Not only can this be quite interesting, but it also gives you the opportunity to really develop your people skills and to get to know how the human psyche really works. In other words, his interrogators seemed to lack proof. Another benefit of working as an insurance agent is that you will also be able to work with many different clients. Another disadvantage of becoming an insurance agent is that you will also have to deal with many difficult people. Still in pyjamas, he was taken from the safe house where he was staying for debriefing sessions with his Stasi handlers to a van with darkened windows that transported him, under armed guard, to a prison. In addition, we applied to the AIVD for access to Ms file, but our request was refused several times. You will often have regular workweeks. It was very much like a [John] le Carr novel. M told us he barely managed to control his emotions: I could no longer trust anyone I had to be constantly alert and wary To remain in this position over such a long period of time requires much stamina There is a line of appreciation, trust, but also of abandonment You are being used as a pawn by something amorphous, by an entity that you cannot enter. 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. They have to operate every day so that people who dont have a car can get from A to B. However, in 1981, they handed him over to the CIA because his spying activities had become too international for the national orbit of the Dutch security service. How China combined authoritarianism with capitalism to create a new communism, What my 20 years in Afghanistan taught me about the Taliban and how the west consistently underestimates them, Embracing uncertainty: what Kenyan herders can teach us about living in a volatile world. This treatment is still ongoing. (Source: PayScale). Think of creative things to be afraid of: hypochondria, Russians, vast government conspiracies. In later years, he would ask himself these questions repeatedly. He told us: In that world, they just fuck you. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had about 35,000 employees in 2017. In our current state of the world, the job market changes rather quickly and it is also questionable whether insurance agents will still be needed in the future. There is never enough time. In turn, your clients will be much better able to plan for their future since you have removed significant insecurity from their lives. Real estate agents can work indoors. As an associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon or other programs. Looking at a gruesome crime scene, knowing that you pulled the trigger to kill a criminal, seeing pictures of horrific things that enable you to try and piece together an those things can weigh on you and cause incredible amounts of stress. If people dont trust you, they will simply not buy insurance products from you. Instead, they have to work outdoors even during periods of rain and snow and this can be quite annoying. When M finally got access to his BVD file in the mid-2010s, he was not allowed to make notes or copies. Others tend to have a more relaxed way of operating. He holds a master's degree in management and a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies. 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. Many jobs in the FBI require mandatory travel. I was recruited by the secret service during the cold war. Then, during a subsequent meeting, Wolfgang said out of the blue: You dont like brown eyes, do you? M was shocked. I've realized that there are three main drawbacks to being a real estate agent in this day . Instead, you can work from home in a rather quiet and cozy atmosphere and this also gives you more flexibility to do your private work. Everything has to go through a process, the likes of which can be lengthy. As an insurance agent, you may also be able to work from home. The buzz is taking part in a world that nobody else knows about often you are aware of things happening behind world events that other people don't know and possibly will never know. 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. Collection management officer The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has its roots in World War II's Office of Strategic Services, according to National Archives. Most companies fire the sales staff or end the contract if a person repeatedly fails to achieve a target. Operations officer 2. Ms spying career began in the second half of the 1960s when the Dutch security service, the BVD (Binnenlandse Veiligheidsdienst) the predecessor of the present-day AIVD (Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst) recruited him. You will not have to work on weekends or holidays. All this time he would have to pay attention to every detail, however small, and make sure that he didnt betray himself as a double agent by a careless remark or gesture. From the perspective of the East Germans, M was indeed a traitor. This can be problematic, especially if you just dont look trustworthy at all and are just not born with a sympathetic aura. We shook hands, M told us. A key link between a CIA operations officer in the field and agency intelligence analysts, collection management officers spend 30 percent to 40 percent of their careers overseas. