The Requirements and Opportunities to Become an FBI Agent

The FBI Headquarters is located in Washington, D.C but they have various agencies all over United States of America. The FBI used to be known as the BI or BOI (Bureau Investigation or Bureau of Investigation). The name of the FBI was changed in 1935 to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). J.Edgar Hoover was an FBI director in 1895 He developed new ways to solve crimes such as surveillance. Surveillance is a sort of light night over watch of whomever agents are investigating and looking for evidence to build a case on the suspect. The FBI also has different divisions of agents such as sniper team,assault team, special agents and forensics. All these departments all work together in solving crimes through the U.S just to lower the rate of 1.2 million murders that occur everyday through the United States according to 2017 released crime statistics. In 1993 Floyd L. Clarke was the FBI director, he joins the FBI in 1964. As a special agent, he solved many serial killer cases. FBI had many famous cases & agents that will forever be remembered because of their sacrifice. After the 9/11 a tragic terror attack came another dealing with letters laced with anthrax in U.S mail letters.This attacked, killed five Americans and 19 were sickened in this event. (www.fbi.gov)

To become an FBI agent you need to obtain a degree in criminology this can be a (bachelors, masters or P.H.D). New Candidates should be at least 23 years of age to join the FBI. you will also need to pass a physical test examination to enter the FBI and other requirement needed to be an agent. The other test candidates need to pass is the written portion exam that's phase one of the test. When candidates finish with the first portion of the test, then it's on to the second portion of the test. Last candidates most complete a in-person interview at FBI headquarters.When candidates pass all exams then it's on to 16 week training that all agents must pass in order to enter into the field. Candidates must pass the fitness exam, swimming exam, driving exam and firearms exams. After graduation candidates are assigned to their teams in the headquarters.

Thousands of FBI Special Agents have made it past the first phase and graduated from Quantico, but, they all had one thing in common. All of these Special Agents had ambition and passion, they all made themselves the best candidate that they could be. the first phase, then you need to make yourself a likeable candidate. You need to make yourself appealing to the FBI. Have a degree that the FBI is interested in (Computer Science, J.D. or CPA, Liberal Arts), have experience that the FBI would be interested in (Law Enforcement, Military, Intelligence) and be in tip-top physical condition (this will come in handy at Quantico).

The training at Quantico is not “easy” as some people might say, training at Quantico is hard and tough, however, it is not impossible. You can make it through Quantico, you just need to be physically prepared. Do push-ups, sit-ups, sprinting, running and pull-ups. You only have to do pull-ups if you want to be an HRT candidate but they still build your upper body strength, nonetheless. Physical strength is not the only thing you need, you need to be mentally strong, too.Mental strength will not only get you through the academic side of the Academy, but, also the physical side. If you do not have enough mental willpower, you will not stand a chance during training at Quantico. Going through the first phase all the way to training at the FBI Academy in Quantico leads back to one thing. One thing will get you through both the first phase and the training, mental and physical willpower. At the end of the day, you have to believe in yourself. You have to believe that you are good enough to pass the first phase, you have to believe that you are strong enough to get through training at Quantico. You have to believe in yourself, you have to accept when you fail. You have to will be admitted into FBI.

In fact that candidates might not make it through, and they have to be okay with that. You have to know that there are only so many things you can do to make yourself appealing, because at the end of the day, it all falls into the hands of the FBI. They decide who makes it through and who does not, there is only so much you can do to make sure you are one of those people. The biggest thing that you can do to somewhat “ensure” that you make it through to becoming a Special Agent is to believe in yourself. As I said before, if you do not believe that you can make it through all the hurdles to become a Special Agent.

Some advantages are health benefits, retirement plans, holiday pay and vacation pay. Health benefits the FBI has a program called the ‘’Health benefits program” meaning a portion of the fee service for agents is covered by this program. Agents can sign up for this program 60 days within being hired into the FBI. The great thing about the “Health program” it last during retirement and also fees while working in the Bureau. Additional to that are the retirement benefits agents are available for retirement if they served 20 years in the agency. The 20 years are beneficial because the service will last up to that time after retirement from service. This retirement program is similar to the 401k plan also work. Other benefits for employees is more training meaning they can switch positions to other teams in the bureau. Furthermore agents receive time off benefits to balance time at home with work place.

The FBI positions are broken into categories special agents and professional staff. Furthermore, some agents possess certain skills and experiences that might not seem relatable to critical situations, like being a certified public accountant or having law experience, all agents are armed and trained for tactical combat. Certain situations such as trying to extract an organized crime ringleader from a house or missions to rescue a kidnapped child put you in risky positions that could leave you injured or even dead. When a problem arises, execute a solution to that problem often takes time. When improvements can be made, they take time. Everything has to go through a process, the likes of which can be lengthy. Roles that require regular training can negatively affect your family life, particularly if you're gone for long periods of time or have to leave on short notice (/fbiagentjob.weebly.com).

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. All candidates must have a security check, which requires a background check that combs through your educational, criminal, credit and employment history.The 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. For professional staff positions, the FBI typically looks for a bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.

The FBI employs 35,000 people, including special agents, intelligence analysts, language specials, scientist and IT specialists. Today’s law enforcement is very advanced in technology and find new ways to solve investigations such as drones, camera and forensics. This is why FBI agents are trusted with investigations by the government and local police departments. Because the agents are trained for certain crimes local officers have not been exposed to. FBI agents are confident when it comes to the field of investigation because they study criminals to learn how they think and also why they commit the crimes. Some agents usually find connections with the criminals that help solves cases.

The FBI is highly recommended as a workplace for people who are high energy, highly motivated, patriotic, selfless and looking to challenge themselves everyday. Hard work is rewarded with even more opportunities for advancement and cutting edge training. When you work at the FBI, you know your purpose in life and the important impact you're having on our national security. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has highly trained agent investigative officers throughout the headquarters. Agents salaries range from $131,612 some salaries at FBI can range from $71,597 - $162,988. But agents have the opportunity to be promoted that means more pay for them. Veterans are accepted into the FBI they usually start with more pay because of their experience in the field. Some agents start with the Gs-10 payment schedule which is $64,365 to $73,634 per year Agents in 2018 still start at 64,365 but can be promoted quickly based on their performance in the field. (bizfluent.com) Specials agents and Professional staff are able for management, promotion to GS-14 or GS-15 ranking. These ranks are obtained by agents that served 15-20 years in the agency and must specialize in wherever department they served in. Federal Agents operate a number of numerous units that require excellent physical, mental and professional skills.

These groups like the Hostage Rescue Teams and Counterterrorism Fly Teams select only the highest qualified among FBI professional staff, military special forces and special law enforcement tactical veterans. Due to their demonstrated specialization of tactical methods and importance to the Bureau, many of these special members are awarded a supervisor status which grants them a GS-14 or GS-15 pay grade.The highest levels of the FBI are the executives, which include the Director and Assistant Directors who manage major divisions. The salaries of these executives are determined according to the pay scale.