CBP officer

[JStyleszx]

Failed to submit eQip back in September for 18-11. Reapplied to 19-2. Gs-5 . Final semester of college. I’m currently 23 years of age & probably wont get hired till the age of 25...

Anybody who had to retake the entrance exam , Was it easier ? Harder ? Same stuff ? Scored better or worst ?

[mobyfish]

I scored the same. You can use a calculator on the math section now. Seemed to me like the same stuff from the exsm i took in May. If you yook the exam after august 5th you dont have to take it again.

[V_AntCBP]

Almost same stuff, they changed couple questions around, they let you use basic calculator, I scored 1pt more than last one. You were 18-11, did you take entrance prior August 5th? If you did, don't need to retake..You will receive NOR for entrance soon.... You mentioned final semester of college, so in Jan 2019, you should have your degree, reapply again for GS7, make sure your transcript has degree AWARDED DATE on last page somewhere....Very important. I requested my transcript 2 weeks after graduation to apply for jobs, well, that transcript doesn't show conferred date. so they didn't qualified me GS7. They don't care if you have 4.0, 120 credits, it has to have the date...Had to reapply all over again. so make sure...Transcript doesn't update your last semester grades and degree awarded 1-2 months after graduation.... JStyleszx

[JStyleszx]

I took my exam Aug 2nd. I was already aware i had to retake the exam. Gs7 requires for a gpa of 3.0 & above.. i am a little under 3.0 and i doubt i’ll finish this semester with straight As to reach that 3.0. Can’t wait to retake the exam ! Will keep you guys updated . Hopefully they can transfer my physical & medical results .

[JDalhoff]

Anyone applied to announcement CBPO 17-11 heard anything back? I’m still sitting at 50% complete with Polygraph pending, BI in progress, and drug test in progress. This has been over a year since I applied and still waiting.

[Hal29]

Why did you have to resubmit medical?

[JDalhoff]

Wasn’t really resubmit but I had to get more paperwork done on surgery I had. Turned in paperwork 2 days later. Was accepted and completed a month later in May.

[Hal29]

Crazy how everyone varies. I had surgery and told them but never had to submit additional info. But my medical still took two months.

[JDalhoff]

Right! I mean it went quickly for me but ever since my medical passed and my SI passed in May. It’s been crickets ever since. It’s been well over a year on this process. It kinda makes you lose hope, especially when the Poly is strict and eliminates most everyone.

[klocklear86]

I got a selected on my usajobs.gov 19-2 GS9, but I'm still waiting on BI to clear and Drug test and I've not talked to anyone. Is that true and if so how long before I do get a job offer?

[klocklear86]

Yes I have completed all but the BI and drug test. i Reapplied 2 weeks ago. Orginal 18-6 DH 5-7. I've been with the Bureau of Prisons for 3 years..Just wondering?

[AlexTejada23]

It is possible. I Reapplied from an announcement originally in September 2017 then applied to the 18-8 announcement in May of 2018. Originally trying to go to Boston switched over to go to Dulles. After everything switched, I was able to get through the Poly, Drug Test, TSU and get my dates while background pending. Never spoken with anyone until now, after I got my provisional clearance and accepted dates then I started talking with investigators and them interviewing my friends.

Poly 1 time: July 2018
Poly 2nd time: August 2018
Drug Test: September 12, 2018
TSU: September 12, 2018
Call: September 16, 2018

[klocklear86]

I know this is a dumb question. But what is TSU?

[vik2500]

klocklear86 - training and scheduling unit. That’s the email you get right before you get the call with the job offer

[N.N.]

This is random, but I was just curiously looking at the most recent CBPO announcement and noticed that Saipan was a listed location. Gotta be honest, I had no idea what that location was before looking it up lol.

[ES90]

I'm sure you mean Saipan?

[N.N.]

ES90 ah yes, autocorrect lol

[TonyJones]

I was gonna say Saigon??? N.N. that's where I was born... Saigon VietNam, lol, I had to read announcement again to make sure....

[Alexr3496]

Can anyone give me an estimate of real world pay for a GS7 in Maine?

