Border Patrol Agent

[fsi1212]

BPA VRA 20-10
Applied: 07/16/2020
Online Assessment: 07/16/2020 (PASSED)
PSI Written Test: 07/18/2020 (PASSED)
Conditional Offer: 07/28/2020 (ACCEPTED)
Medical info requested: 08/04/2020 (PENDING)
e-QIP: 08/06/2020 (SUBMITTED)
e-QIP: 08/06/2020 (SUBMITTED to OPR)

Note: I had gone through some of the medical on a previous customs officer application a couple years ago. The nurse called me today and asked if there was any changes from one of my conditions that I had passed. I said no and she said she will pass it again. I just have to redo one assessment for another condition I had that I passed before.

[ZMac]

BPA DH 20-3
Applied: 12/06/19
Online Assessment: 12/06/19 (Passed)
Written Exam: 12/12/19 (Passed)
E-QIP: 12/30/19 (Completed)
Medical Exam: 01/02/20 (Passed)
Structured Interview: 01/15/20 (Passed)
Polygraph: Scheduled 08/26/20
Background: "In progress"
Drug Test: "In progress"
PFT1: "Pending"
PFT2; "Not Applicable"

Hello gentlemen, so I've read a ton of these pages looking for as much info as I can but I had a few questions!

1 I was never scheduled for a PFT1 which I figured I would have completed by now? (I did complete one about 2 years ago and passed but withdrew from the process for family issues.) Also, the PFT2 comes up as "Not applicable" which I also thought was weird (2 years ago I never made it to PFT2.) So if anyone has any insight on that I'd appreciate it!

2 I currently live in NY so I will have quite the move. I only plan to move my pickup truck and enclosed trailer I own which will contain everything I'll be moving. I've read after the academy you only have a few days to report to your duty location and the use of any time accumulated in the academy can be a crap shoot. If time allows it before I EOD I would like to drive my truck and trailer across the country and find a storage location for the trailer and park it there for the duration of the academy (seems there's a couple in Artesia.) Reading on FLETCs website you are allowed to bring your POV to the academy so that would be my plan and then after the academy just grab the trailer and head to my duty station. The only other options I see I see is leaving the trailer in NY until I have accumulated enough time to go get it but I don't see much point in that. Might as well sell all the stuff and repurchase new stuff. How did you guys handling moving after the academy?

Appreciate any help, thanks!

[big_bob_69]

The issue is that you don’t go to FLETC initially. You go to your sector HQ (and they bus you in to FLETC). And they probably won’t let you leave your vehicle there for 6 months.

Some guys bought trucks while at FLETC. Honestly, it’s not a bad idea. You could pay to have your car transported to FLETC too I imagine (probably cheaper than buying a new one lol).

[Exbpa340]

Maybe because only approximately 5 percent of Border Patrol Agents are female..

[ZMac]

Page Truthfully haven’t seen any women in the 100 or so pages of the thread I’ve read. I apologize I didn’t mean anything by it Page

big_bob_69 Yeah I know I have to report to duty location first but do you think it’s possible to leave my POV at FLETC prior to reporting to my duty location? Not sure where my first duty location will be yet but I’m sure I can arrange transport there after dropping my POV at FLETC. They don’t make it easy for people moving from far away huh? Haha

[Page]

Ha ha, no offense taken, ZMac, Exbpa340. I am familiar with the stats. ZMac was on the right track probability-wise. Anyway, there will be one less female posting on here now. I'm out nearly for sure. Because unless something goes wrong and my funding gets pulled before I EOD, soon I will be ERO. But, I would have done BPA had that worked out first. And I still will try if something goes wrong with my current (though hopefully not)!

Anyway, good luck ZMac, sorry to give you a hard time, I guess you had a good reason at least!

[Page]

Double post, sorry!

[big_bob_69]

Got to the med exam about two weeks ago and haven’t heard a peep since.

Have they resumed PFTs and SIs?

[Angelcaro]

Hello,


just got my final offer..
im 24, from Miami, just graduated college CJ bachelors. I don’t have any prior law enforcement experience..
What would you guys recommend, which city’s you guys would pick if you were in my shoes

carrizo springs
del Río station
brackettville
comstock
presidio
sanderson
van horn
lordsburg
deming
brownsville
falfurrias
freer
laredo
calexico
el centro
ajo
douglas


please i have until Monday to decide !!

[FNG41YR]

All those locations suck. Maybe Laredo so you can be in civilization but that’s about it.

