FBI Agent Job Description Information

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, functions as the United States government's principal crime investigation team. A branch of the Department of Justice, the bureau's mission is to enforce the country's laws, defend against terrorist threats, and provide assistance to other law enforcement agencies at all levels. Since the FBI handles an enormous variety of investigations, an agent typically specializes in a certain field.

 

Function

• The FBI agent job description includes investigating many forms of criminal activity, such as bribery, cyber crime, drug trafficking, financial and other white-collar crime, kidnapping and organized crime. The FBI agent also investigates airplane hijackings, international espionage and potential terrorist threats, and conduct sensitive national security investigations. The FBI agent is responsible for investigating any interstate criminal activity. FBI agents solve cases involving violations of more than 260 federal statutes.

Specifics

• An FBI agent accomplishes her mission by conducting surveillance, monitoring wiretaps and working undercover. She interviews people who may be knowledgeable about the crime, and examine personal, financial and business records. She works at the office and in the field, travels to other locations, and sometimes must use force to make arrests.

Requirements

• People interested in becoming an FBI agent must have a Bachelor's degree at a minimum. Many agents have degrees in criminal justice or criminology, political science or business. Some are law school graduates. All agents receive 18 weeks of extensive training after being hired. Applicants should be competitive, physically fit, mentally stable, willing to face dangerous situations, accepting of unpredictability, and be very interested in law enforcement and in protecting people and property.

Considerations

• The FBI may require an agent to relocate or to travel extensively. The job can be stressful, dangerous and emotionally disturbing. Some see many death scenes and deal with traumatized individuals, and face life-threatening encounters with criminals. An agent can become cynical about the numerous ordinary citizens who turn out to be less than honorable. An agent is usually assigned a 40-hour weekly schedule but commonly works overtime. The stressful nature of the work and the long hours can cause problems for an agent's personal relationships.

Benefits

• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the FBI agent receives a specified amount of extra pay for the large amount of overtime he is expected to work. In 2007, for instance, an FBI agent started at a base salary of about $48,000, but actually earned about $60,000 because of the overtime pay, called availability pay. The FBI agent receives a full benefit package with health insurance, a retirement plan, and paid vacations and holidays. Many also have a company car and work-issued cell phone.

Read more: FBI Agent Job Description | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_4793023_fbi-agent-job-description.html#ixzz1gnvrng49

FBI Agent Salary Information

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal law enforcement agency which employs over 35,000 individuals in 55 field offices and 400 satellite offices in the United States. Becoming an FBI agent may be the profession of choice for you if you want an exciting career, dedicated co-workers, and the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day.

 

Trainees

• Trainees are paid an annual salary which includes General Schedule or GS-10 base pay along with a locality pay of 17.50 percent for Quantico, Virginia. According to the FBI, Trainees make an annual salary of $51,043. The average training period is 20 weeks.

New Agents

• New FBI agents are paid a base salary at the GS-10 law enforcement level plus locality and availability pay. Locality pay ranges from 12.5 to 28.7 percent of the agent's base pay. Locality pay varies based on the location of the agent's first assignment. Agents also receive availability pay due to the number of hours they are required to work throughout the year. Availability pay equals 25 percent of the base and locality pay. Base, locality and availability pay can total between $61,100 and $69,900 per year for an entry-level agent. These figures are subject to change as base pay increases.

Gender

• The FBI employs over 2,000 women as special agents, legal attaches and managers of many programs within the organization. The FBI has a set pay scale for all agents. This means male and female agents in the same position for the same amount of time earn the same pay. According to Pay Scale, female agents earn between $46,602 and $95,288 per year. Males earn $53,901 to $116,392 annually. The pay discrepancy can be linked to the fact many women decide to start families at some point in their FBI career and decrease their work hours. Agents with families have the option of working part-time to spend more time with their families.

Location

• Agents assigned to high-cost offices earn higher salaries. High-cost offices include the District of Columbia, San Diego, New York and Los Angeles. Agents in the District of Columbia earn between $50,053 and $133,381 annually. San Diego agents earn $64,094 to $126,374; New York agents earn $60,881 to $117,250; and agents in Los Angeles earn between $63,871 and $100,558. Other high-cost offices are Boston, Newark, New Jersey and San Francisco. For a complete list of current pay schedules refer to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management website for current law enforcement annual wages.

Read more: Salary Range for an FBI Agent | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_7771229_salary-range-fbi-agent.html#ixzz1gnvCdWaH

How to Become a FBI Agent

Joining the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is one of the most rewarding careers in the field of law enforcement since they are an extension of the Department of Justice. Being an agent takes dedication and commitment to serving the people of America.

1. Candidates who apply to the FBI must be at least 23 years old, and no older than 37 upon being appointed as a special agent. Candidates are required to hold a bachelor's degree or higher and must qualify under specific areas such as languages, law, accounting, computer science and information technology, and diversification. Candidates must have a valid driver's license and be available to be assigned upon completion of training to FBI field offices across the country and even field offices overseas.
2. Candidates will also have to undergo a full background check and pass a drug screening plus not be in default with college and university loans that are backed by the government. Candidates must have a clean record meaning no felonies or anything questionable in their background, and not have failed to register with selective service (only applies to males). The background check will entail checking your credit history, and conducting extensive interviews with everyone in your life from your friends to your former college professors.
3. The background check and interviewing of people in your life is because all FBI jobs require authorized security clearance to access classified and top secret information within the FBI and other areas of the government.
4. Candidates are also required to pass a physical agility test which consists of so many push-ups in one minute, 300 meter sprint (timed), number of push-ups (untimed), and a run of 1 1/2 miles (timed). Candidates get only 3 chances to complete the physical agility test.
5. Candidates who complete the application process and pass the background and drug screening along with the physical agility test will go on to train at the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia just outside Washington D.C. to continue training until such a time when they're assigned someplace by the FBI.

Read more: How to Become an FBI Agent | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2306373_become-fbi-agent.html#ixzz1gKGEu21a