How to Become FBI Agent

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Overview of FBI
Federal bureau of investigation is a government agency that works on two different fronts; federal criminal investigation and counter intelligence. Working as an important agency under the U.S. Department of Justice, it has the authorization to investigate violations of more than three hundred categories of federal crimes in addition to its jurisdiction over crimes that take place on Indian Reservations in the United States. Apart from these responsibilities the FBI also plays a supportive role for other law enforcement agencies through help with laboratory examinations, finger print identification and training. Another vital aspect of the FBI operations is collecting, disseminating and analyzing intelligence information for its own use and that of its partners so as to eliminate all threats to the U.S. national security.




Transcript

Working as a FBI agent is a challenging yet highly rewarding career choice. You’ll be assigned an array of responsibilities that will enable the FBI and other agencies to guard US interests from internal and external threats. The hiring process for an FBI agent is rigorous and competitive, so you want to be prepared and have the right level of education under your belt. FBI applicants must possess a four year degree from any college or university accredited by one of the regional or national institutional associations recognized by the United States secretary of education. Any degree program that helps you develop research and analytical skills will position you well to become an FBI special agent. There are three examples of degrees that may help you become an FBI agent. They are: a law degree, which is desirable because special agents are charged with investigating violations of federal laws of the United States; an accounting degree, which may help you trace financial transactions and analyze complex accounting records in criminal investigations; and an engineering degree, which could be helpful because special agents often have to critically analyze large amounts of information in order to plan the next steps of an investigation. After earning your degree, the first step towards becoming an FBI special agent is to complete the online application. The process could take as few six months or as long as several years. The special agent selection system is based on the applicant’s competitiveness in the pool of candidates. All special agents begin their career at the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia, for twenty weeks of intensive training. During their time at the academy, trainees live on campus and participate in a variety of training activities. Classroom hours are spent studying a wide variety of investigative subjects. The FBI academy curriculum also includes intensive training and physical fitness, defensive tactics, practical application exercises, and the use of firearms. Take the first step towards a career as an FBI agent and request more information about degree programs that suit you.

Available Programs:

Walden University Online

American InterContinental University Online

University of the Southwest

Capella University



What is an FBI Agent?
Working as an FBI agent is a challenging yet highly rewarding career choice. You will be assigned an array of responsibilities that will enable the FBI and other agencies to guard U.S. interests from internal and external threats. Some of the areas that you might be working on are: cyber crime, white collar crime, financial crime, terrorism, civil rights violation, fugitive and drug trafficking, foreign counter intelligence, extortion and kidnapping, air piracy and interstate criminal activity.

An FBI agent’s job can never get monotonous as there are always new and exciting things to do. There is no such thing as ‘just another day’ at the office as daily activities range from testifying in federal court to executing search warrants to gathering intelligence on illegal activities.

How to Become an FBI Agent?
The hiring process for an FBI special agent is rigorous, thorough and multifaceted. Candidates have to go through various application procedures and pass all other requirements for FBI agents.

Some of the basic FBI qualifications:

  • You must be a United States citizen or a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands
  • You must be older than 23 but younger than 37 years of age
  • Have a four year college degree from an accredited institution
  • Have a valid driver license
  • You must be willing to be posted anywhere in the FBI’s jurisdiction

You can initiate the process by completing an online application form or you can apply through the FBI office that covers your residence or place of education/employment. After you have gone through the application process there are six more steps that include things like physical fitness tests, background information and medical examinations. The time frame associated with the whole process varies according to the candidates and it can range from six months up to several years.

Although the FBI doesn’t encourage students to enroll in any particular degree programs or schools, there are certain fields that will help you stand out among the competition and enhance your chances of becoming an FBI special agent. Some of the fields that you can explore in this regard are Law, Accounting and Engineering.

Once you are selected to work for the bureau you will receive FBI agent training in Quantico, Virginia for twenty weeks. At this top of the line law enforcement training facility you will get extensive instruction in physical fitness, practical application exercises, defensive tactics and the use of firearms. The classroom education consists of a wide range of academic and investigative subjects.

You will also get additional training over the course of your career so that you are equipped with all the latest techniques and technological developments in the field of law enforcement and intelligence.

FBI Agent Career
A new special agent will be appointed to one of five departments. These are: counter intelligence, intelligence, counter terrorism, criminal and cyber. A special nomination to weapons of mass destruction matters may be offered to applicants who work in counter intelligence and counter terrorism.

FBI Agent Salaries
Salaries are also very competitive as newly assigned agents are paid $ 43,441 (GS 10, step 1) plus locality and availability pay. Locality pay is the compensation paid to agents to factor in the difference in the labor market in different areas and this ranges from 12.5% to 28.7% of base salary depending upon office assignment. Twenty five percent availability pay is provided to all agents because of the requirement to average 50 hours a week over the course of the year. Bringing all this into account new FBI special agents, depending on their location, earn around $61,100 to $69,900 a year.

You should also know that the candidates are paid $1963 (for each two week period) during the entire duration of their training program at Quantico.

Furthermore, FBI agents have access to various federal benefits packages like the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB), Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program and Federal Employees Retirement System. Employees have time-off benefits as well and the number of leaves allowed increase with years of service. Moreover all FBI agents can attend summer picnics, holiday parties and various events which are organized by the bureau’s Recreation association.

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Q:As i was reading about how to become fbi agent, i came across on the prerequisites. What are these?

A:Getting into the FBI ranks is not easy, but where there is a will there is a way. In spite of the stringent selection criteria many candidates make it to the highly coveted positions within the FBI. However some the basic selection criteria for the FBI calls for the applicants to be United States citizen or a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands. You must be older than 23 years of age but younger than 37 years of age. Have a four year college degree. Hold a valid drivers license and willing to be posted anywhere in the world on behalf of the FBI.

Q:How to become a FBI agent?

A:If you want to become an FBI agent you should be a U.S citizen and at least 23 years of age. Educational requirements include having a four year bachelor degree from an accredited university or college. In addition to this applicants should have three years of work experience at the minimum.

Q:Can you give me some information about FBI special agent salary?

A:A special FBI agent is a professional working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a, elite law enforcement agency. The core job duties include investigation of criminal activities and across border surveillance of illegal activities. The salary an FBI agent can make annually is approximately $43,000. This salary figure may rise with more job experience.

Q:How to become fbi after earning a high school diploma?

A:If you are interested in becoming an FBI agent, you will need to get the right training and qualifications. Upon completion of your high school education, you can enroll in a bachelor degree program. It is recommended that you specialize in related fields such as criminal justice or homeland security. The next step would be to apply for admission in a training program. There are certain requirements you will have to fulfill to be legible for FBI training programs.

Q:Do have information on how to become an fbi agent?

A:To become a FBI agent, you need to be between the age of 23 and 37. These requirements are set by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. You need to have at least a bachelor level degree in a relevant field. The next step is applying for admission is a FBI training program. There are certain rules and regulations you will have to consider before applying.

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