About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Confidential Client — Federal Law Enforcement (U.S. Customs & Border Protection).

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

---

Overview

Confidential Client is recruiting entry-level Border Patrol Agents for full-time positions. This is a federal law enforcement career path with structured grade progression (GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12), competitive base pay, training at a federal academy, and significant hiring/retention incentives for qualifying candidates.

---

Salary & Benefits

• Annual base pay range for newly appointed Border Patrol Agents (GL-5 / GL-7): $51,632 – $92,912 per year.
• Recruitment incentive: up to $20,000 (first $10,000 after academy completion; remaining for accepting prioritized locations).
• Retention incentives: may qualify for up to $40,000 over the first four years.
• Federal employee benefits including health and dental plans, generous annual and sick leave, retirement plan participation (Thrift Savings Plan), and locality pay adjustments for certain duty locations.
• Career-ladder promotions without reapplying after meeting time-in-grade requirements.

---

Where You’ll Work

Duty location listed for this posting: Rutland, Vermont (05702). Duty assignments are determined by operational needs and may include mission-critical locations — some offers may require relocation. Prioritized locations for enhanced incentives include several Southwest border stations and other mission-critical posts (see details in Duties & Locations).

---

What You’ll Do

As an entry-level Border Patrol Agent you will:

• Detect, question, and inspect individuals and items suspected of violating immigration and customs laws.
• Prevent and apprehend undocumented entrants and smugglers through surveillance, patrols, and field operations.
• Conduct farm/building/traffic checks, city patrols, and transportation inspections.
• Patrol international boundaries and coastal waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, ATVs, snowmobiles, or motorcycles as required.
• Use investigative observation (tracks, marks, physical evidence) and follow operational directives to support border security missions.

---

Qualifications

You may qualify at different grade levels depending on your experience and education:

GL-5 qualification (minimum):

• One year of general work experience demonstrating decision-making, composure under stress, ability to learn regulations/methods, and information-gathering skills; OR
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution; OR
• A combination of education and experience (evaluated from resume and transcripts).

GL-7 qualification (specialized):

• One year of specialized experience showing ability to:
  • Make sound firearms judgments;
  • Interact courteously and tactfully in law enforcement situations;
  • Analyze information quickly and make prompt decisions (e.g., criminal code enforcement, corrections, military/security experience); OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement or one year of relevant graduate-level education; OR
• A combination of specialized experience and education (evaluated from resume and transcripts).

Note: Applicants with prior federal or military law enforcement experience may qualify for GL-9 or GS-11 grade levels. Experience will be evaluated from submitted documentation.

---

Other Requirements & Training

• U.S. citizenship required.
• Must have had primary U.S. residency for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Age restriction: candidates generally must be referred before their 40th birthday per applicable law and agency directives; exceptions apply for certain veterans and current/former federal law enforcement employees.
• Formal training: successful hires attend approximately six months of intensive training at the federal Border Patrol Academy (immigration and nationality law, enforcement operations, driver training, firearms, tactics, language training).
• Language: ability to read and speak English is required; Spanish language proficiency is valuable and training is provided.
• Some duty locations may require relocation and may include assignments at or near the Southwest border and other mission-critical sectors.

---

Why Join

• Meaningful federal law enforcement work protecting national security and public safety.
• Structured career progression with clear promotional milestones.
• Competitive pay, locality adjustments, and substantial hiring/retention incentives for eligible locations and candidates.
• Comprehensive federal benefits and on-the-job training to develop law enforcement skills.

---

What Careertakes Will Do

• Careertakes will facilitate your application and may connect qualified candidates to this Confidential Client opportunity and additional matched roles on our platform.
• Candidates will be evaluated on resumes, supporting documents (transcripts, etc.), and any required entrance exams or assessments as indicated by the official job announcement.

---

Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.