Any new NCIS news???

[LRTPA]

hound66 October 1st.

[hound66]

Congrats. Good luck.
This forum is a bit of a blessing to be able to see how others are progressing and a curse because it makes one wonder why they haven't gotten to the same point the process.

[Rickyrecon012]

Stuck in a conundrum, i know it is very common for people to be applying at multiple agencies at the same time, but how do you guys the final decision. Do you go by the first agency to send you an offer? Currently waiting on FBI, DEA, ATF, and Postal. oh and now NCIS

[kb9977]

I've always been told to jump on the first offer as another isn't guaranteed.

[Radio Raheem]

Usually it's the first one that gives you an offer. Also it depends on your unique situation. Are you currently and gainfully employed? Do you have a family? Do you have a preferred location? How far along are your applications? Do you have a preferred agency? What are they offering in terms of pay?

I can tell you the highest initial pay would be FBI since they start you off at a GL-10 with room for negotiation within steps based on your experience and or previous fedgov pay. So if you are already a GS12 then they will give you a GL10 step whatever to get as close to your pay as possible. This is how they attract a wide array of professionals including doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants, computer guys/gals, etc. However, they won't tell you your location until like week 5 of the academy. DEA kind of does the same thing as far as location.

Each agency has different promotion processes, but ATF and FBI are the most straight forward (one year between each paygrade up to 13).

Postal Inspectors have the shortest academy at 14 weeks. Everyone else is six months give or take a couple of weeks. Also the Postal inspectors will pay for two trips home during the academy.

FBI will pay for your move to your initial assignment. I'm not sure if DEA does.

ATF and DEA will pigeon-hole you into one field of investigation. If that doesn't bother you, then disregard.

NCIS most likely will not be affected by any shut down since they are under the department of defense. They were still getting paid the last shutdown.

Aside from USSS and the department of state, NCIS SAs move to different offices as a condition of their employment. They are sometimes shipped overseas.

ATF seemed more laid back as far as office environment. I want to say that it is the smallest agency out of these five, but I could be wrong.

FBI has the biggest budget, the most resources, and the most training opportunities.

If I were in your situation, it would be FBI then ATF then Postal Inspectors, then NCIS then DEA. However, my preferences differ. I hope this helps.

[Rickyrecon012]

Thanks for the input guys, really appreciate it! I recognize some of your names from other forums, so again thanks for any and all input. Sgt0844 seen you around a lot too and it seems like you are in the works for multiple agencies? Have you picked one yet, or are you in my position as well, trying to decide which agency is best?

[kb9977]

Update on my status:

Applied: 1/19
Panel Interview: 4/19
Poly: 4/19
Medical: 4/19
Drug Test: 5/19
Background Notification: 7/19
OPM contacted References: 8/19

For what it's worth, when I spoke with my BI they mentioned they were looking to fill a January class.

[Wojo8]

I received a COE in late May and I see people are finally being contacted about interviews, but I haven't received anything... Should I reach out to Code10?

[hound66]

I don't think it would hurt to reach out to them. Worst case they will tell you that they will contact you if they need anything.

[Brightlife]

Congrats! I know it took them a little under 2 months to set me up with my panel after I received my COE. Like hound66 said, it doesn't hurt to reach out to them. I do know they are still working with limited funds until the new fiscal year, so don't be too discouraged

[kb9977]

It doesn't hurt to reach out, just remember that interview scheduling is prominently based on logistics. I.e availability of office/agents for interviews, funds, #of applicants etc...

[Saber5]

Bothering Code 10 isn’t going to expedite the process.

[Saber5]

Just to clear this up and you can find this in the same thread a hundred or so pages back but it’s common knowledge that a COE means nothing, it’s like being referred for a position. It doesn’t guarantee you a interview, a job or anything. It’s just a way for the agency to track qualified applicants. Most applicants will shake out during interview, background, poly, medical and reference checks. There are way more COEs offered than positions available, this process takes time and patience is needed. If you don’t have the patience to wait out this process then this probability isn’t the line of work for you. Even in a great economy agencies like FBI and even NCIS can be extremely selective, just some food for thought.

