Pursuing a Career in the FBI
Are you interested in joining the FBI or curious about what opportunities there might be?
The first thing to note is that you have many options. Follow your passions and major in whatever you would like. Because the FBI is such a large agency with so many different positions and needs there will be a position for you no matter what interests you or you should choose to major in.
Careers within the FBI
The FBI breaks down their career paths in two ways as follows:
Career Paths Operations and Intelligence:
Special Agents
Intelligence Analyst
Surveillance
Forensic Accounting
Foreign Language
Career Paths Specialized:
STEM
Arts and Communications
Business and Administration
Facilities and Logistics
Legal
Medical and Counseling
Police and Security
As I am sure you can see, there are a lot of options and there are even more specialized fields and careers within each of the fields listed above. Some of these will require a specific major and set of experiences such as being a forensic accountant which will require an accounting degree and working in STEM will require a STEM focused degree. Details and requirements for these can be found in the job requirements for each on fbijobs.gov.
However, there are also certain positions such as the infamous Special Agent that most people think of when they think of the FBI, the individuals on the street and those shown in most FBI television shows, which do not have a specific major requirement. In fact, the FBI encourages all majors to apply as they want a well rounded team not just a bunch of Political Science or Criminal Justice majors, majors you might think you would need to work for the FBI.
Undergraduate Opportunities
Another good thing to note is that the FBI has both an undergraduate internship program and an undergraduate hiring program.
First they have the FBI Honors Internship Program which is open to undergraduate sophomores, juniors, and seniors. This is a 10 week summer program where you would go to the field office you get assigned to and get an introduction working alongside FBI agents and employees. This is open to all majors and the application opens for a one month period every fall (usually around September-October).
They also have what is called the Collegiate Hiring Initiative. This program recruits graduating seniors each year to work for the FBI assisting squads and operations along with helping with business processes. There is a lot of flexibility in which majors this program is available for.
Being a Special Agent for the FBI
In the rest of this post I will be going in depth about the requirements, qualifications, and process of becoming a special agent within the FBI.
This video gives a good explanation of what the FBI is looking for, the diversity in the FBI, and what being a special agent entails.
I will begin by stating this: it is not easy to become a special agent. Although being a special agent is an entry level position within the FBI, do not think of it as your typical entry level position elsewhere.
Before I get into the specifics there are some basic commitments Special Agents must be okay with. These are taken from fbijobs.gov and include:
Be available for worldwide assignment
Work a minimum of 50 hours a week, be on call 24/7
Maintain a high level of physical fitness as the Physical Fitness Test calls for
Carry a firearm and be able to use deadly force, if necessary
Willing to arrest, execute search warrants, and other assignment which pose the risk of personal bodily harm
Be a US Citizen
Be able to obtain Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information Clearance
Be in compliance with the FBI drug policy
Considering the hiring process specifically, the Special Agent Selection System is a nine step process which is clearly shown by this diagram. I will briefly go through each part of it below.
Step 1: Application and Screening
This includes your application and all necessary forms. In order to have an eligible application one must:
Be 23-36 years of age
Have ANY bachelor's degree from a US accredited college or university
At least two years full time professional work experience, one year if you have an advanced degree
Have a valid driver's license
Meet the Physical Fitness Test (PTF) standards, which will be discussed later
Able to report to one of the 56 field offices for testing
Step 2: Phase I Test
This is a three hour computerized proctored exam with five parts:
Logic-Based Reasoning
Figural Reasoning
Personality Assessment
Preferences and Interests
Situational Judgement
More information on this test and example questions can be found on pages 5-15 of the Special Agent Selection Process Testing Overview Booklet.
Step 3: Required Information
This will include submission of your PFT self-evaluation, Critical Skills, and Self-Reported Language sections.
Step 4: Meet and Greet Session/Review Process
A meet and greet session is scheduled with one or more evaluators. This will be an in-person review of your application and validation of your information. This takes, on average, 23 weeks before one might move to the next phase.
Step 5: Phase II Test
This is your written test and a three person panel structured interview. Defined on page 36-44 of the Special Agent Selection Process Testing Overview Booklet this is a two and a half hour long proctored test that looks at applicant's ability to analyze data and compose two well-written comprehensive reports. A sample written test can be found in the booklet linked above.
Step 6: Official Physical Fitness Test
You must pass the PFT which consists of:
The maximum number of continuous situps in one minute
A timed 300 meter sprint
Maximum number of continuous push ups
Timed 1.5 mile run
You must also be able to pass a hearing and vision test along with being up to date with all immunizations and vaccinations. There is a FBI PFT App that can help you train for this and there are practice workouts in this handbook.
Step 7: Conditional Appointment Offer
This is a conditional hiring offer and is contingent upon passing a medical, background, and polygraph test.
Step 8: Background Investigation
The background investigation consists of:
Personnel Security Interview
Polygraph
Drug Test
Fingerprinting
Medical Examination
Credit and Arrest Checks
Interviews with Associates
Verification of Educational Achievements
This can take 6-18 months alone.
Step 9: Basic Field Training Course
This is where you are sent to the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia. The Academy is a 20 week long training where you learn everything you need to become an agent. You must pass all portions of this training in order to be hired as a Special Agent. This series of videos, part 1-4, provides an excellent breakdown of exactly what the academy entails. I would highly recommend watching them or reading the corresponding web pages if you are interested in learning what the different components of the academy are.
Graduation
Once you graduate the academy you can officially join the FBI as a Special Agent and will be assigned to one of the 56 field offices, shown below, based on your preferences. You will then begin work as a Special Agent.
Other Useful Information
All of this information can be found in a condensed version on this Special Agent job listing.
There are also a number of FBI employment disqualifiers which can be found on page 11 of the All You Need to Know to Apply Handbook.
As mentioned, becoming a Special Agent is not easy. It is a highly competitive position with rumors of only 3% of applicants making it through each of the nine steps and although one must have maintained a 3.0 GPA throughout college, life and work experiences are highly valued in reviewing an application.
The FBI uses the Federal Wage System for Law Enforcement Officers which means one can expect their initial pay rate base to begin at a GL-10 pay rate between $51,921-$66,996 with the projection of being able to reach a GS-13 pay rate between $78,681-$102,288 within five years on the job depending on one's level of education and experiences. This is the base rate and can fluctuate depending on which city you are located in.
Moving Beyond Special Agent
As previously mentioned, being a Special Agent is technically the entry level position with the FBI. Once you have been an agent for two years you have the opportunity to apply to specific mission-centric units including:
Hostage Rescue Team
Special Agent Bomb Tech Program
Special Weapons and Tactics
Evidence Response Team
Technically Trained Team
Operational Medic Program
More information about each of these can be found here.
Once again, these are the requirements and processes of becoming a Special Agent with the FBI but as mentioned above they have positions in all fields and those will each have their own requirements. Now that you (hopefully) have a much better understanding of what it means to be a FBI Special Agent and the process and requirements of getting there, fbi.gov and fbijobs.gov will be your best friends in learning more and preparing to apply to whichever position you feel best suited for.


















