CBP agents begin at the GS-5, GS-7, or GS-9 levels. Pre-academy training is provided at an agent's duty station, along with basic training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). From there, agents may progress to the journeyman levels, where they "typically gain responsibilities, learn new duties, and are held accountable to higher performance standards." Advancement through the GS-12 level is non-competitive.
With experience and training, border patrol agents can advance to other positions. They may become immigration inspectors or examiners, deportation officers, or special agents. Some border patrol officers concentrate on the prevention of drug smuggling. They may advance to become plainclothes investigators who spend months or even years cracking a smuggling ring. They may lead criminal investigations into an alien's background, especially if there is suspicion of drug involvement. Others may prefer the immigration area and work checking passports and visas at border crossings. Border patrol agents may also advance to supervisory positions.
With experience, some border patrol agents leave the front lines and work in the service areas of the CBP. They may interview people who wish to become naturalized citizens or administer examinations or interviews. Many of the higher echelon jobs for border patrol agents require fluency in Spanish. Advancement within the border patrol comes with satisfactory work. To rise to supervisory positions, however, border patrol agents must be able to work competitively. These positions are earned based on the agency's needs as well as on the individual's merit.
- Airport Security Personnel
- Ambassadors
- Arbitrators
- Aviation Safety Inspectors
- Bail Bondsmen
- Bailiffs
- Bank Examiners
- Bankruptcy Lawyers
- Biotechnology Patent Lawyers
- Bodyguards
- Bounty Hunters
- Campaign Workers
- City Managers
- Civil Engineers
- Civil Litigation Lawyers
- Congressional Aides
- Construction Inspectors
- Corporate Lawyers
- Corrections Officers
- Court Interpreters and Translators
- Court Reporters
- Crime Analysts
- Criminal Lawyers
- Cryptographic Technicians
- Customs Officials
- Demographers
- Deputy U.S. Marshals
- Detectives
- Directors of Security
- Economists
- Elder Law Attorneys
- Emergency Management Directors
- Emergency Medical Technicians
- Emergency Services Dispatchers
- Environmental Lawyers
- EPA Special Agents
- Family Lawyers
- FBI Agents
- Federal and State Officials
- Fire Inspectors
- Fire Investigators
- Fire Protection Engineers
- Fire Safety Directors
- Fire Safety Technicians
- Firefighters
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Foreign Service Officers
- Forensic Experts
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Forest Fire Prevention Specialists
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and Analysts
- Futurists
- Genetic Genealogists
- Health and Regulatory Inspectors
- Hedge Fund Lawyers
- Intellectual Property Lawyers
- Intelligence Officers
- Interpreters
- Judges
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Law Librarians
- Lawyers
- Legal Nurse Consultants
- Legal Operations Specialists
- Legal Secretaries
- Litigation Support/eDiscovery Analysts
- Lobbyists
- Mergers and Acquisitions Attorneys
- Military Recruiters
- Military Workers, Enlisted
- National Park Service Employees
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Paralegals
- Park Rangers
- Parole Officers
- Patent Agents
- Patent Lawyers
- Police Officers
- Policy Analysts
- Political Consultants
- Political Scientists
- Polygraph Examiners
- Press Secretaries
- Process Servers
- Public Interest Lawyers
- Real Estate Lawyers
- Recycling Coordinators
- Regional and Local Officials
- Secret Service Special Agents
- Security Consultants
- Security Guards
- Space Lawyers
- Tax Attorneys
- Traffic Engineers
- Translators
- Transportation Planners
- Urban and Regional Planners
- Wildland Firefighters