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. If a target is in a very stressful or frightening position, for instance, the first person they talk to who shows them kindness and compassion is in a great position to glean information. Without a doubt, it was also his bitter feelings that made him eager to share his fascinating life story with us. This is a disadvantage that doesn't affect everyone equally. Salary. If you go to the secret service website, which is the starting point for anybody thinking of joining, you will see they ask for proven experience in another field. This could place additional strain on a a family. Now advances in technology mean maintaining people's covers has become a specialist area and it is a much more sophisticated operation. FBI investigators will interview your friends, co-workers and family to determine whether you would be a good fit for the organization, and you'll need to take a polygraph and drug test. Flexible Schedule. Sasha Maggio specializes in topics related to psychology, fitness, nutrition, health, medicine, dentistry, and recovery after surgery, as well as cultural topics including Buddhism, Japanese culture, travel, languages and cooking. One problem with being an insurance agent is that you will often have to sell insurance products you actually dont believe in. I was a double agent after all, I was also a traitor. Utrecht University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK. M was tasked by the CIA to analyse the behaviour of his East German handlers using these techniques. I think the HVA wanted to find out: How far will this agent go? Working on commission, they earn part of a property's sale price. According to M, only treason within the CIA could explain it that a mole within the American intelligence service had betrayed him as a double agent to the Soviet KGB. Creative agencies have earned their reputations through genius ideas, consistency, and high ROIs for their clients. Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money. I received medals from them, whereas the BVD never gave me a medal or another sign of recognition, not even a ballpoint. Free weekends and holidays are quite common. Working as a real estate agent is pretty relaxed. Kiplinger: Should You Work for Uncle Sam? This puts a lot of pressure on a creative. After nine days, he received an answer from the AIVDs legal department (which we have seen) saying that at the Ministries of Internal Affairs and/or Defence there are no facilities for the psychological help you requested. His captors intimidated him by pouring cold water over him from a bucket until the afternoon. You can expect a fast-paced lifestyle filled with deadlines, demanding clients, and confusing projects. To his Stasi contacts, M explained his willingness to work with them as a consequence of the defects he saw in western capitalism, in particular the many forms of social and racial injustice he had personally observed. Even as an operational officer with a lot of support behind you, there is a lot of waiting for stuff to happen and trying to find out the most basic level of information. Because of their undercover nature, CIA clandestine service officers receive little public recognition for their sometimes heroic service. Until then I was engaged in all kinds of geopolitical developments, I was right on top of them. Creative agencies can be some of the best employers. He feels the BVD did the same when they handed him over to the CIA in 1981, renouncing any further responsibility towards him. Although the earnings of travel agents are not all that exorbitant, the job promises decent pay. FBI agent 6. Indeed, she told us she could see for herself how M was always completely exhausted when he came back home from these meetings, having spent several days in the company of Wolfgang and Heinz. However, I will not take any responsibility for incorrect information and will not be liable for any negative consequences that might occur due to the reliance on this information. Professional staff positions, such as those in information technology and business management, generally won't see you in the field or in dangerous situations; however, FBI police, a division that is grouped within professional staff positions, is an obvious exception. Each agency has a different personality, a different culture. After that I got an envelope in my pigeonhole from an anonymous government department inviting me up to London for an interview. $53,000 per year on average, most travel agents make between $45,000 and $68,000 per year. Some people may shrug these types of experiences off and go on without missing a beat. The trouble with. You think about becoming an insurance agent but are not sure whether this profession is the right way to go for you? The case of M is illuminating because it allows for comparisons between the behaviour of three different secret services towards the same agent. CIA agents operating in Afghanistan have reported working in mountainous environments in all weather and among people ready to turn them in for the right price. Numerous professional staff positions also require travel, but the frequency of their excursions varies greatly, even for positions within the same division. Disadvantages of being an Insurance Agent Stress and pressure to sell. HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:29 Surprising Facts About The Agency Business and Best 19 Agency Software Solutions to Manage Your Agency. Good work-life balance. A career with the FBI can have a profound effect on family life. During the cold war, the KGB, of course, worked very closely with the Stasi. Every creative is familiar with the nagging worries about a potential creative block. Real estate agents can set their own schedules. Changes in the needs of the government can result in agents being transferred, and not always to a desirable location. Specializing in secret field operations against the enemy the OSS gifted its heir, the CIA, with an ability