[battlewagon]

Hello,


just got my final offer,
im 24 just graduated college. I don’t have any prior le enforcement experience can you guys pick which city’s you would pick if you were in my shoes

carrizo springs
del Río station
brackettville
comstock
presidio
sanderson
van horn
lordsburg
deming
brownsville
falfurrias
freer
laredo
calexico
el centro
ajo
douglas


please i have until Monday to decide !!

Brownsville is probably the most desirable station as far as south Texas goes. When station swaps used to be around that would be a good one to have (that program is gone). But living in Brownsville is take it or leave it. The station has some work but isn't out of this world busy, esp not compared to the other stations in the same sector.

Freer is a station guys like because you can have a long commute to Pleasanton TX, and be relatively close to San Antonio, but the station is supposed to move way further 'BP south' towards Laredo so that'll be gone. Unless than plan has been killed.

Which Laredo? There are wild differences between the Laredo south, north, and west stations in terms of work.

As far as Texas goes for quality of life outside work as a 24 year old who sounds single since you didn't mention a SO, Brownsville or falfurrias are in the Rio Grande Valley, either Brownsville or McAllen area, which are pretty major cities by border standards. Laredo is big but I've never met an agent who liked living in Laredo other than those from there.

I can't give an opinion on NM AZ CA stations

[Angelcaro]

I was also thinking Brownsville.. If I pick Brownsville I’ll be able to pick up more certifications since it isn’t that busy I can get more training ..
so boats detail bikes .. atv.. horses .. senior agents justo want to pretty much do their time and be left alone so that’s a plus

[Angelcaro]

Laredo sector he said
“Freer” and “Laredo Selth”

[SHU]

If someone put a gun to my head and said pick, I'd pick lordsburg NM or Brownsville, TX. But I'm not crazy about either one of them. How desperate are you for this job? Do you have something else to do right now? Personally, I would decline all of them and tell them you really want the job but you don't like any of the options given. To be completely honest with you, I would take my chances with them calling again. Those locations suck. And wherever you go, you will likely be stuck there for about a decade or more. Transfers are extremely difficult. If you decline, they will huff and puff and say they are going to kick you out of the process but that is bs. They will offer you something else in a few days or at worst, a few months later. But that is better than getting stuck for 10-17 years in the middle of nowhere.

[Angelcaro]

I was just thinking of getting the job to get my foot in the door.

Do you think if I reject the offer... will it affect CBP from calling me ?

[SHU]

No. Turning down the PA offer will not effect any other application process.

[battlewagon]

I whole heartily agree with getting your foot in the door and also starting your retirement now, mainly the retirement now thing. Every day you spend outside a covered fed job is a day later you retire, a day less your TSP compounds, etc.

However, your Miami dreams likely won't happen with BP. And it certainly won't be 5-10 years to Miami if you do get there. The easiest station to get in that sector is Marathon, but that's for some very specific reasons.

For what it is worth, going BP to ERO is a very common and easy career path. And the Miami ERO Krome facility is a very hard to fill spot for ERO, so you can probably get it. Similar for many 1811s.

[FNG41YR]

Lordsburg lol you’re messing with him right?

[big_bob_69]

Timeline:

7/2 - applied
7/2 - online assessment and written exam scheduled
7/8 - exam
7/15 - exam results
7/20 - tentative offer
7/24 - scheduled medical exam and received E-QIP
7/25 - submitted E-QIP
7/27 - re-submitted E-QIP
7/28 - re-submitted E-QIP
7/29 - re-submitted E-QIP
7/31 - E-QIP submitted to OPR and fingerprints scheduled
8/1 - fingerprints
8/4 - medical exam
8/25 - med exam passed

Seeing guys on the Honor First forum getting their EODs pushed back until next year so I'm guessing things will probably slow down for a while.

[shortyg]

Hey all! I just found this thread. I applied to BPA back in March, so I’ll just leave my timeline here:

3/1 - applied
3/1 - online assessments/tests
3/1 - notice to schedule BPAEE
***COVID***
5/19 - BPAEE
5/28 - Tentative Selection
6/9 - medical start
6/15 - e-QIP complete
6/19 - psychological assessment
6/26 - fingerprints
8/3 - medical complete

structured interview “in progress”
drug test “in progress”
polygraph “pending”
background “pending”
Fitness 1 “pending”

Side note: medical taking so long was my fault, they gave me a month to get the supplemental paperwork together and I took the. whole. month. whoops...

[big_bob_69]

I thought they were doing interviews and PFTs but I haven’t heard anything yet. Hopefully we’ll get to those soon!

