FBI Jobs
Be an FBI Agent: Qualifications, Requirements & Training

Want to protect & serve our nation with a career in the FBI? FBI jobs are no cakewalk. Learn FBI agent requirements, qualifications & FBI agent training.

A lot of people think of television shows like 'The X-Files' or movies like 'The Silence of the Lambs' when they hear about the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The truth, of course, is that this isn't anywhere near the truth.

Sure, there are some exciting times while working for any federal law enforcement agency, but don't expect to be battling aliens and hunting down dastardly serial killers every day of the job.

The FBI is concerned with the security of our nation and its people, and this concern is shown by work done in a variety of capacities.

Some of the different divisions an FBI Special Agent may work in include:

  • Counterintelligence Division
  • Counterterrorism Division
  • Cyber Division
  • Criminal Investigations Division

FBI Jobs
What It Takes to be an FBI Agent

If you are interested in trying your hand at one of the many FBI jobs out there, you must be aware of all FBI agent qualifications and requirements you have to meet before you can apply.

Think you have what it takes for a career in the FBI?

Keep reading to learn the experience necessary to become a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, how much you can expect to make as an FBI Special Agent, the FBI agent training you'll have to go through, the different jobs that are open to you, and what you need to do to get one.

FBI Agent Salary

fbi agent performing surveillance

Federal jobs tend to offer salaries that span the spectrum of the pay scale, from pretty decent to exceptional. The FBI is not different, except that even the low end is pretty high.

As a Special Agent of the FBI, you can expect to earn an average salary of $60,000 to $70,000 in the beginning. This, however, is not a cap.

Depending on how long you work for the Bureau, how well you work, and what position you hold, you can earn much more than that.

For example, a senior agent who has been with the FBI for twelve years or more and has an exceptional record may earn upwards of $100,000 in a year.

And not all of the FBI jobs are working as a Special Agent. There are, in fact, a number of other positions available in the bureau in a variety of specialty fields. Some of these include:

  • Accounting
  • Computer Science
  • Information Technology
  • Language
  • Law
  • Or Diversified topics

While other government jobs don't pay all that well, if you decide to work as an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, you can expect to be well compensated.

As long as you have the drive and strength to do your best at all times, you won't have any trouble paying the bills with one of the many FBI jobs out there.

FBI Special Agent

In order to become an FBI Special Agent, you have to meet a few basic requirements, including:

fbi agent
  • Being at least 23 years of age and not older than 37 (except under special exemplary conditions)
  • Having at least three years of professional work experience
  • Being a citizen of the United States or the Northern Mariana Islands
  • Being in possession of a valid driver's license
  • Being open to assignment anywhere within the FBI's jurisdiction

You must also have a four-year bachelor's degree from a college or university accredited by one of the national or regional organizations recognized by the United States Secretary of Education.

In order to get this degree, you have a couple of options. You can either attend a campus-based institution, which is the more traditional route, or you can earn your degree online.

 

Believe us, we know you're skeptical. Getting a degree online? Who would hire you with that?

But, honestly, getting a bachelor's degree from an accredited web-based college or university is just as good as getting one from anywhere else. And, in some cases, it's even better.

Earning your degree online, you can maintain your day job, stay at home, be with your family, and save a lot of money on tuition, room and board, and other special fees.

If and when you meet the FBI agent qualifications and are accepted into the program, you will be sent to Quantico, Virginia where you will train with other new recruits for seventeen weeks.

This training will help you not only develop new skills and techniques that can and will be used throughout your FBI career, but also to become familiar with the code of conduct of the FBI and develop a relationship with your fellow agents.

FBI Job Openings

If you meet the FBI agent requirements & qualifications, then there are plenty of FBI jobs available to you.

A number of websites, like this one, are devoted to giving you all the information you need to meet those FBI agent requirements so that you can work your dream job.

Some of them even have links to sites that show you what kinds of jobs are open right now and where they're located.

Through these websites you can discover which out of the many FBI jobs out there you'd most want to take on. And then you can apply to the FBI directly online.

So, what kinds of jobs are you interested in?

Here's a small sample of the variety of fields specialized in the Federal Bureau of Investigation:

fbi forensic scientist

An FBI Forensic Scientist With a Blood Sample
  • Counterintelligence
  • Counterterrorism
  • Organized Crime
  • Internet Crime
  • Public Corruption

And within those fields, there are countless positions open to employees of the FBI, a few of which include:

  • FBI Special Agent
  • Forensic Scientist
  • Forensic Pathologist
  • Forensic Accountant
  • Office Manager
  • Supervisory
  • Technician
  • Electronics Analyst

The list is long (going far, far beyond the few FBI jobs mentioned above) and the range of duties and responsibilities is just as broad. You can truly be anything you want to be within the Bureau.

As long as you are qualified, have the right education, and have been trained in the field you wish to work, there should be nothing to stand in your way.

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