The Life of an FBI Special Agent
The primary function of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is to protect the United States and its citizens from every threat, foreign and domestic. FBI special agents are the front line of FBI investigative and protective efforts, on-call 24 hours a day and with jurisdiction in all 50 states. A career as a special agent in the FBI is unlike any other, changing from day to day and always challenging in both its physical and mental demands.
Essential Role
FBI special agents "are responsible for conducting sensitive national security investigations and for enforcing over 300 federal statutes," the government's FBI Jobs site says. As a result of this broad responsibility, special agents are frequently called in to assist with investigations on a national scale with the Department of Homeland Security, as well as to investigate federal and interstate crimes. A special agent might be assigned to a task force or case that involves a wide range of crimes including cybercrime, public corruption, bribery, kidnapping and drug-trafficking.
FBI Priorities
Special agents' lives are dedicated to vital priorities outlined by the FBI. Among the most essential of these priorities are those to protect the U.S. from terrorist attacks, against foreign intelligence, against cyber-based attacks and crimes, and from the exploitation or impingement of civil rights. Every special agent must also combat corruption at all levels of government and private business, criminal organizations, white-collar crimes and major violent crimes.
FBI Core Values
FBI special agents must uphold several core values in their all their efforts to protect the nation. The first and most significant is a "rigorous obedience to the Constitution of the United States," FBI Jobs says. The other values attest to specific aspects outlined by the Constitution, including respect for the dignity of all within the U.S., compassion, fairness, strict personal and institutional integrity, acceptance of responsibility for all actions, and personal and professional leadership.
Career Paths
Several career paths exist for those who successfully complete the FBI background investigation and are given an appointment in the New Agents Class. The five paths are: intelligence, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, criminal and cyber. For those delegated to either counterintelligence or counterterrorism, further specialization exists in matters relating to weapons of mass destruction.
First Assignment
Once agents receive a specialization and complete any additional training, they are assigned to one of the 56 FBI field offices. Special agents are allowed to list assignment preferences beforehand, but the staffing needs of the FBI take precedence. Upon arriving at their first assignment, new special agents are placed under the direction of a veteran special agent for their first two probationary years and spend an average of three years in their first field office. Those special agents whose first assignments are in small or medium-sized field offices can expect to be transferred to one of the large field offices after their third year.
New Special Agent Salary
Recently assigned special agents each about $43,441 in base pay as of 2010, according to FBI Jobs. Locality and availability pay are added to the salary depending on the conditions of the first assignment. Locality pay involves an adjustment of 12.5 percent to 28.7 percent that is based on the differences of labor markets in various areas. Availability pay is a 25 percent increase in the adjusted pay (after addition of the locality pay) that is given to all special agents because they are required to work 50 hours a week. For new special agents who must relocate because of their first assignment, an additional one-time bonus of $22,000 is given. On average, a new special agent can expect to earn $61,100 to $69,900 as of 2010, FBI Jobs says.
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