[jbjlc]

Good Evening y’all,

I received my conditional job offer from code 10. In the email they said they will contact me with an interview date. For those of you that have gone through the interview process can you please give some pointers/advice? Also, I have heard that there is a writing sample. Is that true?

good luck to everyone in the process.

[Jagger3939]

Rickyrecon012 You said you got your COE on 8/27, which was last Tuesday.. but had your interview and poly same week?

[Rickyrecon012]

Jagger3939 thought it was going to take longer too! I’m glad NCIS is moving fast. Hopefully be in the academy by next fiscal year

[Saber5]

Your timeline makes no sense at all and I don’t believe you.

[Rickyrecon012]

Saber5 you dont believe me? oh man, what am I gonna do now that a random person online doesnt believe me....

[AV1195]

Can anyone help me out with this. I applied and got a COE back in June. Havent had interview yet. Any chance I can make it into the next FLETC class? I've never traveled abroad, dont even have a passport, all my work and school is in one location in the NorthEast, so my background may be quicker than others.

[LRTPA]

The best advice I can give is to treat the federal hiring process similar to how you treat good barbecue. Just set it and forget it mostly. The fed works on their own clock and you should never plan your life around what you think should happen. I’ve seen guys get hired in 6 months but they are few and far between. Most applicants take 12-24 months before they are hired. The fact that you have never been anywhere helps very little, it all depends on when your background investigation begins and how motivated or organized the investigator is who is conducting the investigation. I would not plan on making the next class if I were you. A COE is barely the first step in the process and is not a guarantee that you will be hired. I don’t want to come off as discouraging by any means, only realistic. You should pursue any opportunity that comes your way while you are in this process and try to put this in the back of your mind. Just check your email regularly and hope for the best. Otherwise you’re just going to stress yourself out over something you have no control over.

[Saber5]

If you’ve never had a background, eQIP, security clearance etc. regardless of living in the same town your whole life it will not speed this process up. The government moves SLOW, if you are frustrated by this process you’re in for a treat once you start working any federal job. NCIS is not a glamour job whatsoever, ask any agent. The majority of the job is paperwork, sitting behind a desk writing reports. The majority of your cases involve sexual assault. Sexual assaults are ranpid in navy and marine corps, it’s not traditional LE or even close to what a FBI agent does.

[roadto1811]

I wouldn't say sex assault is ranpid in the navy/Marine corps. Sure it happens alot, but the bar is so low on what counts as a felony sex assault that the numbers get skewed. Blame Congress for that, not the military.

[LRTPA]

I thought I should post my timeline of events:

Current 1811 applied for the 13 lateral position.

-Emailed my resume and transcripts to Code10 - 5/16/19
-Received and submitted background questionnaire and application to Code10 - 5/17/19.
-Received COE - 5/30/19
-Credit Check - 5/30/19
-Scheduled panel interview for 10/01/19 - 08/27/19
-Received and submitted e-QIP packet and location preference sheet - 09/02/19.

[Jagger3939]

Taking a shot in the dark, but anyone know when they will be scheduling interviews at the Newport, RI office?

[MTB517]

Taking a shot in the dark, but anyone know when they will be scheduling interviews at the Newport, RI office?

+1 I contacted code 10 being that it’s been over a month since COE and still haven’t been scheduled for interview. Was advised I’ll be scheduled in Newport “shortly.”

[Saber5]

I heard November for Newport, RI applicants.

[Radio Raheem]

Are the interviews being scheduled for those from RI, or are they just interviewing people at the Newport office? If so, I can stock up on my coffee milk while I'm up there. lol.

[Jagger3939]

Radio Raheem I live in the Midwest and was told I would be sent to the Newport office for the interview when scheduled.

