The duties of Customs and Immigration Officers were combined into a Customs and Border Protection CBP) Officer with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. CBP Officers work at all ports of entry and international airports, performing both Immigration and Customs related duties; though their main focus is anti-terrorism-locating weapons of mass effect and terrorists.
Why Would You Want a Career with CBP?
Location! A Career as a CBP Officer allows you to work in almost every big city in the United States that has an international airport along with every Port of Entry along the Canadian and Mexican Border. Once established, you can compete for positions in different parts of the U.S. or even the world! CBP has pre-clearance and other such jobs at most large cities around the world.
Stability and Career Enhancement! This is a federal job and the odds of being laid off are slim to none. CBP Officers have the chance to promote after only a few years on the job. It is not unreasonable to work a half dozen years at one location and then transfer to another location to pursue various opportunities across the country and world as a supervisor, intelligence specialist or analyst and an array of other higher grade (more pay) jobs.
Pay! The CBP Officer Journeyman Level is a GS-12. According to OPM.Gov, base pay for a GS-12 is $28.88 an hour. Locality pay is different and is based on the cost of living for an area; for Eastern Washington the rate is $32.97 an hour, a substantial difference. After you reach the journeyman grade, you will receive step increases with time in service, equating to more money.
Overtime, which is plentiful at many locations, is paid at true double-time for CBP Officers.
CBP Officers receive an extra 15 percent for working any night shift and an extra 50% for working a Sunday. Those numbers add up quickly!
Retirement: All CBP Officers are now under the Federal Law Enforcement Retirement, meaning that you can retire with 20 years in at age 50 or at any age with 25 years in. I detailed this retirement plan in a previous article.
This enhanced retirement became law only a couple of years ago and truly augments the benefits of the job.
Unlike the Border Patrol whose force is mostly men, the career of a CBP Officer is much more attractive to females. The Port closest to me has a 5 to 2 ratio of women to men!
Training and Probation.
Newly hired CBP Officers will have to show up at the Port they were selected for and then they will be flown to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia for approximately 4 months of intensive training. The new employee will be on probation for several months after completing the academy.
Requirements for the Job.
CBP is a great paying job that requires only a high school diploma or GED. An applicant has to be less than 37 years of age before being hired and of good moral character. An intensive background check will be conducted before employment. The applicant should be in good physical condition as the academy will not be easy.
Obtaining a job as a CBP Officer is not easy and there are lots of hoops to jump through and getting a job offer often takes 6 months to over a year. Once you are hired, it is truly like winning the lottery as your horizons will broaden considerably.
Apply for this job at www.usajobs.gov and enter cbp officer in the search box. This job is not always open so keep checking!
Sources:
OPM.Gov, Salary and Wages
Bob Wilson, Retirement Under the Special Category for Federal Employees, Yahoo Contributor Network