[N.N.]

There are some useful GS pay calculators you can find with a google search. GS7 is gonna be in the 40-44K range.

[Moloaay]

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-over...f/2018/BOS.pdf
GS 7 step 1 for Maine 45707

[co5518]

I currently work for the Bureau of Prisons. Will my EOD for the BOP carry over for seniority or will I start back at the bottom in seniority with my new EOD for CBP?

[merlin436]

Your prior BOP time will count for things other than seniority. Things like time in overall service towards earning 6 and 8 hours of annual leave per pay period.

[Evolution81]

it should count for your annual vacation bid also

[merlin436]

K. Seniority will be determined by:
- 33 -
(1) For GS-1895 CBP Officers, the total time an employee has served as a GS-1895 CBP Officer, including Canine and Enforcement, and any time served as a Customs Inspector in the heritage U.S. Customs Service or as an Immigration Inspector in the heritage Immigration and Naturalization Service, including Canine and Enforcement. For GS-401 CBP Agricultural Specialists, the total time the employee has served as a GS-401 CBP Agricultural Specialist, including Canine, and any time served as a PPQ Officer, including Canine, in the heritage Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
(2) In the event it is necessary to resolve ties after step (1), the total time an employee has served in CBP and heritage agency, regardless of position, will be used. For example, the time a current GS-1895 CBP Officer spent as a PPQ Officer at APHIS will count towards seniority in this step.
(3) In the event it is necessary to resolve ties after step (2), the total time in Federal government service (i.e., SCD) will be used.
(4) In the event it is necessary to resolve ties after step (3), the methodology provided by the local NTEU Chapter President for the port of entry will be used. Such methodology shall be provided prior to the bid cycle each year. Absent identification, the default methodology will be a random process determined by CBP.
Less than full-time employment will be credited for seniority purposes in accordance with the above on a pro-rated basis.

http://www.nteu173.org/uploads/8/7/3..._attach_2_.pdf

That's pulled from the current CBA. Annual leave bids typically follow the above...unless there is some local union/management agreement to allow for bids in some other fashion.

[co5518]

merlin436 thank you!!

[ACO88]

Is overtime required at all locations on a regular basis?

[merlin436]

The technical answer is yes...the practical answer is often no...or, at least, maybe.

Lots of ports have minimal overtime availability...especially in the smallest ones. In the oddest of situations, a person might be forced out once or twice a year...but, for many CBPOs, regular, scheduled, reliable overtime simply doesn't exist...or exists only infrequently and sparingly.

[JPOL]

Do you automatically move up the GS each year until GS12?

[TonyJones]

merlin436 How you get steps increase?,automatic, like seniority promotion? or base on the training you did, and good behavior (be on time, do OT, etc..) during the time?
https://www.cbp.gov/careers/cbpo-pay-and-benefits
Just found some good info on cbp site about pay and benefits...

[merlin436]

Good behavior. It almost never happens that a person is denied a step increase.

[JPOL]

Yeah I read that website and was kind of confused how they would assume locality and overtime. I just used a GS calculator for easier reference. I know you can search up what benefits you have online when you become a federal employee, but all the specifics are still new to me.

[merlin436]

If it makes anyone feel better, I do not understand that chart either. From the looks of it, they take base GS-12 pay(which basically no one earns) then add a average of all the locality pays( Which no one earns...since, if you work in Houston, you get Houston locality pay. If you work in Pembina, ND...you get Rest of the US pay. If yo work anywhere else, you get that particular locality pay. Nobody gets averaged locality pay.) Then they add averaged shift differentials(Again, no one gets averaged shift differentials. Either you get a shift differential...or you dont.)

All that, and they come up with an earnings figure of 95K...which I would say is rather overly optimistic for the average 12/01.

[Evolution81]

Back from my temp ban due to someones sensitive *** on here.....just finished my poly on sunday..VERBAL PASS IM IN THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 17 10 GS9 applicant

[V_AntCBP]

Congrats @Evolution81
How long was the poly? Where did you take it?

