CBP officer

[lang2]

Forget being impatient. Go to Europe, hang out, drink various inebriating beverages, visit historical sites, concentration camps, and American cemeteries, remember, and be merry. You're time will come when it will come.

Advice taken. :-)

[lang2]

Unless you received a different background investigation packet, it actually says: "According to current statistics, only 2 out of every 5 applicants pass the polygraph. If you are found unsuitable, you cannot be employed in the position."

So if you do have to take a poly your chances of passing and becoming a CBPO are slim.

Dang, I jumped the gun. I just skimmed that paper- thanks for correcting me! It does say "you are required to submit to a background investigation, which will likely include a polygraph
examination" so maybe there's still hope for getting out of one...

[Drifting]

Advice taken. :-)

Ouch. Your reply made me realize that I misused "you're." I'm sure you realized I meant "your."

[javy03]

first time writing here, just apply for the CBP Officer announcement, taking the written exam next week.

[dadarknight06]

first time writing here, just apply for the CBP Officer announcement, taking the written exam next week.

Good luck!

[javy03]

Thanks, Just playing the wait game, i am waiting on Border Patrol since OCT, and U.S. Marshals this month. Will see what happends

[javy03]

Good luck!

Thanks, Just playing the wait game, i am waiting on Border Patrol since OCT, and U.S. Marshals this month. Will see what happends

sorry still getting use to this...

[endyg]

Does anybody know how strict is the backgrounds? I was arrested in 2002 but charges dropped.

[lckyl16]

first time writing here, just apply for the CBP Officer announcement, taking the written exam next week.

Wow that's fast. Good luck !

[dadarknight06]

Thanks, Just playing the wait game, i am waiting on Border Patrol since OCT, and U.S. Marshals this month. Will see what happends

sorry still getting use to this...

Best to you on all three.! I am also waiting on BP since October. But CBP is moving along just fine!

[lckyl16]

Does anybody know how strict is the backgrounds? I was arrested in 2002 but charges dropped.

Be truthful. Honest. Be yourself. If you hide it, they will find it.

[sandwichman]

Does anybody know how strict is the backgrounds? I was arrested in 2002 but charges dropped.

You mean, "how strict ARE the background investigations"? The forms you fill out ask you about your activities during the past 10 years and I believe eQip asks about "did you ever do xyz EVER in your life". At some point, during the BI or polygraph, they will ask you the same questions you filled out in the paperwork. When filling out the paperwork, provide detail where asked to, etc. Same thing, during BI or poly, they'll give you an opportunity to clarify whatever happened. Depending on what it was, they might let it slide (ie. you did nothing wrong and were at the wrong place at the wrong time), or they might not.

[DSgirlCA]

Don't do it! You will start all over again and risk being stuck for who-knows how long waiting for an opening in the west coast. My dad is an officer in the bay area and said only two officers were recently hired---they waited 2 years to get in. I wonder how many more are lined up waiting behind them?

The way I see it is that you will get your foot in the door. If you're miserable at your location and it takes way too long to relocate, you can always apply to a different gov agency. Or if you're really that miserable, then maybe cbpo just isn't really cut out for you. We can speculate and go through the 'what-ifs' infinitely, but we'll never really know until we're there.

Thanks! I really want this job so I'm going to just continue with SWB. I know if I apply for West Coast I probably wont get a TSL with my score. I don't want to ruin my chances.

[DSgirlCA]

Truthfully, you'll almost assuredly have options to move with 10 years. Whether you'll find those options palatable at the time might be an issue though.

My generic advice is if you want the job...follow the job. If you want the location...stick to the location and hope the job catches up to you.

I will say this...a person who invests 5 years into this job will end up having graduated from FLETC CBPOBT and whatever additional training programs he might pick up over those 5 years. He will have locked himself in to a GS-12 career ladder and he'll have made 300K-400K+ in salary during that time. That's worth something.

Whether or not he could do better somewhere else over those 5 years is a question that he'll have to answer for himself.

Thanks! I really want the job and I have to be realistic there is no way I can do better anywhere else. Even if I went back to school I would not make this kind of money in 5 years.....so SWB it is!

[barnaj]

Anybody on here ever go down to the SWB being from the North or Midwest, etc? Im just wondering how difficult the transition is and how you went about finding a place to stay (hotel, apartment) during pre-academy and after FLETC. Im from Michigan and was thinking about applying for SWB but not sure how much of a hardship that is.