if you have good contacts to people who work in many different companies since they can tell you when positions are going to be vacated and you can therefore apply before other people do and will have much better chances to get the job. FBI agent 6. M could easily make such trips behind the Iron Curtain without raising suspicions. M was untied from his chair, handed back his clothes and taken to a room to freshen up. A new book written by . This desire can be explained by the often-hostile environment an agent operates in, which involves distrust, fear, danger and social isolation. Especially big insurance companies are more eager to employ people who hold a degree and if you want to maximize your chances to get a job in this field, you may have to spend many years in college and also have to spend lots of money on tuition and other expenses related to college education. Our research focuses on the relationship between intelligence services and their agents and in particular, how signs of gratitude and trust affect this relationship. As an insurance agent, you will also be able to sell people insurance policies that can protect those people from serious issues. You think about becoming an insurance agent but are not sure whether this profession is the right way to go for you? On several occasions, M discussed the possibility that someone like Aldrich Ames, a notorious KGB mole inside the CIA between 1985 and 1994, was responsible for betraying him. More and more now, the secret service looks at people who have established themselves in other careers and are looking for a change. Feel smug about Trebeks mediocrity. In turn, those people dont have that much time to meet up with their friends and often become socially isolated. In turn, those people will often not be able to pay their bills once they retire and may even end up homeless since they may no longer be able to pay their rent. The Stasi supplied M with Dutch, American, Swiss, British and West German passports that enabled him to travel inconspicuously under different names, especially when he was on his way to a rendezvous with his Stasi handlers. 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