US Customs Border Patrol
 

Does anyone know anything about flying for the Border Patrol? I visited their website but the information they post is very limited. I’d like to find out more about…

What aircraft do they fly?
Where are the bases?
How do they decide who gets what base? Is it a bidding system like the airlines?
What are the schedules like?
What are the upgrade times?
Any other info would be great! Thanks.

CBP is pretty hard to get into, but they need people. I have 2 friends that just got hired recently. One is in FLETC and the other is going soon.

1. They fly all different kinds of planes, from Citations to 210s to Helos and even Predators. The great thing is that you can be qualified on 3 at a time. Meaning today you fly the citation tomorrow you fly single pilot in a 210

2. Bases are all over the borders. Many of the bases are on the southern border, obviously.

3. They pick you base, based on needs. you can request top three choices, but they put you where they need or want you. No you dont bid on anything.

4. schedules are like a regular law enforcement job. You work 8-12 hour days. Home every night

5. Not sure about upgrade times. They want you to have 1500TT when you apply.

Its a career thing. You most likely will want to stay there 20yrs so you can get the sweet government retirement. You must be 40 before going to FLETC.

Go you USAjobs and you can find the listing they are taking applications through 1 April 08. Its a pretty sweet deal, if you can handle the whole government employees BS. If you have anymore questions just ask, I'll try to find out.

There use to be a requirement that you had to be able to have 20 year total combined federal service by the age of 55..yes 55 ...as that is their mandated retirement age.

Not sure if that is still a factor or not.

I thought the max age was 40 on the date of hire?

Age 40 is now the max hire age. The best source of info I've found is APTAP (Army pilots to airline pilots). Just google APTAP and go to the general forum. The latest announcement that went thru APR 08 has been cancelled, all hiring has been shifted to the MSP office. No word on when it will be readvertised.

The application took me about a month, you will not be able to use a standard airline resume. Mine ended up at 5 pages. Also, most applicants will be able to claim 5 or 10 points veteran's preference, which can be hard to overcome if you have no combat time.

Good luck, PM me if you want more resume detail...

There is more info on APTAP about CBP than you could read in a month. Start scrolling through the posts. www.aptap.org is back up and running or you could google aptap forum.

I have a couple of friends that got hired. Didn't seem difficult, just a bit time consuming and a lot of waiting around for the "next step."

Where are their bases located?

Pilots are assigned to perform aviaition law enforcement operations for the detection, prevention, interdiction, and apprehension of terrorist, terrorist weapons and other contraband and persons from illegally entering or attacking the United States. Pilots perform work over land and water.

1.A Current FAA Commercial Pilot Certification with the following ratings: airplane, single engine land with instrument rating OR multi engine land; OR rotorcraft helicopter with instrument rating. Other certificates that meet or exceed the requirements of the Commercial Pilot are also acceptable (e.g., an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate).

2.A Current FAA Class I Medical Certificate for initial entry or re-entry into the occupation

3.A documented log reflecting a minimum of 1500 hours total flight time: 100 airplane hours and/or helicopter hours within the last 12 months; and 250 hours Pilot-in-Command; and 75 hours instrument and/or night hours.


Phoenix, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Yuma, AZ
El Centro, CA
San Diego, CA
Homestead, FL
Jacksonville, FL
Hammond, LA
Houlton, ME
Plattsburgh, NY
New York, NY
Aguadilla, PR
Great Falls, MT
Albuquerque, NM
Buffalo, NY
Grand Forks, ND
Del Rio, TX
Detroit, MI
Corpus Christi, TX
El Paso, TX
Laredo, TX
Marfa, TX
McAllen, TX
San Angelo, TX
San Antonio, TX
Uvalde, TX
Bellingham, WA
Spokane, WA

I'm looking into the border patrol myself. What you aren't told is that you must have some military background to pass the interview. My buddy just told me that the minimum score on the interview is 95, whihc is achieved with veterans preference. The most that a civilian can achieve is a score of 90, which won't get you the job...

Good Luck

anyone recently go through the hiring process, or have current information on the process. I sent in my application, received an email, but not sure what to expect next...

I interviewed in Jan 2007 and was offered a job. I had the 5 point vet preference. What do you want to know?

Can you work for a government agency such as CBP and have a USAFR part-time gig at the same time?

Yes. The guy that did my interview checkride was a Taco Viper guy.

I'm putting my stuff up on usajobs right now with the 5pt preference - what did the interview/checkride consist of?

Did you end up accepting the job? Sounds like you didn't, but if so, is it what you expected?

Thanks

Interview was standard HR type questions with an LE spin to them at times. Technical is IFR stuff. Find an FAA instrument oral exam guide and it's all you need to know. Airwork(steep turns, vert s profile, etc). VOR(full appch) and ILS approach. You don't even land the plane. If you have enough hours to apply for the job it shouldn't be a problem. I turned them down for UPS. It sounded like a good gig. If I didn't get hired here, I'd be gone and never look back at the pax airlines again. Best info I've found:
http://aptap.forumco.com/default.asp

Thanks - lots of good stuff there. Seems like there are a lot of dudes interested in this.

I called the HR people today, and sounds like I made it in for the Apr cutoff with a 96 (includes the vet pref points). Though they don't know yet into which locations they are hiring.

