US Customs?

[celloman]

Any one heard anything about the hiring future of the US customs service?

Is the only way to find if they are listing a job on www.usajobs.gov ?

How about qulity of life etc.

Thanks,

celloman

 

[wishIwasinTX]

Myself and about 60 others were hired over a year ago and none of us have been brought on board yet. We also just found out that there is no money in the upcoming FY 06 budget for hiring so it will be a long wait yet, if ever. In case you missed it, Air and Marine Operations (Legacy Customs) and Border Patrol aviation are being merged together into one unit called CBP Air www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0705/071505kp1.htm


Morale is not good within Air and Marine Ops. With the Border Patrol having tremendous influence in the future of this new organization, I have serious doubts that they will ever hire anyone off the street again, including myself. For more details check out www.aptap.org and look for the ICE Wanna Be Networking thread on the message board.

USAJOBS is where you would find any announcement. Also check the Customs and Border Protection website.

 

[EagleRJ]

From every agent I've talked to, Customs was the pilot job to have, and BP was not.

With Customs getting rolled into BP and falling under BP's management, I've heard nothing but doom and gloom from those guys. Take it for what it's worth, but most of them think the choice Customs pilot job is a thing of the past now.

 

[wishIwasinTX]

Agree. I still would take it over an airline job if it ever materializes.

 

[aveasey]

Does anybody have any more recent updates on the future hiring of CBP Air. Also, does anybody have contact information for CBP Air recruiters?

 

[wishIwasinTX]

Look for an open announcement on the usajobs website. I heard something was posted the other day for a short time before they pulled it. Maybe they’re getting ready to interview again. A bunch of us have been in a pool for over 2 years but it looks like we’ll be starting soon. Here’s a link to a website with tons of CBP Air info.

http://aptap.forumco.com/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2

http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/series_search.asp

When searching on the job site search for series 1881 jobs. That’s the new classification for Air Interdiction Agents. Good luck

 

[aveasey]

Cool, thanks for the info. Its been a frustrating process with how little information CBP puts out now days.

 

[aveasey]

Look for an open announcement on the usajobs website. I heard something was posted the other day for a short time before they pulled it. Maybe they’re getting ready to interview again. A bunch of us have been in a pool for over 2 years but it looks like we’ll be starting soon. Here’s a link to a website with tons of CBP Air info.

http://aptap.forumco.com/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2

http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/series_search.asp

When searching on the job site search for series 1881 jobs. That’s the new classification for Air Interdiction Agents. Good luck

The registration on Aptap is not working so I cant post there. Can any of you current 2181/1881's give me some info on what your day to day job is like. How many days/hours per week do you usually work. How much do you typically fly? When you are not flying as pilot or co-pilot, what other duties do you take part in? Does it differ if you are fixed or rotary wing? I know that it probably depends on the station, so multiple replies are welcome.

 

[trnsprt]

The registration on Aptap is not working so I cant post there. Can any of you current 2181/1881's give me some info on what your day to day job is like. How many days/hours per week do you usually work. How much do you typically fly? When you are not flying as pilot or co-pilot, what other duties do you take part in? Does it differ if you are fixed or rotary wing? I know that it probably depends on the station, so multiple replies are welcome.

Hello;

My experience is from the legacy Customs perspective, keep that in mind as it may vary from the BP view.

Quality of life and actual duties vary alot between branches.

You have to put in 40 hours a week. That is hard and fast. How the branch schedules you varies. There are a surprising amount of variations in scheduling the 40 hour week. On top of the 40 hours you are on the hook for an addtional 10 hours a week to make your LEAP. Law Enforcement Availability Pay. This makes up 25% of your salary and if you don't work leap you lose it and can never earn it back. There are many strategies for earning LEAP and it is not as bad as it looks on paper for interfering with your personal life.

Day to day job. Again, totally different based on your local. But all branches have missions of course. Some locations may go weeks without any significant activity. During that time you will fly (if budget exists for fuel) to maintain proficiency or maintenance checks or even just area familiarity. You will be assigned collateral duties. You could become a firearms officer or take safety classes, there are many collateral duties. The collarteral duties cause travel to and from schools and meetings etc.... Of course there is flight training and recurrent training that keeps you busy as well. Most branches have a workout facility of some sort on site and encourage you to use it within limits. Many branches have kitchen facilities also.

If you get a mission at a low pace branch it is normally going to be some sort of support. Surveillance, contraband transfer etc.... So you may stay busy for a few days and then go back to your previous pace. It is law enforcement and most guys are pretty good about putting in the time when a mission requirement comes up even when it changes the schedule significantly.

Also plan on reporting to the SW desert at least a few times a year to support the Spring, Summer, Fall ramp up of the illegal immigrant mission. TDY's are usually 10 days away from home.

The higher paced branches have more consistent mission taskings. Tucson is probably the highest paced local right now. They are working 24/7 staffing which is a recent change resultant of the new structure. In Tucson you work all three shifts rotating throughout the year. Alot of pilots in the office, many ground agents now mingling into the office, the largest collaboration between the former BP air and Customs air. Helo guys fly probably 12 hours a week in the A-Star, maybe a bit less in the Hawk. Fixed wing guys fly about 8 hours a week in the Citation. I don't know much about what the legacy BP guys fly in a week. I would say they fly 16 hours if not more.

Why the flight time difference? BP has less pilots than aircraft, Customs has less aircraft than pilots. Why? The Legacy Customs guys used to work in the back of the BlackHawk and the back of the Citations and A-Star on the various electronics packages and as bust team members. Since the merger that is happening less and less as BP ground agents are being tasked with the bust team duties. However manning still reflects the overage of pilots to work non-flying positions and available flight time is obviously limited. You should see the Legacy Customs guys doing more flying. Especially as almost 50% of the Legacy Customs guys can retire in the next 3 years and pilots are cross trained on the BP fleet and vice versa.

