How to Become an FBI Agent: Career Guide

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents conduct criminal investigations to improve safety for families, communities, and the nation. Agents may investigate cybercrimes, organized crime operations, or terrorist cells, among other enterprises.

To become an FBI agent, you must pass a rigorous background investigation, demonstrate superior professional skills, and meet the agency's demanding physical fitness requirements. Although becoming an FBI agent is a long and challenging process, the FBI hires up to 900 new agents yearly. With the proper qualifications, you could be one of them.

Use the guide below to learn more about the life of an FBI agent, the required steps to join the agency, and the benefits you could receive.

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What Does an FBI Agent Do?

The job duties of an FBI agent vary depending on their specific case, skills, and role. Each day or case can lead to different tasks, and even the Bureau admits there's no "typical day" — there is always something new to the job.

Still, there are some duties you can expect to encounter in a role at the FBI. These include testifying in court, collaborating with other agents on various tasks, working with sources to follow leads on crimes, making arrests, and completing paperwork.

Your role at the FBI can also vary based on your specialty and location. Some agents work in local offices, while others spend more time traveling.

Whether you work locally, nationally, or internationally, being an FBI agent can be an exciting and rewarding — though potentially dangerous — opportunity. The FBI aims to protect people from issues like counterterrorism, cybercrime, and organized crime.

This job requires a great deal of time and dedication but can be worth the sacrifices for the right candidates.

Career Description, Duties, and Common Tasks

FBI Overview

The Bureau investigates and addresses threats to national security in the United States by gathering intelligence and investigating crime. The FBI divides its investigations into several areas, including cybercrime, white-collar crime, foreign counterintelligence, and domestic and international terrorism.

FBI Agent Duties and Tasks

FBI agents' duties and responsibilities vary among roles. Active agents gather intelligence, conduct surveillance, execute search warrants, and make arrests to address threats to national security. They may investigate crimes in the field or perform administrative and managerial roles, such as training or public affairs.

Working as an FBI Agent

Few agents join the FBI seeking a typical job, which can be unpredictable and demanding. Most agents are expected to work at least 50 hours each week and are typically on call 24/7. Since major criminal activities and threats can occur at any time, agents frequently work on weekends and holidays. They must also be willing to carry a firearm, use deadly force, and expose themselves to potential bodily harm.

How to Become an FBI Agent

NOTE: The FBI maintains an extensive list of general eligibility requirements for employment. Each applicant must be between 23 and 36 years old, hold U.S. citizenship, and have a clean criminal record with no felony convictions.

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree: All FBI agents must hold a bachelor's degree at minimum, though many possess a master's degree or higher. FBI agents often earn degrees in criminal justice or political science, but the Bureau does not maintain any specific academic major requirements.

Step 2: Professional Experience: Applicants must possess at least two years of full-time professional work experience to become an FBI agent. Individuals with master's degrees or higher can apply with only one year of professional experience.

Step 3: Complete the Agent Selection Process: Potential FBI agents must complete multiple rounds of testing and interviews. Phase I testing primarily measures logic-based reasoning, situational judgment, and personality traits. Successful candidates then move on to the second phase, which includes a structured interview. Candidates must also pass a physical fitness test, a drug test, a polygraph test, and a background investigation.

Step 4: Complete Basic Field Training: After completing all other steps, candidates report to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, to complete the 20-week basic field training course.

Education Requirements for FBI Agents

While the Bureau does not require any particular major for your bachelor's degree, certain majors are better suited to the field than others. Some of the best subjects to study in preparation for an FBI career include:

• Criminal justice and military intelligence
• Computer science and IT
• Hard sciences like chemistry or biology
• Finance and accounting
• International studies and foreign languages

Depending on your preferred career path, it might also be in your best interests to earn a relevant master's degree. A graduate degree may also qualify you for higher pay and certain technical positions.

As you plan your career path, it's best to earn a degree that aligns with the type of work you want to do as an FBI agent. If you aim to work in cybersecurity, consider a degree in computer science or IT. On the other hand, if you want to work in foreign intelligence, you might be better off with a degree in international studies or a particular foreign language.

FBI Agent Job Training

As an incoming FBI agent, you must complete new agent training. Lasting 20 weeks and including more than 800 hours of instruction, field training comprises four major concentrations: academics, case exercises, firearms training, and operational skills.

The academic concentration explores various subjects, including law, behavioral science, ethics, and forensic science. Students can gain specialized skills in interviewing, report writing, interrogating, and investigating. These lessons prepare candidates to perform criminal investigations and run counterintelligence and counterterrorism operations.

The operations skills concentration encompasses the hands-on work of the FBI, including surveillance, operations planning, and tactical driving. Much of this experiential training occurs at the FBI's Hogan's Alley, a mock town that enables students to develop skills through simulated exercises.