[Hal29]

Why it take So long to get scheduled for poly?

[Evolution81]

Polygraph was 4 hours and I took it in texas...I got held up in medical hell for 9 months

[Hal29]

Yeah I took mine in Texas as well.

[SimpleLifeCA]

Hello my fellow applicants,

I need your advice. I'm a 18-9 regular announcement and currently waiting for poly. I'm from Los Angeles but when I applied, LA isn't available, so I chose San Francisco instead. But now I just noticed LA is open up again. I really want LA so do you guys think I should reapply for LA, or should I wait til I get the call and negotiate with the hiring team?

Any advice and suggestions are appreciated. Thank you!

[co5518]

i did the same thing rachrose77 did..jfk was not on my announcement but I asked for it when they called to offer the job

[KeepingFaith83]

SimpleLifeCA Good afternoon, I spoke with a recruiter... I was advised to reapply for the location I really wanted if it is in the recent announcement. It may slow down your process but all your info will be carried over from your previous announcement

[Monkey12582]

Same page as you. After SI ON 9/4. Still waiting for poly. 18-9 also

[MrAce]

18-9 here too, waiting on the Polly as well

[rachrose77]

Yea I wouldn’t go through the hassle of reapplying if you applied to a regular announcement that said “location negotiatable”. They list cities that are more likely to have openings at the time of your final offer but in all honesty your final offer could be anywhere from 5 months-almost 2 years. There is no telling what will be open then so as long as you didn’t apply to DH then simply ask for which place you want when they called. I was 17-10 location negotiable
and there were all the places I’ve never even heard of lol then got nervous when 18-3 came out and offered queens (jfk). I didn’t reapply but when they called and offered me
tons of locations I just spoke up and asked if JFK was available and they said “sure we can do that”.

[Evolution81]

What places did they offer that wasnt on the current announcement?

[rachrose77]

Places in California and Arizona that I’ve never rreally heard of and im sure she would
have offered more if I didn’t stop the conversation and sau
that I live in NY and want to stay there. All of us applciants
have to realize that it’s CBP job to get officers to critical
location so of course they will mention and push those locations but it’s our job as potential employees to ask for the most convenient locations for us and our families. Never hurts to ask for what you want

[mobyfish]

Since they moved over to this new system, has anyone received an email like this? And could you tell me what to expect?

USA staffing website is down and its driving me nuts!!

[mobyfish]

Hal29 I had everything completed previously.

[Hal29]

I referring to Tluv but I get. I'm 17-11 and still sitting at 63%

[Hal29]

By the way, what do you mean they moved to a new system. Everything seems the same to me.

[mobyfish]

Hal29 previously they would send you emails with forms that you need to sign and send back... but now they made it easier to do.. They assign you a task and you do it on the USA STAFFING website...

I guess my call is coming again soon because last time when they emailed me about filling out the OF-306, I received the call two days later after filling it out and sending it back to them.. and thats the task I had to complete today..

[jdop7]

Has anyone taken the medical exam recently for CBPO? Is there a depth perception portion to the exam, because the website does not mention it. However, it does mention it for Border Patrol.

[Alexr3496]

There is a depth perception portion , and a color vision portion

[Camelbak]

Did it today. Yes there is a depth perception portion. The whole exam only took around 15 minutes, I was surprised it was that fast.

[Evolution81]

Got the official email today..i passed the poly...boy was that 4 hours mentally draining...glad to be over it...i dont want to take one ever again..LOL

[KevinMO91]

It only took you a day to get an email back with a confirmation? I took my 2nd poly last Wednesday and was verbally told I passed. I'm still waiting on a confirmation email.

[Evolution81]

yea poly guy said ill send an email when QC approves the results...im guessing its up to how proactive your guy is...he was a good poly dude..even though i was still anxious as hell

[Hal29]

Mine took to weeks but my examiner went on vacation.

[KevinMO91]

Evolution81 interesting, all my examiner told me was that I passed and that he would pass the results up as far as time he said it could be a week to months. I'm really hoping to hear something this week.