CBP officer

[PureLife23]

What that means is that you will be at one of the bridges in Laredo. There are two PAX bridges, two cargo, a rail and the airport. I can tell you right now, you will be at either bridge one or two (pax only) when you start, and until you get enough time to move up in the B&R to get a cargo slot. The pax bridges are where the action is, you will see and do more there in a year than some do in a lifetime in some ports. Good luck to you sir.....you'll need it!!

Oh ok. Thank you for the reply, makes sense to me. my dilemma right now is that I want to work at a POE where I can get good experience like that but somewhere else. I'm not originally from the south part of Texas and have never really liked it here. Now I don't know if I should change my geographic selection or not because I'm scared that doing so might just delay my process for a way longer time.

[biggdawgdaddy]

Oh ok. Thank you for the reply, makes sense to me. my dilemma right now is that I want to work at a POE where I can get good experience like that but somewhere else. I'm not originally from the south part of Texas and have never really liked it here. Now I don't know if I should change my geographic selection or not because I'm scared that doing so might just delay my process for a way longer time.

I would not turn down Laredo, or try to change preference now. Laredo goes through a lot of new hires, and has hundreds assigned.

Having Laredo as your assignment is not the end of the world. If you are not from there, you will not like it, but everyone wants a job in your home town. Laredo is one of the busiest POE in the nation. You can work all aspects of the job with the exception of sea port operations, and when you transfer out to another POE, you can think back on your time at Bridge 2 and thank God you don't do that anymore!! Just remember get out of town as much as possible, and if you marry a local you are never leaving!

But if you get homesick for Bridge 2, go start your car, and stand next to the tail pipe, breath deep and let the nostalgia seep in, that is what I do.

[PureLife23]

I would not turn down Laredo, or try to change preference now. Laredo goes through a lot of new hires, and has hundreds assigned.

Having Laredo as your assignment is not the end of the world. If you are not from there, you will not like it, but everyone wants a job in your home town. Laredo is one of the busiest POE in the nation. You can work all aspects of the job with the exception of sea port operations, and when you transfer out to another POE, you can think back on your time at Bridge 2 and thank God you don't do that anymore!! Just remember get out of town as much as possible, and if you marry a local you are never leaving!

But if you get homesick for Bridge 2, go start your car, and stand next to the tail pipe, breath deep and let the nostalgia seep in, that is what I do.

Hahahah to your last paragraph. I've always wondered how those poor officers could breathe that air all day. I believe you're right about not changing the location...I pretty much have only the background check pending to be done and other than that I've done everything else in less than 3 months after taking the exam so I guess I feel pretty blessed to be doing it fairly quickly and changing my geographic preference may just mess everything up for me which I would not want to because I wanna work really bad already!

[yoda]

Hahahah to your last paragraph. I've always wondered how those poor officers could breathe that air all day. I believe you're right about not changing the location...I pretty much have only the background check pending to be done and other than that I've done everything else in less than 3 months after taking the exam so I guess I feel pretty blessed to be doing it fairly quickly and changing my geographic preference may just mess everything up for me which I would not want to because I wanna work really bad already!

You must have not searched or read the thread through to find out about GEO changes... It doesn't hurt you at all, in fact if you want another location rather than the one you applied for, it is better for you in the long run to go for the GEO change. If you have not been cleared and offered a job by the next announcement, and the POE you want is offered, simply apply and hope you get a new TO for the new location before they call you. Once they send out the NEW TO all of your steps will transfer AUTOMATICALLY to your new TO, and the first TO is cancelled out... there is absolutely nothing complicated about it, it is as simple as I just wrote it... just be mindful as to what POE you change to, since not all have lots of vacancies available, even though you have a pretty high score.
Good Luck with the rest of the process and keep in mind that it does take some time to go through all of the steps... only a lucky few are pushed through and some unlucky few are left in the forgotten zone (ME!)

[PureLife23]

You must have not searched or read the thread through to find out about GEO changes... It doesn't hurt you at all, in fact if you want another location rather than the one you applied for, it is better for you in the long run to go for the GEO change. If you have not been cleared and offered a job by the next announcement, and the POE you want is offered, simply apply and hope you get a new TO for the new location before they call you. Once they send out the NEW TO all of your steps will transfer AUTOMATICALLY to your new TO, and the first TO is cancelled out... there is absolutely nothing complicated about it, it is as simple as I just wrote it... just be mindful as to what POE you change to, since not all have lots of vacancies available, even though you have a pretty high score.
Good Luck with the rest of the process and keep in mind that it does take some time to go through all of the steps... only a lucky few are pushed through and some unlucky few are left in the forgotten zone (ME!)

ok...i've been reading around this thread for about 2 days now and I know you've been in the process for quite a while already cause of some situations. Let me wish you the best of luck and I hope you get to where you want soon enough. A big question that I have is: let's say that I change my geographic location to somewhere else; does that mean that as soon as I do that my current TO for Laredo gets cancelled or does it cancel until I get the new TO. I just don't want to be "in between" and have nothing in hand at any time.

[SD619]

hey everyone,

so i finally got the "Call". i EOD Jun 8th for Calexico Ca.. does anyone know where i can stay around there for preacademy. i'm from san diego, but don't want to commute everyday as it is about 110 miles one way.

[Bizzy930]

hey everyone,

so i finally got the "Call". i EOD Jun 8th for Calexico Ca.. does anyone know where i can stay around there for preacademy. i'm from san diego, but don't want to commute everyday as it is about 110 miles one way.

