How to Become an NCIS Special Agent

The Navy Criminal Investigative Service, NCIS, is a team of special agents, forensic scientists, and other support personnel that provide security for Navy forces. NCIS protects Navy men, women, and resources through criminal investigation and counterintelligence work. To join NCIS as a special agent, you do not need to be in the Navy. Civilians can apply for special agent jobs without any military experience. NCIS special agents are just one of several career choices for someone interested in navy civilian jobs. Civilian job opportunities include intelligence analyst positions, forensic scientists, and professional staff.

NCIS Special Agents’ Job

The NCIS website states that their top priorities are to “Prevent Terrorism, Protect Secrets, and Reduce Crime.” NCIS special agents have a wide variety of duties, from criminal investigation to antiterrorism. They can also expect to work in a variety of places, including foreign countries. Special agents receive training in crime scene investigation, fraud investigation, and foreign counterintelligence, among many others. The training available to special agents is discussed later in the article.

NCIS Special Agent Requirements

There are no specific majors required to be an NCIS special agent, but applicants are required to have at least a bachelor’s degree to be considered. Other special agent requirements include being under the age of 37, being a US citizen and having vision correctable to 20/20.

When applying to be a special agent, you will have to take a psychological exam and a reading comprehension/judgment test.

Applicants must also be able to pass a background screening and a drug screening. You cannot have used marijuana at all within the last 3 years, or more than 15 times in your life. Special agent applicants must meet more stringent requirements regarding any other drug use.

NCIS Special Agent Training

According to the NAVCOPS website, once hired, new NCIS agents have a 15-week course called the NCIS Basic Agent Course. Part of this course consists of basic criminal investigation training and then six weeks of training specific to NCIS.

After this, special agents receive an additional eight hours of training each month. New hires will also be under the careful supervision of field training agents who will help the new agents learn on the job.

As special agents progress through their careers, they will be able to select more specific technical training courses.

NCIS Special Agent Salaries

NCIS special agents’ salary starts, at the lowest, at the GS-7 level. According to the 2008 Government Salary table, this is $36,870 a year. They also receive +25% of this salary for being available for work 24 hours a day.

This is, however, a minimum. According to the NCIS Special Agent Applicant Handbook, the starting special agent salary varies on a case-by-case basis. In addition, as an NCIS employee, the agent will be eligible for government benefit programs.

Sources:

NCIS Special Agent Information Booklet. U.S. Department of Defense. http://ncis.navy.mil/downloads/NCIS_Special_Agent_Applicant_Infobooklet.doc

Special Agent Careers. Navy Criminal Investigative Service. http://ncis.navy.mil/join/agent.asp

NCIS Special Agent Position. NAVCOPS Network. http://www.navcops.com/information/questions.php?questionid=14