Anyone here in the Border Patrol?

[morganm01]

Wanted to find out a little info about income potential for a college graduate. Also want to know if you have to live in a small border town or can you commute in a 4 days on 3 off kind of schedule?

All this Minutmen stuff has me thinking about it as a career as I love sneaking around in the woods hunting and I don't like the illegal entries into this country.

 

[spartacus2002]

Sand Pirate on The FAL Files is in the Border Patrol.

 

[jobu07]

If you're interested: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/careers/

 

[Destructo6]

Wanted to find out a little info about income potential for a college graduate. Also want to know if you have to live in a small border town or can you commute in a 4 days on 3 off kind of schedule?

With a bachelor's degree, you would go in as a GS7. Here's a pay table:

http://www.opm.gov/oca/05tables/indexGS.asp

That's what you get paid during the academy and add about 25% after graduation. Then, there's various differential pays for night shifts, weekends, and holiday. It should put annual salary above $50k for the first year.

Although the hiring seems to be picking up, I've been on the hook for about 2 years.

 

[harvester of sorrow]

Destructo6 is right on w/ the pay table. If you like being outdoors, that's certainly a positive. You will spend time on the southern border before transferring to stations closer to home, if that's a concern, and it will be a lot longer than you might think is reasonable . Be aware, too, that there are MANY more stations in small (pop. 1000 to 10,000), economically-depressed towns than there are in large, "nicer" towns. The BP seems to give you a little more latitude in picking your assignment station now than they used to.

You are free to live anywhere around your station, assuming you are willing to make whatever commute is necessary. Remember, the probationary period is (allegedly) now two years long instead of one. That is a stressful time in your career; long commutes may not help unless they in some way relieve familial stress. After you've been at your station for awhile, supervisors will work with you as far as assigning your two days off per week are concerned, but permanent assigned days off/permanent shifts are almost unheard of today. This is rotating shift work.

www.honorfirst.com is a good place to get some questions answered.

 

[Destructo6]

Remember, the probationary period is (allegedly) now two years long instead of one.

They call it a "Federal Career Internship Program," but it's basically a, "if you screw up, you're out of here," sort of thing.

 

[DMF]

All this Minutmen stuff has me thinking about it as a career as I love sneaking around in the woods hunting and I don't like the illegal entries into this country.

Yes, be sure to say it just that way in the interview.

 

[harvester of sorrow]

Destructo6, have they offered you a station yet, or are you still waiting for that? Where are you hoping to go?

 

[Destructo6]

My original availability and selection was for south Texas and has been for the two years. Just last week, they sent me a packet asking if I would re-open my availability because AZ is the current focus for CBP (though I could theoretically go anywhere).

Of course, this is after about 6 months of me asking if I could re-open my availability and the hiring center saying, "Nope, you've been tenatively selected for TX." Typical.

No, I have not been offered a station just yet. My background check re-do (the original is now over a year old) went in 2 weeks ago and my physical fitness re-test is next week.

It looks like things are moving, but I've said that before.

The Oral Board was pretty sketchy. Due to a non-disclosure agreement, I can't discuss details, but some folks I thought were certain to pass, didn't. I was about second to last to go in (out of 30 or so).

 

[morganm01]

Wow...long process. I know how these things work though, was in the Navy. I'll be suire to word my intentions more like "I want to help economically depressed migrants back to where they came from in a respecful, dignified, and self affirming manner".

 

[Destructo6]

No, you're given a series of scenarios and you have to negotiate them correctly, or at least not screw them up too bad.

 

[Archie]

I believe...

the current 'Journeyman' status for a Border Patrol Agent is GS 11. (Check that out on that pay schedule posted earlier.) After the probationary two year period, one should be a GS 11 until a merit promotion moves one up the food chain. Other than 'high rent' areas like San Diego, a GS 11 salary is adequate for a prudent married man.

I was a 'Troll from '77 to '83. It was fun, except for managment, and that seems to be changing.

 

[SamlautRanger]

Border Patrol

I am with the Cambodian Border Patrol on the Thai/Cambodian border. Or did you mean the US Border Patrol??