r/1811

I’m waiting for the email to come in to get my physical test scheduled and today I did a “test” at the track:

Goal:
1 min sit-ups: 27
1 min push ups: 14
1.5 mi run: 15:25

Today:
Sit-ups: 27
Push ups: 9
Run: 16:04

I think in the next 2-3 weeks I can get to the goal. I think my big issue was pacing the laps and may have taken off a little too hot the first lap. I ended up walking about 100 meters on lap 4.

Any tips on exercises to help pacing would be appreciated! 34/Female

For anyone who joined from outside of D.C I'd appreciate hearing your experience.

I am in the process of becoming a Secret Service Uniformed Division Officer.

I still have a ways to go before a hiring decision is made, but I am planning ahead.

My question is, how would relocation work?

Is there any relocation?

Do they pay for relocation upfront?

Is there a reimbursement?

I would be moving myself and my cat with a bedroom's worth of stuff.

I’m meeting with my recruiter soon and I want to be prepared to tell him what jobs I want as an enlisted Airman.

My end goal after the military is 1811 (specifically DSS), so I was wondering if job selection matters all that much in the military when considering 1811 or not.

I heard that some of the intelligence roles are just being locked in a windowless room all day (not 100% how true that is). So does it matter whether I choose a more utility job like aircrew operations vs intelligence/cyber?

What offices does hhs has in FL?

What are some great post 1811 career opportunities? Are there any agency’s/corporation’s that tend to prefer hiring former 1811’s. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated!

I've seen some posts that elude to some agents having 20-40 open cases at a time. I can't imagine working that many different things at the same time. How many cases do you normally have assigned to you at a time and what's it really like multitasking like that? Does it get confusing? Any tips for organizing oneself so things don't fall through the cracks?

Hi,

I'm currently exploring careers in federal law enforcement. I'm mainly interested in working financial crime so I have my eye mostly on FBI and IRS-CI. I have considered USSS but this sub and a person I met who previously did that do not make it look worth it. USPIS from what I gather is mostly various types of scams and mail fraud.

HSI seems to be loved on this sub apart from how the current administration employs them. I have a hard time gauging what kind of financial crime they work. From what I've gathered so far it's mainly international money laundering for thing like narcotics and the financing of transnational crime groups.

Could I get more information for HSI's financial crime and whether or not someone who really wants to do that would be happy here?

Good evening,

I am currently heavily considering putting in an application for a Special Agent position in the FBI- it’s something of a lifelong dream of mine that I recently decided I should revisit after having shelved the idea for the last few years. However, I’m nervous that as it stands my resume is sparse, so I wanted to hear some opinions.

I have a bachelor’s in criminal justice, which I as I understand is not a competitive degree. After graduating, I was hired to do corporate asset protection by a sizable retail chain, where I currently oversee fourteen locations across two states. It’s a lot of surveillance work, reviewing video, etc. and some amount of investigative work (typically for internal issues). I routinely conducted interviews with offenders, employees, etc. I’ve been on the job for just short of three years.

I understand that the Bureau hires from a diverse set of backgrounds, but I worry that mine is combining a less-than-useful degree with a work history that is law enforcement-adjacent at best. In terms of the hiring process, I currently am prepared to pass the PFT, and I should have no difficulties with the background investigation or passing a polygraph. I’ve gone over the practice materials for the Phase I and am confident I could succeed.

If my resume is lackluster, I’ve been thinking of going back to school to attain a masters degree, what in I have no nailed down yet, most definitely not criminal justice.

Thoughts and advice are much appreciated! Thank you.

I’m going to try to present this idea in the most non-hostile way possible, I’m not trying to shit in anyone’s cereal but this has been bothering me for some time.

Do any of you feel like you work with a ton of people now who would be better off the private sector if the economy was as good as it was 30-40 years ago? My folks retired about a decade ago, and they were grandfathered into their company’s contractual pension plan that includes lifetime health care coverage, something totally nonexistent in the private sector of today. The company actually fought tooth and nail to void all those old contracts from the 70s and 80s so they could treat folks from my parents generation with the same kind of brutalist wage slavery they’re treating people with now, but thankfully they lost that legal battle.

It feels like the 1811 series positions are increasingly attracting people who just want a middle class white collar job with benefits and pension and would not necessarily be about this life if they could find those creature comforts literally anywhere else in today’s job market. Recently a had to listen to two of my newer coworkers, both in their 20s and very newly out of training, have a *90 minute* long conversation about how they were calculating their retirement and what TSP contributions they were making. Like… shouldn’t you be excited about this job instead of already being so focused on what you’ll do when it’s over? Shouldn’t you be talking about your cases or bouncing ideas off each other for how to get to a hard target? Shouldn’t you care just a little bit more about this position and what it represents outside of a benefits package?

I get that maybe I’m being a little too harsh, but this IS a dangerous job, and I find myself wondering how I feel about making an entry at 0600 with someone who would be way happier as a sales associate or a software developer and is just here standing behind me with a gun so they don’t have to pay $3,000 a month for their kid’s health insurance.

Welcome to r/1811's weekly question thread.

With the growth of the sub, there's been an uptick in questions that are not easily answered, like "am I competitive?", "do I qualify?", "what are my chances?", "what agency/academy/degree/fed tac team is best?".

There has also been a rise in repetitive questions like "do I have to move for [agency]?", "What's the Wi-Fi at FLETC like?", "What's FLETC like?"

What goes here?

You can ask any question here provided it's within the rules. This recurring thread is to remind users we have resources that answer a lot about this career already, and provide a space to answer questions while helping us reduce the number of posts asking the same thing.