[fsi1212]

BPA VRA 20-10
Applied: 07/16/2020
Online Assessment: 07/16/2020 (PASSED)
PSI Written Test: 07/18/2020 (PASSED)
Conditional Offer: 07/28/2020 (ACCEPTED)
Medical info requested: 08/04/2020 (PENDING)
e-QIP: 08/06/2020 (SUBMITTED)
e-QIP: 08/06/2020 (SUBMITTED to OPR)
Medical Documentation (First part): 08/25/2020 (SUBMITTED)
Medical Documentation (First part): 08/25/2020 (DOCUMENTS RECEIVED)

I have to submit my VA Disability paperwork yet. VA is taking their time sending it to me. I will probably have to get an extension from the Med Review nurse.

[Jersey12]

I have my written test sept 22 for BPA I would like McAllen or RGV maybe even San Diego but it is too expensive there .. what are my chances in getting stationed at the McAllen station or rio grande ?
what is the locality pay over there for those two I didn’t find it on the website ...

[KJB]

If the county which houses the duty station isn't listed in one of the areas in the link below then the locality pay defaults to Rest of US (aka RUS). I believe McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley is all RUS locality.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-over...a-definitions/

[battlewagon]

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-over...S%20(LEO).aspx

[fsi1212]

BPA VRA 20-10
Applied: 07/16/2020
Online Assessment: 07/16/2020 (PASSED)
PSI Written Test: 07/18/2020 (PASSED)
Conditional Offer: 07/28/2020 (ACCEPTED)
Medical info requested: 08/04/2020 (PENDING)
e-QIP: 08/06/2020 (SUBMITTED)
e-QIP: 08/06/2020 (SUBMITTED to OPR)
Medical Documentation: 08/25/2020 (SUBMITTED)
Medical Documentation: 08/25/2020 (DOCUMENTS RECEIVED)
Medical (Psych eval): 09/11/2020 (COMPLETED)

Turns out the nurse already had my documents from a previous application for VA disability. I was told verbally that portion was a pass.

[shortyg]

The timelines I've seen lately have stopped after the medical/psych portion, including mine. Has anyone been contacted in the last couple months about moving on to the next steps?
Thanks and good luck Ladies and Gents!

[Cgrizz]

Im headed to the academy soon and trying to plan out My cost of living as a gs9 bpa coming out of the academy. Does anyone know what my expected salary would be? And is there any opportunity for overtime or ways to make more money?

[battlewagon]

Im headed to the academy soon and trying to plan out My cost of living as a gs9 bpa coming out of the academy. Does anyone know what my expected salary would be? And is there any opportunity for overtime or ways to make more money?

A GL-9 Step 1 makes $54,668 on the Rest of US (RUS) pay scale, which is where most border stations fall. Let us know what station you are going to so we can confirm or adjust for your locality pay.

Shortly after getting to your station, you will likely be put in the +2 hours work schedule for Field Training, so +25%. That comes out to $68,360 in exchange for five, ten hour shifts.

10% night differential, 25% Sunday, double pay for the 8 first hours you work holidays. But on FTO, for most stations, you're working M-F, day shift hours or slightly modified day shift hours.

BP Agents are federally overtime exempt. Very unlikely you'll ever get OT in your career. Sometimes busy sectors will allow agents to pick up shifts on yours days off during surge operations or something like that, but those extra shifts are at your normal rate and not OT. And it is realtively uncommon, but is available more often in the busier sectors.

That's about. People bitch about not having OT available, but the reality is your paychecks are predictable and large, working a reasonable five days a week and a reasonable shift length. You don't have to work 3 or 4 12s in a row and double back to traffic court on 2 hours of sleep like many local and state LEOs have to do to make a big paycheck. You'll be an 11 six months after the academy, and the 9 to 11 jump is huge ($80,011 on RUS with 25%). A year later you'll be a 12 making $95,901 base, so easily passing 100k with differential pay. 100k 1.5 years after graduation from the academy isn't a bad deal in the low cost of living areas most stations are in.

[Exbpa340]

Good post with a couple of caveats..
- BPAs are not overtime exempt but rather FLSA exempt. They are able to work 45 act (provided it is scheduled the work week in advance).
- Since BPAs are FLSA exempt they do not receive FLSA and any 45 act worked is capped at the hourly max (currently 1.5 Of the GS 10 step 1 rate). So as a new PA one would get 1.5 their hourly rate as a GL 7 or 9 and near 1.5 for any 45 act worked as an 11. In the RUS chart one isn’t making their hourly rate for 45 act until GS 12 step 7.
- availability of any 45 act would depend on location But I do agree that it’s probably not readily available.