Federal Bureau Of Investigation
(Special Agent)

What's In Store For You!

As an FBI agent you will be instructed to investigate the violation of federal laws in America. These violations include fraud, extortion, bank robbery, kidnapping, espionage, mail fraud, Atomic Energy Act investigations, and thefts against federal property. An FBI agents work is always confidential and may not be discussed with anyone beyond authorized Bureau members and not even their immediate family or friends. Agents usually work on their own unless there is an immediate danger or the nature of the assignment requires two or more people.

How Much Will You Be Getting?

On average an FBI agent earns between $26,000 per year and more experienced officers may earn up to $51,600 per year. Some overtime is allowed under certain circumstances. Agents may receive approximately $6,120 per year.

Working Conditions

Being an FBI agent you may work a very flexible and a strenuous schedule. Agents must be ready at all times for a possible assignment anywhere, anytime, and under any amount of danger. An agent must retire at the age of 55 years if they have served 25 years. Agents receive fringe benefits of paid vacations, sick leave, and annuities upon retirement.

How Many Hours You Will Be Getting?

FBI agents usually work a more than customary forty-hour week and may be called upon at any time to go any where for an assignment.

Education and Training

Qualified applicants must have graduated from an accredited four-year college with a major in accounting or a physical science, or from a state-accredited resident law school. Applicants are tested for eyesight, physical well-being, oral and written tests over their knowledge of law of accounting, and his or her ability to conduct investigations. Extensive investigations are made into an applicants background and when appointments are made they are made under a temporary basis upon which after a year all appointments are made permanent. Applicants must go through FBI training at the FBI academy at Quantico, Virginia, U.S. Marine Base. Applicants will go to the academy for 15 weeks upon which they will be assigned a field office. A candidate will learn FBI rules and regulations, fingerprinting, firearms that are generally used by the FBI, defensive tactics, and federal criminal law.

Advantages

Some advantages an FBI agent would have are possibility of travel, paid vacation, and the feeling that you are making a difference.

Disadvantages

Some of the disadvantages that FBI investigators face are long hours, possibility of weekend work, being on call for a case twenty-four hours a day, sometimes at high risk, and that every aspect of the agents work is confidential.

Future Of The FBI

Approximately 9,000 agents work in the 59 field offices around the nation and on most cases new positions are not appointed unless a position is opened by death, retirement, or vacancies caused by promotion. The FBI does make new appointments to new positions through expansion of the Bureau. Although this may sound like somewhat of a slim chance of getting a job there are more appointments than you think per year and the FBI encourages that well-qualified and interested persons should fill out applications and turn them in. Though the competition is tough there is openings for candidates on a regular basis

Ways To Enter The Bureau

Anybody interested in becoming an FBI agent should write directly to the director of the Federal Bureau of investigation, US Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20535. Applicants may be interviewed and tested in FBI field offices, and will periodically send out announcements concerning examinations to be given and possible vacancies to be filled.

This page was created by Robbie King and was last modified on August 15,1996.