Before law school I was offered a special agent job with the FBI. It took me 3 or 4 interviews, exams and some lengthy background check to get the job. The whole process took about 1.5 years. When the offer finally came through I had been working with a company on wall street for about a year. In my opinion you are wasting your law school education if you become a special agent with FBI after graduation, as I was able to secure an offer with only undergrad degree. Maybe FBI general counsel would be a better fit. And, don't forget, the pay scale for special agent is quite abysmal. You are just federal cop, slightly more prestigious than city cop but not much more. Movies can be misleading.
i originally applied for the FBI Phase 1 special agent postion when i was still in the military, i got out in '03. they just called me two weeks ago to see if i was still interested in phase II and i've had a full scope security clearance since 1998 (meaning i don't have to go through as rigorous a background check). 1.5 years is the time they tell everybody but realistically it takes 2-5 years from the time you apply until you enter into active service (if you have a squeeky clean record). that's for any government job that requires a security clearance, not just the FBI. do not work for the FBI. special agents start out at GS-10 which is somewhere around 50K. it takes an average of 10 years(if you're a jack bauer type) to, like most people, 15-20 years to get to a GS-15 which is somewhere around 100K. above that is the executive schedule 115K and above, but you have to wait for someone to die or retire to make that and there will be a long line of people ahead of you who've been waiting longer. if you want to work for the goverment with a law degree, the justice department is a better option.
Quote from: jarhead on July 09, 2007, 05:43:40 PMi originally applied for the FBI Phase 1 special agent postion when i was still in the military, i got out in '03. they just called me two weeks ago to see if i was still interested in phase II and i've had a full scope security clearance since 1998 (meaning i don't have to go through as rigorous a background check). 1.5 years is the time they tell everybody but realistically it takes 2-5 years from the time you apply until you enter into active service (if you have a squeeky clean record). that's for any government job that requires a security clearance, not just the FBI. do not work for the FBI. special agents start out at GS-10 which is somewhere around 50K. it takes an average of 10 years(if you're a jack bauer type) to, like most people, 15-20 years to get to a GS-15 which is somewhere around 100K. above that is the executive schedule 115K and above, but you have to wait for someone to die or retire to make that and there will be a long line of people ahead of you who've been waiting longer. if you want to work for the goverment with a law degree, the justice department is a better option.Parts of what you say is true, parts are not. I have a government job with a security clearance and it did NOT take 2.5 years to get lol. I interviewed right out of college and was hired 6 months later. Also, most government positions are career ladder positions. 3 years later, I'm a GS-12 and eligible for my GS-13 very soon. It's beyond 13 that things can take a while, but with the current climate of retirees it is a pretty good time to be a fed. However, a lot depends on your series. I'm in a pretty high demand series so the pay grade jumps have been good to me, however, there are a TON of higher grade attorneys in the government right now and therefore it is slow moving past GS-12 in many agencies.It all depends on what you want. I have no desire to work for the feds after law school. If I did, I wouldn't be going through the hell that is law school because I can make a good government wage without it.
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