Job Description

The life of an FBI agent is full of action and tons of travel, and they get the satisfaction of knowing that they are protecting their country from dangerous criminals. FBI agents analyze evidence and interview witness and potential suspects in order to solve crimes. Since criminals do not work a 9-5, agents can’t work a set schedule either, and are often jarred awake in the wee hours of the morning to start their jobs. These agents risk their lives to solve crimes, and as a result, they are compensated quite well. In addition to a salary, these agents also receive great benefits such as health and life insurance.

Average Salary

Salary for an FBI agent ranges between $40,000 and upwards of $100,000. There are several reasons for why there is such a large gap between the two numbers, two of which are ranking levels and experience in the department.

Ranking

A training agent usually starts with around $40,000 depending on the position. A training agent is the lowest paid ranking of them all, and salary only increases from there. Once training ends, the agent can make around $60,000 and their ranking increases to a regular agent. After being in the field for so many years, the experience begins to take over.

Experience

Agents who have over 10 years of experience can earn the highest income of around $100,000. As agents become more involved in the bureau and have more training and take additional classes, their salaries as well as their positions will get higher. With any career, employees get raises depending on their performance and also how long they have been with the company. This is also true for FBI agents, so the longer an agent stays with the bureau and does his job well, the more money he will make in the long run.

An FBI agent’s salary is dependent upon his rank and how much experience he has in the field. When agents perform well, they can receive raises and rank increases. As rank gets higher, salary does as well, which is why an agent starting at $40,000 can earn upwards of $100,000 in about 10 years.

The life of an FBI agent seems to be something coveted by a lot of people. It involves so much excitement, with being allowed to carry a firearm, busting down somebody’s door, traveling around to different areas of the country, and catching dangerous criminals. All of that is all in a day’s work as an FBI agent, although their days are never one in the same.  In addition to having such an action-packed career, FBI agents also get paid well and have excellent benefits, so wouldn’t want to know how to become an FBI agent?

Job Duties

FBI agents are called upon for their skills to solve cases that are a national threat. There are between 200 and 300 cases that can fall into the FBI’s jurisdiction. They spend a lot of their time pouring over evidence and prior knowledge of the case as well as interviewing suspects and witnesses in order to find the criminal or criminals. No two cases are exactly the same, and agents are called at any point in time to travel to the scene of the crime and take the case from the police department who has started the investigation.

Basic Requirements

Before being able to participate in the crime-fighting life of an FBI agent, there are quite a few requirements and steps involved.

1)      Be at least 23 years old, but no older than 37 at the time of appointment.

2)      A citizen of the US.

3)      Have a 4-year degree from an institution that is accredited by US Secretary of Education.

4)      Have at least 3 years of professional experience.

5)      Have a valid driver’s license.

6)      Be readily available to work anywhere in the FBI’s jurisdiction.

Entry Level Program Fulfillment Requirements

After having those basic requirements, you must qualify for at least one entry program, which are:

1)      Accounting

• Be certified as a CPA
• Have a bachelor’s degree in accounting
• At least 3 years of aggressive accounting experience

2)      Computer Science/Information Technology

• Have a computer science or IT degree
• Or degree in electrical engineering
• Or a Cisco Certified Network Professional
• Or have a Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert certification

3)      Language

• Have a BS or BA in any foreign language that is certified by the FBI

4)      Law

• JD degree from an accredited law school

5)      Diversified

• A BS or BA in any discipline
• At least 3 years of work experience

Application

Applications are put in order by how well your skills relate to which department they are hiring for. The list is always changing and can be found on the FBI website.

If your skills match up well with the needed skills for the position, then your application is processed further. An extensive background check is then conducted, and a Top Secret Security Clearance is awarded if your background check passes.

Physical Requirements

In addition to the above requirements, there are physical requirements that are required to be passed before being sent into the force.

1)      Physical fitness test

2)      Vision test

3)      Hearing test

4)      Medical examination

Training and Beyond

If the above requirements are all fulfilled and passed, then congratulations! You’ve successfully met the requirements to be an FBI agent. The next part is starting training, followed by graduation from training. Next comes a 2-year probation period at an assigned office, which is where you will most likely be stationed for the next 4 years.

