Many people assume that the employees of special services that ensure the security of our state do not experience financial difficulties and receive worthy remuneration for their work. In fact, the real situation is completely different.
According to the USA Today newspaper, representatives of the FBI Agent Association have repeatedly asked Congress about the need to increase salaries for employees of their department, especially those who have recently started working there. But this issue has not yet been resolved, and it is difficult to say whether its discussion has begun in the committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate. And this is in the current conditions of the fight against international terrorism.
Do not forget that the agency selects the best among the best candidates to close their vacancies. A common job seeker is not able to meet half the requirements specified in this fbi resume sample. Therefore, it is natural that a person with outstanding intellectual and physical abilities expects a worthy compensation for his efforts.
According to information leaked to the media, an increasing number of FBI employees sent to work in large cities are experiencing serious financial difficulties. First of all, newcomers who have worked in federal law enforcement agencies for no more than one or two years. Indeed, a significant part of these employees serves in cities included in the list of priority strategic goals: New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego.
As the FBI fears, financial difficulties experienced by intelligence officers can lead to corruption and the transfer of important information into the hands of the enemy.
How much does the FBI agent earn?
If you want to build a career in the FBI, first you need to graduate, get a diploma not lower than a bachelor’s degree. After that, at least two years to work in a field that may be of interest to the FBI, for example, financial analytics or information technology. And only after that you can submit an application to the agency, after submitting it on the official USAjobs website, as indicated in the instructions below: https://federalresumeguide.com/how-to-create-account-on-usajobs-site/ How much will you earn as an agency employee?
The initial salary of the FBI employees is quite modest: it’s less than $ 40 thousand a year ($ 39,700 plus overtime). This is a small salary, especially for family people. And the cost of living in large cities such as New York or San Francisco is much higher than in small ones. After working for 5 years, an employee can receive a salary that can be doubled: up to 80-90 thousand dollars. Experienced supervisors receive a salary slightly higher.
FBI employee salaries have not been increased since 1988. Because of this, a well-known spy scandal took place among FBI employees. According to USA Today, Robert Hansen and Earl Pitts, who were arrested for selling state secrets, have expressed dissatisfaction with their salaries multiplied times. Eventually, the agents were demoted and put on trial.
The FBI does not hide the fact that they are seriously concerned about the deteriorating financial situation of its employees, especially those who were among the 2,200 recruits hired after the events of September 11. Many of them came to the agency, leaving well-paid jobs in the private sector behind.
Ethical side of the coin
A study conducted by the FBI Agent Association among 7700 agents out of 11 thousand working for the FBI showed the following statistics. 80 people admitted that their families are in a very difficult financial situation.
A response to the FBI Agent Association study was the decision of the head of the FBI in Washington to reconsider the process of appointing employees of their departments to various branches of the agency throughout the country. The new plan has been implemented since 2006. Beginners are now sent to work not in large cities, but in those departments of the FBI where they will not face financial collapse.
Members of the FBI Agent Association cannot request a revision of the employment agreement regarding the salaries of the members of the association. Meanwhile, their representatives have already introduced their plan to both lawmakers and the FBI Director:
- increase in salaries,
- abolition of restrictions related to overtime,
- higher salaries for employees working in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.
As USA Today confirms, the FBI director agrees with this plan in principle, however, it is not in a hurry to seek approval from the White House and Congress.
“Of course, we will have to carefully approach the relocation of employees so that in each of the 56 branches of the FBI there is no personnel shortage,” said Mark Bullock, one of the heads of the department in charge of administrative matters.
According to him, reforms are vital, because the dissatisfaction of employees with the financial situation makes them leave the FBI, which has not happened before. According to the law, employees of this department can retire after serving in it for at least 20 years.