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The Federal Government upholds a strong reputation in most departments of law enforcement. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents are the Government's primary researchers, accountable for investigating infringement of over 260 statutes and performing susceptible national security investigations. Agents observe court-authorized wiretaps, participate in sensitive undercover assignments, track the interstate movement of stolen property, perform surveillance, examine business records, investigate white-collar crime, and collect evidence of espionage activities. The FBI conducts investigations concerning public corruption, drug trafficking, fraud against the government, terrorism, organized crime, interstate criminal activity, bribery, copyright infringement, civil rights violations, bank robbery, extortion, kidnapping, financial crime, air piracy, espionage, and other infringements of Federal laws.
To work as an FBI agent, you must hold a bachelor's degree and a minimum of three years of full-time, correlated job experience. If you want to work in FBI law enforcement, it is helpful to have Experience in law, law enforcement, or in the military. Experience in a financial field is helpful for those who want to work with fraud or financial crime.
Before working for the FBI, candidates have to pass medical and physical examinations, an oral and written examination, an extensive background investigation, and a psychological assessment. In addition, candidates have to fall between the ages of 23 and 36 years at the time of application.
What is the FBI looking for in its applicants?
The FBI is interested in candidates possessing bachelor's or master's degrees in engineering/science, foreign languages, accounting/finance, or in criminal justice-related areas. Presently, the FBI only admits applications for candidates who possess at least one of the following skills:
- Accounting/Finance Experience (Accounting/Finance Degree/CPA/or at least 2 years relative work experience)
- Computer Science Experience or other Information Technology specialties
- Engineering Experience
- Fluent in a Foreign Language (Arabic, Farsi, Pashtu, Urdu, Chinese [all dialects], Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese)
- Law Enforcement or other Investigative Experience
- Law Experience
- Military Experience
- Physical Science Experience (such as physics, chemistry, biology, etc.)
What kind of training will I need in order to become an FBI agent?
Initially, a bachelor's and/or master's degree in your area of specialty is needed. In addition, two-to-three years of work experience is mandated. Numerous FBI agents also possess graduate degrees in law (JD). Following acceptance into the FBI, 17 weeks of training is completed at the FBI academy on the US Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia.
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