Firearms training is another major component of becoming an FBI agent. The firearms training curriculum builds knowledge in the fundamentals of marksmanship through weapons orientation, firearms safety, weapon handling skills, and live fire training. Each enrollee completes 110 hours of firearm instruction across 28 training sessions.

Case exercises integrate all aspects of training in complex simulations. The exercises use the Hogan's Alley environment to simulate the major steps of an FBI investigation, from an initial tip to the arrest of multiple subjects.

Other Helpful Skills and Experience

Although FBI agents require an uncommon set of skills, some aspects of the job are similar to any other government agency. The FBI lists eight core competencies that define special agents:

• Collaboration
• Communication
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Interpersonal ability
• Initiative
• Leadership
• Problem-solving and judgment
• Organization and planning

Along with these soft skills, the unique nature of FBI work requires certain other specialized skills. For example, proficiency in a language other than English can be very valuable, particularly for agents interested in pursuing counterterrorism and counterintelligence work. Fluency in languages such as Chinese, Russian, and Arabic may be particularly useful for FBI agents.

The FBI investigates many types of crimes, and the agency seeks applicants with specialized skills and work experience in fields that may be useful to investigations. For example, candidates with strong IT skills may investigate cybercrime.

The FBI also recognizes the value of military and law enforcement training, and many agents emerge from these agencies. Certain positions, such as the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, require at least three years of military or law enforcement experience.

Salary and Career Outlook for FBI Agents

How much does an FBI agent make? The average FBI salary isn't cut and dry like in other fields for several reasons. For starters, new special agents are paid on the GL schedule for federal law enforcement officers, which means they enter at pay level GL-10 — or $58,412 per year — during their academy training at Quantico.

Upon completion of training, FBI agent salary levels are dictated by field office assignment. After a two-year probationary period, agents transition to the general schedule pay scale, with most agents achieving a GS-13 pay level — a minimum of $88,520 per year — within five years of service.

FBI Agent Salary by Career Level

Career Level	Minimum Base Salary (2024)
GL-10 (entry level, nonsupervisory)	$58,412
GS-11 (nonsupervisory)	$62,107
GS-12 (nonsupervisory)	$74,441
GS-13 (nonsupervisory)	$88,520
GS-14 (supervisory, management, executive)	$104,604
GS-15 (supervisory, management, executive)	$123,041

Most criminal investigators receive promotions through job experience rather than additional education. FBI agents with specialized skills or relevant professional backgrounds may be able to advance to specialized positions that command higher salary levels. Some agents may achieve higher salaries in supervisory positions.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that positions for all criminal investigators (including FBI agents) will grow by 1% from 2022-2032, which is lower than the national average of 3%. Even as crime rates fall, the demand for public safety and specialized investigations is likely to remain constant, ensuring employment for FBI agents in the future. However, FBI jobs will likely remain competitive due to low employee turnover and the specialized nature of the work.

FBI Agent Job Benefits

• Paid Time Off: FBI agents receive 13-26 days of annual leave, 11 federal holidays, 13 days of sick leave, 15 days of military leave, and 12 weeks of parental leave.
• 401k: This federal retirement plan offers up to a 5% match.
• Pension Plan: FBI agents can use theFederal Employees Retirement System, which vests after five years. Their plans may include health and life insurance, flexible spending accounts, and thrift savings plan programs
• Health and Life Insurance: These federal workers can access various levels of coverage for themselves and their families.
• Wellness Program: Employees receive personal time to improve their health as necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming an FBI Agent

How hard is it to get into the FBI?

Getting into the FBI can be a challenging and competitive undertaking. Tulane University reports that the FBI accepts less than 20% of applicants. Once you apply for a job, you must pass a series of qualification reviews, tests, investigations, and interviews. The entire process can take up to one year.

Can I tell people I'm an FBI agent?

Yes — if you are an FBI agent, you can tell people what you do and where you work unless you serve undercover. However, you are not required to tell other people what you do for a living except when acting officially. If you are not an FBI agent, though, you can be fined or imprisoned for falsely claiming to be an agent.

What disqualifies you from being in the FBI?

A history of criminal behavior, drug abuse, tax evasion, sex crimes, or financial mismanagement can disqualify you from joining the FBI. In addition, the FBI does not employ agents who are not U.S. citizens, people who have defaulted on child support, and males who have failed to register for the Selective Service System.

Do FBI agents choose where they work?

After completing the FBI Academy, the agency assigns new agents to one of the agency's 56 field offices. Graduates can request an office, and the FBI can honor about one-third of these requests. However, the agency's mission is its primary focus, and agents must be willing to go where they are sent.

Can you quit the FBI?

FBI agents can resign at any time for any reason. Only the agency director is exempt from this policy. Agents are requested to give at least 14 days' notice and work together with other staff members to ensure the continuity of their work.