Congrats. There were alot of great individuals from Calexico in my class. GOod luck!

[TPA3312]

hey everyone,

so i finally got the "Call". i EOD Jun 8th for Calexico Ca.. does anyone know where i can stay around there for preacademy. i'm from san diego, but don't want to commute everyday as it is about 110 miles one way.

Congrats on getting called. It's good to hear the hiring hasn't completly freezed, just slowed to a snail's pace.

[biggdawgdaddy]

ok...i've been reading around this thread for about 2 days now and I know you've been in the process for quite a while already cause of some situations. Let me wish you the best of luck and I hope you get to where you want soon enough. A big question that I have is: let's say that I change my geographic location to somewhere else; does that mean that as soon as I do that my current TO for Laredo gets cancelled or does it cancel until I get the new TO. I just don't want to be "in between" and have nothing in hand at any time.

Where do you want to go? Like I said, Laredo is a large Port and people come and go (only 3 guys that I hired with are still there and that includes me!!) If you want Austin or San Antonio, those are very small offices and you will wait a long time. Those offices get filled with transfers from Laredo and not new hires for the most part. If you want to work, stick with the big ports. Change is possible, but best left to the current administration

[1-Tyme]

Any CBPA hirings or "calls" in Arizona

Hey my borthers and sisters behind and waiting to be behind the badge, just checking to see if anyone has gotten called up for CBPA in Arizona lately?

[USMC0844]

ok...i've been reading around this thread for about 2 days now and I know you've been in the process for quite a while already cause of some situations. Let me wish you the best of luck and I hope you get to where you want soon enough. A big question that I have is: let's say that I change my geographic location to somewhere else; does that mean that as soon as I do that my current TO for Laredo gets cancelled or does it cancel until I get the new TO. I just don't want to be "in between" and have nothing in hand at any time.

If you have a TO in hand, you can not change geo. locations. This is direct from an email I received from MHC:

If you have already been tentatively selected for the position of CBPO, then you cannot change your geographic location.

Your best option is going to be to reapply under a new announcement and hope that you get a TO for the new location before you get the call. The name of the game is to keep everything moving. If you withdraw your application, everything stops. Worst case is if you get the call, you turn down the offer and hope you get a TO on the new announcement.

[PureLife23]

Where do you want to go? Like I said, Laredo is a large Port and people come and go (only 3 guys that I hired with are still there and that includes me!!) If you want Austin or San Antonio, those are very small offices and you will wait a long time. Those offices get filled with transfers from Laredo and not new hires for the most part. If you want to work, stick with the big ports. Change is possible, but best left to the current administration

East Texas but I guess I would assume is not as in demand as Laredo?

[barnaj]

You must have not searched or read the thread through to find out about GEO changes... It doesn't hurt you at all, in fact if you want another location rather than the one you applied for, it is better for you in the long run to go for the GEO change. If you have not been cleared and offered a job by the next announcement, and the POE you want is offered, simply apply and hope you get a new TO for the new location before they call you. Once they send out the NEW TO all of your steps will transfer AUTOMATICALLY to your new TO, and the first TO is cancelled out... there is absolutely nothing complicated about it, it is as simple as I just wrote it... just be mindful as to what POE you change to, since not all have lots of vacancies available, even though you have a pretty high score.
Good Luck with the rest of the process and keep in mind that it does take some time to go through all of the steps... only a lucky few are pushed through and some unlucky few are left in the forgotten zone (ME!)

Don't forget about me too Yoda. Im with you brother.

[La Migra]

There are several ways to qualify at a higher grade. Academic achievement is one, education above 4 year degree is another, and experience is another. But you have to read the announcement as to what is allowed. You can conceivably be hired as a GS9 but you cannot be hired initially into the journeyman grade. Usually initial hires are 5 or 7 because that is what the announcement places as the entry level.

Merlin is right that CBP will hire more at the lower grade to save money. The questionaire usually asks if you will accept the lower entry grade even if you qualify at the higher grade. If you tell them you will not, then you will only be offered one of the few higher grades.

Almost everyone who was hired around the same time as I was got hired as a 7. The exception to that seemed to be the military guys who in my opinion really get screwed since most of them were 5s. I was initially sent a letter stating that they were qualifiying me as a 5, but I appealed it and they changed it to a 7 about a week later. When the final offer finally came it was at a 7.

Are they actually hiring at 9 now? I've never met anyone who came back from the academy as a 9.

[yoda]

USMC0844 & PURELIFE23

I have gone through the process of the change, I was also misinformed by MHC as to them telling me I had to turn down my offer to apply for another location, that is not the truth.
As I stated in my previous post, simply apply for the location you want on the next opening, your current offer will still move on as it has until you are issued a new TO for the new location. At that point everything transfers over AUTOMATICALLY to the new offer and the old one is withdrawn. You will then receive a new packet in the mail, since they have to make a new file for the Forms, which you fill out and send in...

If you ask 3 different people at MHC about this you will get 3 different answers, trust me, this is the way I did it and others have as well.

You will basically have to hope you get the new TO before you get the "call", cause at that point you will have to accept the "offer" or you will be withdrawn from the process.

barnaj
We're still here bud!... I was told last week that my file was adjudicated and that I should find out the outcome soon! The Sup told me my file had gone through everyone and that I should expect a call from HR... We'll see what happens I guess.