to covertly place agents within many hostile nations. As an insurance agent, you will also be able to enjoy regular workweeks if you work for major insurance companies out there. At an agency, all of that is taken care of for you. New special agents must also undergo a 20-week training course at the FBI academy. The existing literature on intelligence history allows us to confirm parts of Ms story or assess the likelihood of certain episodes by comparing them with other known cases. This desire can be explained by the often-hostile environment an agent operates in, which involves distrust, fear, danger and social isolation. In fact, chances are that also your family and friends will be pretty helpless in this regard. Clients are demanding. While some real estate agents work independently, others work for a licensed broker. Quick promotions are guaranteed to those who shine. As an insurance agent, you will also have to work in a classical office job. Feel smug about Trebeks mediocrity. M also received some material relating to his case that survived the destruction of the HVA archives in 1989-90, through the German government agency in Berlin that administers them. In turn, you may not be happy with your work at all since you know that you consult people in a misleading way instead of offering the products that would really fit best for their individual circumstances. People talk to each other on a regular basis and if someone tells his or her friends about your mistakes, those people will be less eager to buy insurance products from you. To his amazement, he came across a document he had completely forgotten about which he had signed himself. I knew very little really. Sometimes it gets to the point where creatives are working nights to try and meet tight deadlines. 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. Sometimes M would also exchange messages and material the East Germans were interested in by way of fleeting meetings in hotel lobbies with East German diplomats. nibusinessinfo.co.uk, a free service offered by Invest Northern Ireland, is the official online channel for business advice and guidance in Northern Ireland. That career would go on to provide excellent cover for his clandestine work, as it involved a lot of international travel. Might get to have a cool job like doctor/astronaut/CIA agent. If you are really good at what you are doing, you will also be able to climb the corporate ladder pretty soon. M was untied from his chair, handed back his clothes and taken to a room to freshen up. Decent since good insurance agents are needed right now. You passed the test, you are now one of us!. Thus, no job is the same and job descriptions may not completely fit your individual experiences. I have to assume you mean is there a Disadvantage to being an Military Intelligence Servicemember as opposed to being in the Intelligence business as a civilian. Pros. Working in an advertising agency comes with lot of advantages and disadvantages. Sales methods - an agent might not sell your product or service in the way that you would like. The CIA headquarters at Langley, Virginia, features a memorial wall with 103 stars, each denoting an employee who died in the line of service. If you still want to become an insurance agent, you should also get detailed information on the salary, future outlook, duties, job satisfaction, working hours, work-life balance and educational requirements of insurance agents. It just hadn't come across my radar at all. No, they will approach you You are appreciated for your efforts, but [these services] remain a dark cloud that you cannot enter. But suddenly, in 1988, Ms relationship with Wolfgang and Heinz cooled. Feel superior to others. Also make sure to check out the following articles: Advantages and disadvantages of working as a politician, Advantages and disadvantages of working as an air traffic controller, Advantages and disadvantages of working as a painter, https://www.statista.com/statistics/194232/number-of-us-insurance-brokers-and-service-employees/, https://www.statista.com/statistics/422878/annual-median-salary-financial-insurance-real-estate-united-kingdom-uk/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_insurance_agent. The corridors were lit. Some agencies are known for their parties to get their employees together. Here's a list of 10 jobs that are similar to CIA agents: 1. In the US it is slightly different because they see themselves as semi-military and put themselves in danger in a way that British officers don't. Many people also mistrust insurance agents since they have made bad experiences with them in the past. Having an advanced degree can be helpful for most positions, and in many instances, is required, although the CIA also offers its own relevant undergraduate programs. But I can recruit a scientist who is already there. When considering a career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or other law enforcement agency, it is beneficial to understand the potential hazards and disadvantages that one may encounter on the job and throughout a career. What does he accept? To sleep in and to start late is possible in most agencies. Through his career in several European, African and Asian countries, M acquired many international contacts and was able easily to obtain information that was of interest to intelligence services. Earn Good Money. Field Agent Dangers CIA field agents operate in both friendly as well as hostile nations. Compared to being a freelancer you have benefits like a steady income, paid holidays and an adequate retirement plan. 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