Thanks again for the info Slice

According to the posts on aptap, lately the competition getting hired has been around a score of 100. I don't know that is still the case. You could probably ask some of the new hires. They post on aptap a lot.

Here is a good powerpoint from the CBP... http://www.cbp.gov/.../cgov/border_s..._kostelnik.ppt

Broken link...

I think this is it:http://search.cbp.gov/cs.html?charse...cgov&n=1&la=en

Did you find out when they will be calling for interviews? Did they base their "cutoffs" strictly on that score? Since my score was 100, can I assume I made the cut as well, or should I call? What number did you call?

Thanks

Yeah I think you should be good to go with an already-scored 100. She was pretty thin on details but said they should "know more toward the end of the month." And that was in regard to which stations they are hiring into. Since I just wanted to make sure all my stuff was in for the April round, I didn't press much for additional info. The number I called was the one on the usajobs listing (there doesn't seem to be a number on the applicationmanager.org site). She did say that my score was qualifying - whether or not that will get me an interview though is yetto be seen. HTH!

Can anyone explain the pay scale and what one would expect to make for the first three years or so?

Thanks

Ficone,

Did they say the exact date for the April cutoff? Is the end of the month or has it passed? Any intel would help.

ApTAp.org and search for CBP. It's federal, so it's a bit convoluted. There is basic GS pay plus 25% for LEAP and then Housing Allowance depending on where you live. Basically starts at GS-11 and ends at GS-13 highest step about 5 years later. You'll start out in the 50's-60s and end up in the low 100's. 20 years later you retire with about 40-50% of high 3 depending on if you have prior military service that you want to buy your retirement back.

No specific date but I got mine done a few days ago and it looks like I am in prior to the cutoff. So best bet is to get all your stuff posted ASAP!

update
 

As an update, today I got a notification message that stated:

"Your application has been reviewed and you have been found qualified for the position listed above. Your name has been referred to the selecting official for further consideration."

And this was for my location of choice, so looks like things are moving along anyway.

When I applied last year, I never received this message. Anyone know how good of a sign this is and how long it may take to hear anything further?

I got the same email as you did, and it listed my second choice as my location..... This is the first step in the process, and apparently interviews will be held sometime starting in June. Offers will be in August, or so the rumor is...

What location did your email say?

To the guys that are getting the interviews. Did you have over a 100 score?

USMCFLYR

I interviewed in the last cut off under the 2007 announcement. Everyone interviewed had over 100. It was a small group, right when the hiring was shifting from DC to MSP. I understand its going lower this time since they are interviewing more peeps for more jobs.

Just for reference, here is my timeline:

applied 6-26-07
interview 11-30-07
job offer 1-15-08
whiz quiz 2-15-08 or so
initial BI 4-08
Start work 7-7-08
FLETC 7-23-08

Congrats DustoffVT -

If I were able - I'd take that job in a second!
What were your times like, your score, and where/what are you flying now?

USMCFLYR

Fwiw, after the job offer from Brown and later turning down CBP, I talked to a few guys I'd been in contact there and they said it was the right move. Maybe it's a grass is greener thing, but I think a lot of it had to do with the bureaucratic BS that's been going on there the last few years. Search the Customs / Border Patrol merger. Had I not received the offer at UPS, I'd have been gone and never looked back. I didn't want to ride the 121 pax roller coaster for the next 20+ years...

You are saying that going to brown was the right move? I can understand that. I'm sure brown has many advantages over CBP; but i have always been interested in Customs back in the day (even visited their HQ in OKC back in 1988) and the type of flying interests me a great deal - especially the law enforcement aspect of it. It is a moot point with me anyways. I'm too old for federal law enforcement. Just a opportunity gone by the wayside. So...........still looking >G<

USMCFLYR

Slice, Do your buds not like the job? Or is it something else...people, hours, extra duties/paperwork? I know about bureaucracy from active duty. Is it the same ole thing? Just curious what else you might know. Feel free to PM me. Aren't you in AK?

USMCFLYER,

FWIW. There had been a job posting on USA Jobs for a Instructor pilot in the CBP at OKC and El Paso. It was purely a schoolhouse sort of job with no law enforcement training required and no 40 year-old age restriction.

AggiePilot

AggiePilot -

I heard that from another source. It has since closed out, but I will be keeping my eyes and ears (and computer) open for possible future opportunities if nothing else falls in my lap. I'd hate to teach it if I had never done it though.

USMCFLYR

No AK for me...yet. The guys I talked to enjoyed the job for the most part but not the BS that goes with working for the gov't. People were good to except mgmt types that care about nothing but moving up the chain(not unlike the AF). No real extra duties (unlike the AF) unless you want to do extra stuff. You could probably get better info from APTAP.

I just applied online a couple weeks ago and they sent me that email a few days ago. Anybody know more about the interview and sim?

No sim. If fixed wing rated you'll fly a Cessna 210. If rotor wing rated you fly a helo. If you are dual rated, you get a checkride in both. Commercial PTS standards. Airwork, a hold, one precision and one non precision approach. Interview info should be here: http://aptap.forumco.com/

Thanks for the help Slice.