[kb9977]

It's not uncommon for fed agencies to require travel for the hiring process, if anything it weeds out the applicants. Especially for an agency as small as NCIS. For example, the USMS required all interviews in DC. No agency is hurting to fill 1811 spots.

[Saber5]

Logistically it doesn’t make a lot of sense especially if they want you to Poly the next day. I hope if they offer follow on polys it’s the same day. I’ll have to fly home, I can’t afford to take a bunch of days off work.

[roadto1811]

There's been a lot of negative comments regarding NCIS on this forum, like we're not traditional LE, not like FBI, paperwork, etc etc. Much of it is has its truths. 90% of your day is writing reports, the other 9% is probably interviews, and then remaining 1% being other stuff, even sexy LE stuff. If you want to be a bang bang special agent that want to arrest a bunch of people and throw cuffs on them, this is not for you. We do not arrest may people, but instead have command being people over. We do not "charge" people the traditional way, but instead turn our investigative reports over to command for them to decide what to do. It can be frustrating. But, the new director is definitely trying to get help with all of the sex assault cases and is really trying to make the agency a great place to work. He's made so many policy changes over the past 3 months that he is not all talk, which is encouraging.

I work at a very busy office, which = sex assault cases. It get old, but I say wait until you get to an OCONUS billet where NCIS shines. The job is night and day between a CONUS Crim billet and an OCONUS crim/CI billet. You want to travel to some cool places overseas? NCIS is for you. Want to work with the military? For you. Want to be more of a jack of all trades agent throughout your career? For you. You can do Crim, if you get bored, go CI or CT. Bored if that? Go back to Crim or a JTTF billet. NCIS has so much going for it, but lately (since 2012) has been saddlesd by the sex assault cases that are mandated by Congress, which mean we can't choose what to accept and what not to accept. Director is trying to get help with these so agents can do actual agent work. Many people get tired of the sex assaults and leave for another 1811 job only to realize other agencies have the same BS and end up coming back because they realize NCIS is a great place to work , and has great work life balance.

What I'm trying to say is NCIS is great, I don't think it's living up to its full potential because it's starting to turn into a sex assault investigative agency with too much energy focused on CYA, but I think that is starting to change back to reach it's potential with the new director. Don't listen to the haters because there are many negative nancies in the agency, who don't realize other agencies put up with the same BS.

Bottom line= if you want to get in shootouts, arrest people, cuff people and send them to jail, this is not for you. Do you want to have a career that's always changing and not be pigeonholed into a specialty, travel the world and do some really cool stuff with international agencies and have a life outside of work? Come to NCIS. Like every job field, all 1811 positions arent the same, and all have their pros and cons. Just need to find what you want.

Edit: I will add, if you really want to do the bang bang stuff, NCIS has the REACT team. Many offices also have a narcotics team. So the opportunities are there to do cool stuff beyond being a "regular" agent.

[cbp1363]

The above poster is correct in everything they stated. I think it’s important to note sexual assault is a broad term. A person touching another person’s butt outside of clothing would be considered sexual assault and a felony according to the military. So you will open a federal investigation for literal butt touches. Ncis is a great place to work and you will be well compensated for what you are actually doing; however, if you want to put away the “bad guy” or disrupt major criminal organizations this is not the agency for you. The excitement of being an 1811 wears off very fast work wise because of the type of cases you will be working. Your non ncis citp classmates will be running more intricate investigations than you will be early in your career. With that being said Ncis treats you better than any Leo agency I’ve ever worked for, the Director is awesome and a hard charger, and it’s a family atmosphere. This agency has way more pros than cons, but before I got in I wish I understood what exactly a sexual assault was and that all my cases would be literally one type of crime.

[roadto1811]

Yeah, the butt touches really wear on you as you have a full blown case on someone claiming they were assaulted for their butt being touched. Per the UCMJ, that is a felony. Blame Congress for this one and having them tie our hands on these, but hopefully this will change sometime in the future. At least raise the bar on what qualifies as felony assault, or give us the ability to decline certain sex assault cases.

