Are you an ethnic minority?

[northernladuk]

It seems nuts to me to employ foreigners on security-cleared projects. Having said that, I interviewed at the HO and saw only one other white guy in three floors of packed offices.

I'm currently working at a Private Sector gig and I sense they bust a gut to avoid hiring Indians if they can, but have just hired a Nigerian DevOps guy who is actually pretty good.

Personally, I always get on well with the Indian Devs, they like you if you know your stuff and I can't always say that for the Brits.

In some areas I'd agree but SC isn't always about national secrets. It's just sensitive data that might not have any direct value to foreign superpowers and it also doesn't mean having it means you'll have direct access to all that lovely data either. Just work in an environment where you might see stuff on paper, boards, discussions that aren't for public ears. Must admit it does seem a bit strange if it was in defence or stuff that sells well etc.

HO will deal with a lot of crime, immigration and the like so not really a national secret so not really a problem having trusted foreign workers on it. I'd be willing to bet there are areas where non nationals are not allowed due to the data being held directly relates them but I've never come across it yet.

[edison]

Conversely I've worked for an insurance company and a large accountancy firm in the last two years and there were few people of Asian descent in either IT function, any of the suppliers I worked with and even the businesses themselves.

[vetran]

In some areas I'd agree but SC isn't always about national secrets. It's just sensitive data that might not have any direct value to foreign superpowers and it also doesn't mean having it means you'll have direct access to all that lovely data either. Just work in an environment where you might see stuff on paper, boards, discussions that aren't for public ears. Must admit it does seem a bit strange if it was in defence or stuff that sells well etc.

HO will deal with a lot of crime, immigration and the like so not really a national secret so not really a problem having trusted foreign workers on it. I'd be willing to bet there are areas where non nationals are not allowed due to the data being held directly relates them but I've never come across it yet.

Much of the SC / vetting I have seen is about willy waving. "You must have SC to see this data to build the pipeline" make sure all 10 people working on it have SC.
My response is "we should mask it so no one but XYZ department see it an one or two of our top people can see the errors" That is the correct way.

Guess how often they ask for SC?

[FIERCE TANK BATTLE]

I joined the daily scrum a bit late today and everyone was talking in hindi until I joined

[northernladuk]

I joined the daily scrum a bit late today and everyone was talking in hindi until I joined

Said every racist that joined a scrum a bit late ever.

What do you expect them to be doing?

[ladymuck]

Said every racist that joined a scrum a bit late ever.

What do you expect them to be doing?

Cooking a curry and watching Bollywood movies?

[FIERCE TANK BATTLE]

I thought it was interesting, no need to bring race into it.

Kinda funny to join a big British government institution only to find that everyone there originates in another country, speaks another language, and has to change to English for your sole benefit.

[vetran]

Said every racist that joined a scrum a bit late ever.

What do you expect them to be doing?

what is racist about noting that people in groups of a single nationally tend to talk in their mother tongue?

I spent hours in a meeting with the locals speaking French, luckily one of the better developers was translating as needed for me the only non French speaker.

I experienced something not dissimilar in Spanish.

Most international companies default to English when there is no common language.

[vetran]

Cooking a curry and watching Bollywood movies?

Nah sharing onion Bhajis from M & S with the onshore teams.

[FIERCE TANK BATTLE]

I spent hours in a meeting with the locals speaking French, luckily one of the better developers was translating as needed for me the only non French speaker.

May I ask where you're working, Belgium? I really want to get a job in a French speaking country, ideally in the next few months, but France has nothing that is English speaking. Belgium though stuff crops up, although it's not always clear if it's the French speaking part.

My French level is conversational but not yet business and it won't improve much until I can move to a French speaking country.