Border Patrol Internship: Requirements and Opportunities

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offers internship opportunities through the CBP Pathways Program. These internships provide valuable experience for veterans, high school and college students, and recent graduates, allowing them to work alongside CBP professionals while contributing to the agency's mission of safeguarding the homeland, protecting the American people, and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

Overview of CBP and Its Mission

CBP plays a critical role in national security and border management. Its mission encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, including preventing terrorism and illegal immigration, securing U.S. borders, and facilitating legitimate international trade and travel. CBP operates in an environment of ever-increasing complexity, relying on its diverse and professional workforce to develop solutions to new problems and maintain organizational excellence.

The CBP Pathways Program

The Pathways Program is designed to provide students enrolled in educational institutions (high school to graduate level) with opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school and getting paid for the work performed. Students who successfully complete the program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent position in the civil service.

Eligibility Requirements for Internships

To be eligible for a CBP internship, applicants must meet certain requirements:

Student Status: Applicants must be students who have been accepted for enrollment or who are currently enrolled and seeking a degree on a full- or half-time basis in one of the federally administered, organized educational programs or accredited educational institutions. These institutions include public or private high schools; state-approved home schools; technical or vocational schools; two (2) year or four (4) year colleges or universities; graduate or professional schools; a registered apprenticeship program, job corps or postsecondary home school curriculum.
Citizenship: Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
Security Clearance: Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret with Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance.
GPA: A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher is generally required.
Residency: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years.
Education:
- GS-03: Completion of one (1) academic year of post-high school study.
- GS-04: Completed 2 full academic years of post-high school study or an associate's degree.

Application Process

The application process for CBP internships involves several steps:

Initial Application: Applicants must complete all application materials, including a short questionnaire, a current resume, an unofficial transcript, and a writing sample of no more than three pages.
Application Evaluation: CBP reviews all applications, considering academic background, relevant experience, and the current needs of DHS I&A.
Interview: Qualified applicants may be contacted for an interview by phone or asked to provide a writing sample.
Conditional Offer: If selected, CBP will extend a conditional offer of employment, contingent upon the successful completion of a background investigation and the granting of a Top Secret security clearance.
Background Investigation: Applicants must complete and submit the required background investigation paperwork. Government investigators will contact current or former employers, references, social acquaintances, and neighbors. They will review school, credit, arrest, medical, and military records.
Security Clearance: Applicants must successfully complete the background investigation and receive a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI).
Enter on Duty: CBP will contact applicants who successfully complete the background investigation and assign a start date.

The internship timeline typically takes approximately four months. The length of the investigation depends on how quickly and thoroughly applicants complete the documents, the extent of foreign travel or time spent living abroad, and inconsistencies in the application and investigation process.

Internship Details

Duration: All interns start in the summer and work full-time for a 10-week period (late May to mid-August).
Work Schedule: Positions are filled on a part-time basis. Part-time schedules are typically 16 to 32 hours per administrative workweek, prearranged on a scheduled tour of duty.
Pay: Interns are paid for time worked according to the General Schedule (GS). Typically, pay is at GS grades from 3 to 9, depending on the level of education and academic credits.
Location: If attending a university in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, interns may continue to work in-person either full- or part-time during the academic year, depending on their class schedule. If attending schools outside the area, interns may continue to work remotely during the school year.
Housing and Travel: CBP does not pay for or provide housing for interns, nor does it pay for travel to or from Washington, D.C.
Transit Subsidies: CBP offers federal public transit subsidies for the daily commute to and from work.

Internship Responsibilities

As an intern, you will work alongside DHS I&A employees to support their mission activities.

Intelligence Analysis: You may work with an analyst to learn tradecraft and research, write, and present finished intelligence products on terrorism, cyber, or economic security issues.
IT: You may assist in developing databases or working on IT tools to enhance analysis.

Conversion to Permanent Position

Interns may be non-competitively converted from the internship program to a term or permanent position in the competitive service within 120 days following successful completion of all their educational requirements in accordance with section 5 CFR 362.204 given there is an available position; however, conversion is not mandatory or guaranteed. If converted, this position will likely fill a Auditor, GS-0511 position with an FPL of GS-12.

Additional Requirements for Border Patrol Agent Positions

While the above requirements apply to CBP internships in general, those interested in Border Patrol Agent positions should be aware of additional requirements:

Language Proficiency: Border Patrol work requires the ability to speak and read Spanish as well as English. Applicants must successfully complete a language test. Those who do not speak Spanish will undergo an artificial language test (ALT) designed to assess their ability to learn Spanish. Those who are fluent in the Spanish language will be given the choice of taking the ALT or a Spanish proficiency test.
Firearms Proficiency: All positions require qualification in the use of firearms. Proficiency with standard issue firearms must be demonstrated for successful completion of training.
Driver's License: Applicants must possess a valid driver's license at the time of appointment.
Personal Traits and Characteristics: Applicants for all grade levels must demonstrate in a pre-employment interview that they possess the traits and characteristics important to Border Patrol Agent positions.
Medical Requirements: Before entrance on duty, all applicants must undergo a pre-employment medical examination and be medically suitable to perform the full range of duties of the position efficiently and without hazard to themselves and others. Failure to meet any one of the required medical qualifications will be disqualifying for appointment. These standards are considered minimum standards and will not be waived in any case.

Specific Medical Requirements:

Vision: Binocular vision is required and must test 20/40 (Snellen) without corrective lenses. Uncorrected vision must test at least 20/70 in each eye. Vision in each eye must be corrected to 20/20. Near vision, corrected or uncorrected, must be sufficient to read Jaeger Type 2 at 14 inches. Ability to distinguish basic colors by pseudoisochromatic plate test (missing no more than four plates) is required, as is normal peripheral vision.
Gastrointestinal System: Chronic symptomatic diseases or conditions of the gastrointestinal tract are disqualifying. Medical conditions requiring long-term use of medication(s) may be disqualifying.
Hernias: Inguinal and femoral hernias with or without the use of a truss are disqualifying.
Nervous System: Applicants must possess emotional and mental stability with no history of a basic personality disorder.
Miscellaneous: Though not mentioned specifically above, any other disease or condition that interferes with the full performance of duties is also grounds for medical rejection.

Physical Demands: The duties of positions in this series involve physical exertion under rigorous environmental conditions including unpredictable exposure to loud sounds, stress, and extremes of heat and cold; irregular and protracted hours of work over rugged terrain; patrol duties on foot, motor vehicle, and aircraft; and participation in physical training.

Read also: Explore CBP Internships

Additional Information

Ethics: As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards. Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties.
Bargaining Unit: This is a bargaining unit covered position, represented under the National Treasury Employees Unions- NTEU.
E-Verify: DHS uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States.
Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.

tags: #border #patrol #internships #requirements