Federal Air Marshal Pay vs Covered FED LEO Pay

[Forester87]

Why would you want to do that?

[Stay Frosty]

Can an DHS agency 1811 lateral over to FAM?

[Exbpa340]

Maybe you are right and FAMS has become the place to be for quality of life.

This sounds very familiar... Many years ago FAMS needed to hire thousands of agents fast. They poached from other Federal Agencies and promised the world. One or two admin days a week, pay raises, easy work days... and they didn’t deliver on any of them. I heard the stories when all these agents that left came back. They told us how things really worked.

One of the worst (If not the worst) Federal Law Enforcement Agencies to work for is the Secret Service. It is well known in the FED LEO community. The majority of the FAMS management came from the Secret Service. Not sure if that has changed but it was one of the reasons that FAMS management wasn’t well liked.

Having said that... if my son was offered a spot with FAMS I would recommend that he take it. It would get his foot in the door and he could see a bit of the world. I would also recommend that he apply to the agencies where he wants to end up. FAMS is probably not a bad place to start but it might very well be a crappy place to end up. Just my 2 cents.

[battlewagon]

Hell yeah!

[Exbpa340]

He is already well along in that process.

[battlewagon]

I don't know if you didn't have a good experience with it or not, but BP all day. It is the shape charge breaching of door opening in the dedefed government. Plus a hands on LE job that no other fed job can even comes close to. A good way to see the reality in the dirt before taking an 1811 or 1801 job down the road.

[bellyer]

Regarding the schedule, I am simply repeating what I was told by one of the FAMs I spoke with in the interview process at the office I am waiting for a spot at once hiring starts up again. I was told that the job is essentially 3 days a week of travel that may or may not be overnight, but most days you fly out and come back home, then 1-2 days back at the office for paperwork, training, other ground based activities. I was told that domestic travel would be the majority of the travel, but then approx. every 1.5 weeks, you would have an overnight international trip. Maybe the extent of the travel was being downplayed a little bit to make the job seem more appealing, but I was told by multiple FAMs at the particular office in different conversations that their schedules are not too difficult to plan out in-advance. I'm definitely not taking any artistic liberties; I'm simply repeating what I was told in the hiring process.

[Exbpa340]

I used the 2017 TSA pay band chart and added locality.

https://hraccess.tsa.dhs.gov/hraccess/pdf/2017_core_compensation_bands.pdf

[Exbpa340]

There are pros and cons to every job but your claim that somehow a FAM would have a set schedule and this would impact family life much less than other LEO positions is pretty hard to believe. You seem to be taking some artistic liberties. One complaint of almost every FAM or former FAM I have ever come into contact with has said that the extensive travel is extremely hard on the family. Much more so than other LEO jobs. Some people may thoroughly enjoy the travel and others may not. A set schedule where you are away from your family 50, 60 or 70 percent doesn’t seem all that appealing to me. I travel occasionally (overseas) for my job and enjoy it but I can pick and chose if I want to go or not.

Correct - per diem is non taxable (because it’s not considered income).

[bellyer]

One slight adjustment on the FAMS pay regarding the per diem is that the per diem is tax-free, so you end up pocketing maybe an additional $3,000 per year when flying.

Another upside, from what I've heard about FAMS (at least at the office I am waiting in the "ready pool" for a job at) is that your schedule is pretty well set well in advance. Sure, flights can be cancelled and there may be occasional schedule changes, but I am told that you usually know your schedule 1-2 months in advance and you don't end up getting called outside of your regular working hours for much. This means that, as a FAM, you may end up having a more normal schedule than you would as a Special Agent or other LEO elsewhere, which ultimately impacts your family life much less than a job with another agency might.

[invertedPanda]

Your base pay figures for the G and H bands are a little higher than they actually are.

[Esco]

Oh and some guys love the travel and the only thing you really gotta do is stay awake most of the time.

[Esco]

Now the only FAMS that are getting real good money 130-150k with LEAP are the guys that came on directly after 9/11 and came from federal agencies and were able to negotiate their pay. Those guys are retiring and you can hire two new G bands for every one old money maker. It’s extremely hard to get promoted as well. An SFAM’s only job is to approve time cards and travel vouchers (pays the per diem).

[Esco]

FAmS is a good way to get into the federal door. I left a local PD after 6 years and joined FAmS for 5 before moving into the 1811 life. FAMS real problem is the pay banding and as the poster said once you hit I band (took 3 years, now I hear they are making guys wait longer, which is dumb)you’re done moving up. Unless the president gives a COLA or you get an IPI from you’re supervisor. FAMS in major cities with international trips (if you want them) will make more than the 12k but that is a good average. Add in night diff, Sunday pay and OT you’ll make some good money but you’ll be working for it.

1811 life the pay as stated, there is no OT, almost everything is LEAP and only night diff and Sunday pay with only 1-2 agencies. So if you’re a good agent or the guy that leaves at 430 PM everyday you get the same good money. Is what it is. No one wants to work with the guys that leave at 430 PM and can never help out others. I don’t think those guys care though.

[scotty_appleton814]

To each its own, he may need uniform law enforcement experience to get him in the federal door. All the same, I wish him luck and you be safe.