As the primary legal investigative arm of the U.S. Government, the FBI is charged with the protection and enforcement of the U.S. Constitution and over 260 federal statutes. Because the Bureau works closely with state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating legal matters of joint interest, good interpersonal communication and writing skills are essential for Special Agents. "Whether you're interrogating a suspect, gathering evidence, or coordinating efforts for an upcoming trial, you've got to call upon an extensive range of capabilities to complete everyday operations," says Kleinpaste.
Agents who enter service usually do so as an indirect endeavor under another academic qualification such as accounting, law, or foreign language. Retirement from the FBI is mandatory after 20 years of field duty or at the age of fifty-five. After retirement, some agents are hired by local law enforcement agencies or by other federal agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), or the United States Secret Service. Others enter a second career in their primary academic field. "Don't go into a field specifically thinking that you're going to join the FBI," suggests Kleinpaste. "You may want to change your career field, start a family, or you may not qualify for Bureau work. If you haven't studied another field you could be out cold. Go into something that you like such as accounting or criminal justice. That way, if your circumstances change or if you don't make it, there's something else to fall back upon."
Newly appointed Special Agents like Kleinpaste receive a GS 10 level of salary from the federal government of about $36,000 annually, excluding locality pay. After training in Quantico, Special Agents serve a two-year probation in a FBI field office before becoming a permanent employee. Recruits are partnered with an experienced agent who will guide them in applying their training during their first few months of service. Although most report a high degree of job satisfaction, disillusioned recruits may become frustrated as they learn that many of their cases process slowly. "The wheels of justice take time to turn," says Kleinpaste. "We prosecute criminals. In order to do that we must take every precaution and necessary measure to assure that it is done correctly."
Five-year veterans at the FBI continue to report very high levels of job satisfaction. Pay scales can advance to the GS 13 level of about $50,000 annually for non-supervisory field positions, excluding locality pay. Executive and Senior Executive Service positions are often available and can advance to the GS 14 and GS 15 level, with annual salaries as high as $86,000 annually. Administrative positions that provide a more predictable lifestyle with fewer hours may also be available from time to time. Most agents by choice, however, remain actively involved in field investigations.
"Don't be fooled by television shows," asserts Kleinpaste. "Although [the application process] highly competitive, it doesn't require a legal degree to qualify for the job." It does, however, require a degree in Accounting, Law, or Language; a Bachelor's degree in any discipline with three years of full-time work experience, or two years of full-time work experience with an advanced degree. The varied and diverse backgrounds of people employed by the FBI include teachers, accountants, lawyers, doctors, scientists, and athletes. All candidates must be at least 23 years old, U.S. citizens, and be available for assignment anywhere within the Bureau's jurisdiction.
While attending a midwestern university to earn her Bachelor's in criminal science, Christina participated in an internship with a probation office for the Federal courts. As an intern, she conducted pretrial intake work, completing the administrative detail necessary for placing people in the Federal probation system, and had an opportunity to shadow probation officers while they performed their work with convicted criminals on probation. During this fieldwork, exposure to other Federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the FBI fueled her passion for criminal science work.
After receiving her Bachelor's in criminal science (with an emphasis on law enforcement), Kleinpaste was offered a full time position with the Federal probation court for which she had interned. While working for the probation office she met an FBI Special Agent and liked the fact that he was putting criminals in jail, not keeping them out of prison as she had done while working at the probation office. Encouraged to follow her passion for law enforcement work, Christina applied for a position with the Bureau in 1998 and is now completing her two-year probationary service as a new agent.
Of course, Agent Kleinpaste's interest in the FBI was not in itself enough to qualify her for a job. Only one in every 1,500 applicants is accepted. Agent Kleinpaste had to pass a stringent written entrance examination and undergo rigorous employment screening. She submitted to in-depth background investigations, drug testing, a physical examination and a polygraph to assess her capabilities and character. "Keep yourself clean if you want to go into this line of work," says Kleinpaste. Drug use, a criminal background, and physical and emotional handicaps that can impede performance have all disqualified hopeful candidates.
When Agent Kleinpaste joined the FBI, she joined her fellow rookie agents in one of the most disciplined blood-and-guts law enforcement training experiences in the world, the 16-week intensive at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. In addition to classroom instruction, academy curriculum includes specialized physical fitness, defensive tactics, and the use of firearms. Practical application exercises are also conducted in a theater-like obstacle course, where trainees and actors perform real-life arrest and response scenarios under the observant eyes of experienced trainers and fellow students. "The training is phenomenal," says Kleinpaste. "Being there is an intense experience." With training completed, newly appointed Special Agents are assigned to serve in a field office within the U.S. or one of 38 countries worldwide.
The FBI, founded in 1908, has steadily grown into one of the world's most sophisticated and technologically advanced law enforcement organizations, and operates one of the best crime laboratories on the planet. Due to the increasing rate of federal crimes (six percent annually), the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there will be an above average increase in the need for FBI Special Agents through the year 2008. High-level salaries and employee benefits, however, attract more job candidates each year than there are openings so sharp competition is expected for future positions.
FBI Special Agents can qualify for additional training and promotions to a wide variety of administrative and supervisory positions throughout their career, including assistant directorship at the local level. Although most choose to remain in the field to conduct casework and field investigations, an elite few are chosen to serve at the Quantico facility as instructors. Almost all career FBI Special Agents report an extremely high level of job satisfaction with their career choice. "Law enforcement is what I've always wanted to do," says Agent Kleinpaste. "I originally wanted to be a lawyer but when I was in college, I took a criminal justice course as an elective and got hooked."
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