NCIS doesn't run and gun like USMS does. But at the same time, USMS doesn't have the same power and authority to run investigations like NCIS does, so really it's what you want out of being an 1811 as I mentioned above.

If you're assigned to a Marine Corps base, be ready for 90% of your caseload to be sex assaults.

Your peers in CITP will be running more "interesting" cases early on (as long as they aren't an MCIO either, which if that's the case it'll be the same lol). But this will even out in a few years when you go CI or CT, or even transfer overseas, where you're working foreign Intel/terrorism cases or ops. Or even in Crim, you would be working alongside foreign agencies in solving crime that occurs overseas. Other agencies for the most part do not get this breadth of experience, and are actually doing the same thing in the US (let alone the same city) for their career. I'll take NCIS's mission every time. It's like a criminal investigation agency and an intelligence agency rolled into one, and you can do it all of you want. You can't beat that.

My biggest piece of advise for new hires.... Cut your teeth on the sex assault cases at your first station. Although they can get old, if you can do those well you can do any type of case. Don't listen to the negative people that complain about everything because let's face it, they'll complain wherever they are. Learn how to work a case well the NCIS way, then transfer overseas. You won't regret it. NCIS is a great place to work, with the director already trying to make it even better. We're a small agency, so every agent's attitude really matters. I love what I do. Although it's wasn't as "special agent" as I thought when I first came onboard, just wait until you leave your first Crim billet. Night and day, and you will be doing some really cool stuff.

[FutureFed1988]

Great info. Thanks! One differentiator between NCIS and other 1811 agencies I've heard of is that NCIS agents are forced to move every 2-4 years. Is there truth to this? Not that I have an issue being away from my hometown (I'd like to relocate if possible, actually), but feeling like I shouldn't unpack my boxes until retirement may be a detractor.

[roadto1811]

Sign a mobility agreement, yes. Forced to move, depends on where you're stationed. Desirable places, you'll be forced to bid for your own job after a certain amount of years. Undesirable, you can stay as long as you want. OCONUS, still TBA.

[Rickyrecon012]

For us applicants in the “hiring pool”, what are you guys doing workout wise to get ready for the academy?

[Gosc1775]

I train BJJ 4x a week for an hour and a half. Functional strength circuit training prior to training 2x a week. Eat clean and and you should be ok with some cardio training. FLETC CITP is not a physically demanding course, as it is more focused on education. It is like a college campus with the occasional PT session, from what I can tell at least. I’ve spent about 4 months there attending various courses, so I was never treated like a recruit, but certainly observed their routine enough. Let me just say that there are those in attendance, with various agencies, that make me question the selection process, and likewise there are those where PT is an obvious requirement.

[Classsic]

I normally do a running regimen 4x a week, a p90x pushups and pullups routine once a week and BJJ 3x a week. All if that depends on the type and amount of injuries though. Most days i work out twice a day.

[Gosc1775]

Classsic, the gentle art is sometimes not so gentle.

[AV1195]

Just got an email from Code10 Oct 7 - Oct 11 is the time frame for my interview in RI.

[Gosc1775]

Good luck!

[AV1195]

Gosc1775 thanks!

[IntelPro]

Hey guys; long time viewer, first time poster. It's always a pleasure to communicate with like-minded individuals, chasing similar dreams, praying that their coveted dreams of becoming an 1811 comes true. I am chasing that dream, and I wish everyone on this forum much success. I received an email today, and I'm scheduled to interview in the next few weeks. Anyone familiar with clearance reciprocity? I'm quite sure NCIS has their own vetting strategy, but I wonder if current clearance holders have a leg-up. When I worked for the DOE/NNSA, it did. #Motivation

[Brightlife]

Good luck on your process! Where are you applying out of? And I’m not 100% certain but a few posts back I saw someone say that NCIS will do their own investigation regardless of what you have already. Either way good luck with your journey!!