Entry Level FBI Jobs

I didn't know the organization, but the one thing you can say about the FBI, it's tremendously professional. ~ Robert Mueller

If action excites you and adrenaline rushing adventure has always beckoned to you, then MIB is your true calling! What.....you think I'm bluffing?

But of course, I am! Coming back to off-screen reality, the FBI wouldn't make too much of an imperfect substitute to the fictional MIB!

In fact, the FBI agents do just about everything that J and K are seen doing in both Men in Black franchises - except for the fact that the fictional duo deal with all sorts of extraterrestrial threats and criminals whereas the federal sleuths fight their terrestrial counterparts!

From spying on terror suspects to tracking and taking down enemies of the state, joining the FBI sounds like every person's childhood fantasy of playing the superhero and killing the bad guys come true! Ok, so have we fooled around enough?

Good! Now let's get to the point and take a look at what professional opportunities entry-level FBI jobs offer and candidate requirements.

The FBI considers freshers as well as entry-level applicants for on-field as well as off-field professional staff or clerical support positions. Whether or not you believe it, FBI does hire special agents - the ones who get to do all that classified action-packed stuff - on the entry-level!

As you must be aware, FBI job requirements for candidates applying for the position of special agents or for on-field professional support vacancies are higher and more stringent than off-field and clerical support positions.

This is true especially in the departments of physical fitness and willingness to relocate frequently and to all sorts of operational locations. Apart from special agents, clerical staff and technical professionals, the FBI also offers 100 internship opportunities each year.

These internship positions are highly coveted which is evident from the tremendous competition that characterizes the application process for these internship spots!

That being said, let's take a bird's-eye view of the general requirements which must be fulfilled by all entry-level candidates irrespective of the specific fields within the FBI for which they apply.

Age: Candidates applying for all entry-level FBI jobs should be at least 23 years old. The age ceiling at the time of appointment is 37 years. These age specs, especially the ceiling, may vary based upon unique cases or depending upon deserving individual situations.

Citizenship: Only US citizens are eligible to apply for any post within the FBI.

Physical Fitness: If you wish to apply for a field work profile within the FBI, physical fitness is of staggeringly high significance! To test the candidates' physical fitness, they are made to go through a set of physical tests that are crucial in determining their strength, stamina, flexibility and physical endurance.

Eyesight & hearing capabilities are also tested and a complete, recent medical checkup report needs to be handed over to the chief medical officer. The chief medical officer reviews the medical report & on the basis of his/her deductions from it as well as the fitness test results, decides whether or not the candidate is physically eligible to join the FBI.

Educational Requirements: The minimum educational qualification required of a candidate applying for an entry-level FBI job is a bachelor's degree in a four-year course from a Secretary of Education-accredited university.

In case of candidates applying for specialized technical fields, a bachelor's degree in the disciplinary stream relevant to that field is necessary. At least three years of professional work experience is mandatory for all applicants.

In addition, candidates possessing excellent command over IT and computer science, software and hardware development and architecture, electronics, mathematics, chemistry and medicine, finance, telecommunications, database management, symbology and cryptography, history and anthropology, criminal psychology, etc. are given preference over others.

Background Screening: A candidate must clear all background checks in order to be deemed eligible, even if he fits the bill for all other eligibility requirements.

A typical background screening by the FBI for applicants include screening public and criminal records, testing for drugs, polygraph test, cross checking with previous employers, checking credit records, etc.

Male candidates need to have registered with the Selective Service System prior to applying for an entry-level FBI job for their candidature to be deemed valid.

Apart from these, willingness and flexibility to relocate frequently and take up positions in just about any part of the world is a very important clause. An applicant must also have the necessary identification documents and a valid driver's license to be considered eligible.

Fluency in foreign languages is an added advantage in case of field work and for positions in non-English speaking jurisdictions of the FBI. Last but not the least, let's take a swift look at entry-level FBI salary. An entry-level FBI professional can make as much as $40,000 on an average from the year of joining itself.

Depending upon the field of operations, the average annual earnings can go as high as $65,000 - $85,000 starting from the very first year! The FBI offers a lot of advancement and promotion opportunities and with each step upwards on the professional ladder, the pay packet just keeps getting fatter! Looks like crime does pay after all!