If you're new here, please research first to see if your question has been asked previously. If you can't find it, feel free to ask. Remember that the most common answer we're going to give here is either "it depends," or "that's squad and supervisor dependent."

Useful Resources

Check out our FAQ Mega Thread Or General Information & Common Questions

Want to be a high speed fed tac team operator? Realities of Being an 1811

Working on your degree? What Degree Should I Get?

Got an interview coming up? Prepare with the S.T.A.R. Method!

Remember the rules

1. Remain respectful at all times. This includes those of you who have participated here for a while, not just newbies.
2. Do not post any advice or other information unless you are sure it's accurate.
3. Please limit posts to those relevant to federal law enforcement.
4. Do not use this subreddit to advertise or spam other subreddits.
5. Be wary of claims made by unverified members.
6. No politics or current events.
7. Do not post/comment with a focus on polygraphs.
8. Practice OPSEC.
9. Accounts must age 24 hours before posting.

I am interested in this position. I know the hiring process is lengthy, but what’s the process like once you clear background? Do you have to wait for a class or do they occur often? Also, what offices are good/likely first offices?

I’m just trying to gain some insight into agencies from people who may have been around to make a determination. But if you have to leave your current 1811 agency and go to another, which would you choose and why? Not so based on the mission but more for quality of life and more freedom/flexibility.

I’m considering applying for the Nuclear Materials Courier position with NNSA and was hoping someone who’s been through the academy (or is currently a courier) could provide some insight. I am aware of the heavy travel and unpredictable schedule.

There isn’t much detailed information available online about what to expect during the 18-week academy at Fort Chaffee.

A few questions I have:

- Are you allowed to go home on weekends, or are you expected to remain on post?

- Is the schedule generally Monday through Friday during normal duty hours, or are evenings and weekends regularly part of the training?

- Would you describe the academy as primarily a professional training environment, or is it more similar to a military/basic training atmosphere?

- How physically demanding is it on a day-to-day basis beyond meeting the fitness standards?

- How difficult is the academy overall, and what do most people struggle with?

- I came across a DOE document mentioning new dormitories being built around 2022. Are trainees housed in those, and what are the living accommodations like?

- What’s the overall culture like among instructors and students?

For background, I have just over nine years in local law enforcement, including three years as a patrol sergeant. I’m a POST Firearms Instructor and EVOC Instructor, but I don’t have a military background. I’m interested to hear whether applicants from civilian law enforcement tend to do get hired?

I’d appreciate any insight or advice. Thanks!

I recently applied for the U.S. Marshals Northeast jurisdictions on May 15th and was wondering if anyone else who applied around that time has heard anything back yet. My application still shows “Reviewing Applications” in USAJOBS.

Also, a recruiter in my area mentioned that while in the academy, it may be possible to switch assigned jurisdictions with another candidate if both people agree. Has anyone heard of this happening, or know if that’s actually allowed?

I’m looking for advice on the FBI Special Agent age requirement and whether there are any realistic waiver pathways for someone with a healthcare/scientific background.

I’m currently 37, so I understand I’m over the standard age requirement for FBI Special Agent applicants. I’ve read that age waivers may exist for certain military or federal law enforcement backgrounds, but I do not have either of those backgrounds.

That said, I’m very interested in the Special Agent: Healthcare Services/Medical Background pathway. I hold a BS, MS, PhD, and postdoc experience and my background is primarily in clinical/bio-medical research. I’m trying to figure out whether there is any possibility of an age waiver based on education, healthcare experience, or specialized scientific expertise.

I’ve emailed the general recruitment addresses, but so far I’ve only received generic FAQ-style responses. Does anyone know who would be best to contact for a more definitive answer, or is this likely a dead end because of the age requirement?

Any insight would be appreciated, especially from current/former agents, applicants, recruiters, or anyone familiar with the waiver process. TIA!

Little background military Veteran who did a little LE while I was in. Now Im a FF/EMT in a city. I also just started a good paying side job 2x a week, making real good money. My fire job is 8 shifts a month, then I do the side job 8hrs a day for 2 days a week (I can do this as much or as little as I want). I have a COL from DEA (GS7) and FBI(GS10), I wanted to get into th 1811 world when I heard about it in the military and its always been this pipe dream of mine. But Im 36 now, I can retire from my FF job in 15 years if i wanted. Im burnt out from Fire and want something a little more stimulating, a field that is exciting and a little action here and there. I don't know if Im just looking at this through rose colored glasses, is the FBI and DEA worth getting into? I could get into the reasons on wanting to leave my current job, but health and safety are a huge factor, working atleast one weekend day every week. Between my Fire and side job im making like 170k, roughly depending on hours worked at the side job.

Send it, stay put? Set me straight fellas.

I am an 18 year old starting my second year in college at A&M (Economics) I’m hoping to eventually get a job as a federal agent, my main goal is the DEA but I am open to other opportunities.
While I am young are there any skills or things I should start doing in order to have a better chance at acceptance?
I have never done any drug not prescribed to me by a doctor, excluding over the counter pain medication and alcohol. I also have never been in trouble with the police outside of being pulled over, but I’ve never had a ticket.
Should I look for a job as a police officer once I graduate college and attempt to use that as an entry into the career field I wish to be in, or is there another path I can take that could be more efficient?

Thanks for any answer or information.

Anyone hear anything back who applied? Didn’t seem like the greatest position but applied for that announcement because I’ve heard good things about HHS OIG in comparison to others.