Working for the FBI is an experience like none before. It’s not completely different than what the movies and popular crime shows portray on television, although shows and movies are a bit embellished with their portrayals. One thing that is accurate in Hollywood is being called away for a case at any moment. There is no such thing as a typical day for any person working within the FBI, no matter what department he is working in. There are essentially two areas where FBI careers can fall: FBI agents or FBI professionals.

Agents

FBI agents are the people who conduct investigations in order to find the criminal or criminals who are responsible for committing the crime. They are responsible for thoroughly analyzing each piece of evidence from the scene of the crime, and also conducting interviews with witnesses or potential suspects. They are called away on a whim to travel across the country to be in the city where the crime has taken place. There are around 300 different categories of crime where FBI gets jurisdiction, meaning that they intervene in the police investigation if the crime falls into one of these categories.

FBI Professionals

The second category of FBI careers is the group of FBI professionals. These people are not in the field, but they are essentially responsible for the tools that agents need to catch criminals. There are seven categories of FBI professionals:

Intelligence Analysis:

This department puts together pieces of information that are obtained through intelligence databases throughout different parts of the world. All of this information is needed so that the US can be kept abreast of what is going on outside of the country and be ready if anything were to happen.

 Information Technology:

This department builds and maintains the FBI’s IT department. This includes setting up computers, hardware, and software, and keeping everything up to date.

Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology:

These professionals are charge of maintaining and updating the science and technology that are used to help the FBI with common problems that they face. These problems are things like analyzing partial fingerprints or a damaged sample of DNA, or finding a way to listen to a suspect’s conversation with another party.

 Linguistics:

Linguists are extremely important within the FBI. They are in charge of translating, reporting, and analyzing foreign languages for members of the FBI. This includes special documents written in a different dialect, or analyzing a recording.

 Business Management:

The FBI is run like a business and needs people to support the basic business tasks such as office management, human resources, administration tasks, the training division, as well as many others departments.

 FBI Police:

The safety and well-being of each FBI member is extremely important, which is why having designated FBI police and security officers is necessary.

 Investigative Support and Surveillance:

These specialists conduct surveillance operations and are responsible for everything from the planning to implementation process.

FBI agents on television seem to lead the most interesting lives. They catch criminals, are held at gunpoint at least three times a season, and have action-packed days and nights while running around in special jackets with “FBI” written on the back. They’re always knocking on doors or bursting through them and yelling “FBI! OPEN UP!” Hollywood portrayals are somewhat accurate, but of course, there are some definite embellishments about an FBI agent’s job description.

FBI stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation, and agents are hired to protect citizens of the United States from threats to national security. Due to these cases being dangerous to society, and varying from drug trafficking to serial killers, agents are given certain tasks to take care of as part of the case investigation. Agents must analyze and re-analyze every piece of evidence to fill in the missing links to the crime. They create a list of suspects and witnesses, and must interview each one of them thoroughly in order to get all of the information that is needed for the case.

Duties

FBI agents must fulfill duties that are involve doing on-field and off-field work. Interrogation and questioning can be done on and off the field; suspects and witnesses can either be brought into the station or the agents sometimes have to track them down. On-field work also includes conducting surveillance or going undercover, and sometimes catching the criminal attempting to strike again and arresting him.

Off-field work involves more analyzing the suspect list and evidence. It also involves reading through case files and getting de-briefed by the police department who was currently working the case. The FBI gets jurisdiction over 300 different categories of federal law, which means that they intervene in a police investigation if the type of crime falls within one of these categories, such as serial murders or drug trafficking.

Working Conditions

FBI agents are in no way of having normal working hours. Their work hours vary day by day and for each case. Sometimes, crimes are solved within a few days, and other times it takes longer. They are called to work at any given moment, and must be available at all times for an unknown period of time. They hardly spend all of their time in one city, and must travel across the nation per each case.

The job description of an FBI is a bit glamorized by television, but many of the duties are the same. These agents must be available to work at all hours of the day or night, and are often away on travel for the next case. It is often difficult for these agents to maintain normal personal lives. They are responsible for protecting the United States from national threats, and catching all types of criminals.