That is it in a nutshell. The smaller the branch the more involved you will be in the day to day running of the place. I have done everything from assembling gear lockers to flying VIP's. You never know what is going to happen next. But like most Aviation jobs it is usually hours of boredom punctuated by seconds of excitement. World events can change a slow branch to a high paced branch overnight. So be ready for anything. Pay is on the GS scale starting at 11. Add 25% for LEAP. Top out at GS13 unless you go into management.

Good Luck

 

[aveasey]

Hey thanks a lot for the reply. That is some great info. I was hoping I would get to work on the bust teams and back seat electronics as well. Hopefully they won't totally eliminate those opportunities for pilots. But if they do, I'll just wait 5 minutes because I'm sure it will change.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

The guys I knew were tripping all over themselves to get in, as they thought it was a great gov't job. I didn't have enough FW hours. That was a while ago.

We just had 2 guys leave for customs. One of them got his hiring letter and was put in the pool about 3 years ago. I don't know about the other guy.

I know it's taking 2-3 years from when U get your interview to get hired.

cliff
YIP

 

[trnsprt]

Dunno if you are still interested. But supposedly there is going to be a new annoucement for pure RW guys. That is a rumor as I haven't seen the notice.

FWIW

 

[atlcrashpad]

Pure RW guy? I doubt it. Customs hires dual rated or FW guys only. There are so many dual rated guys out there, they just pick who they want. I gave up my job there to fly for a regional. Sometimes I regret it, most times I don't.

 

[trnsprt]

Well Flav, first off it isn't Customs program you remember anymore if you were here and then left prior to the merger.

The program is going to have to integrate some of the BP ground agents into the training mix that were in the BP Air pool prior to the merger. My guess is that there may be only a limited announcement. But according to the instructors there will be an anncouncement at some point for pure RW guys. So it is possible if the stars align that this information may benefit some of those here. Then again maybe not. It is the Gov't and the rumors do run wild.

 

[trnsprt]

The following message is from another forum. Thought I would copy it here if anyone is interested. Closes soon.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]*************There are two different announcements. One is for current CBP employees and one for the public. The one below is for the public.

You'll notice that one announcement shows series 1881/AIA the other is for a 2181/Pilot/AIA. The series 2181/Pilot is for the public and the trainee will be converted to 1881/Air Interdiction Agent after training is completed. Promotion potential after that should be GS-13 as well.

I could not post the direct link to the page at USA Jobs, but follow the link below, go to search jobs, then search series and type in 2181. This will bring up several pilot jobs and you will find the link to the position open to the public. You should be able to find and read the 1881 position open to CBP employees by selecting yes in the place it asks if you are a current federal employee and type 1881 into the series.

Please contact Steve Shockney / National Recruiter, CBP Air & Marine at 202-345-0424 with any further questions.

Please read the announcement thoroughly, Requirements, How to Apply, etc. before calling. Steve receives many calls and is happy to speak to all, but many questions can be answered by reading the announcement fully.
AIRCRAFT/AIRPLANE/HELICOPTER PILOT (AIR INTERDICTION AGENT)

[URL="http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/"]http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov[/URL]

Vacancy Ann.#: WAS-125037-AGO
Who May Apply: Public
Pay Plan: GS-2181-11
Appointment Term: Permanent
Job Status: Full-Time
Opening Date: 11/27/2006
Salary: From 51,972.00 to 67,567.00 USD per year

JOB SUMMARY:
This position supports our mission to serve as the guardians of our Nation's borders. We are America's frontline. We safeguard the American homeland at and beyond our borders. We protect the public against terrorists and the instruments of terror. We steadfastly enforce the laws of the United States while fostering our Nation's economic security through lawful international trade and travel. We serve the American public with vigilance, integrity and professionalism.
Who May Apply: Open to all U.S. Citizens. In addition to competitive referral lists, separate referral lists may be generated for candidates eligible for appointment under the following special authorities:

Displaced Federal employees requesting special priority selection consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)
Individuals eligible for VRA appointments
Individuals with disabilities
Individuals eligible under other noncompetitive appointment authorities (e.g., those eligible under overseas appointment, Peace Corps, 30% or more disabled veterans, etc.)
Organizational Location: This position is located in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Air and Marine, various locations.

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be paid.

Note: One or more positions may be filled using this vacancy announcement.


KEY REQUIREMENTS:
U.S. Citizenship
Background Security Investigation
Residency in the U.S. for last 3 years (see explanation)


[/FONT]

 

[av8orboy]

Anybody put in for this?

 

[Skypilot]

customs interview

Friend of mine got called for an interview. Was told they would be interviewing about 100 people. Anyone have any idea what to expect in OKC?

 

[trnsprt]

Yeah, From 5 years ago, but I have heard that there hasn't been much change. Of course it will depend on the type of position you applied for also.

Fixed wing expect a C-210 ride, rotowing expect an A-Star and if you are dual rated expect to fly both.

All real straight forward stuff. Log book check, oral, personal interview, flight.

Oral; FAR's/Aim, general Aviation knowledge, just making sure you are who you say you are and that your log book matches your experience.

Personal interview when I went through was a panel of 3. They just want a feel of who you are and why you are interested. Similar to a panel interview for most higher end aviation jobs. Tell us about something dumb you did in an airplane. What is your greatest accomplishment. What questions do you have on and on.

Flight; VFR and IFR procedures, steep turns, stalls, Hood time, climbing and descending S-turns, practice appchs.

I am fixed wing only so I don't know the baseline for rotowing. I would assume you just do what is natural to do for the position you applied for. Throw in autos and hovering.

Oh yeah... don't worry if they don't let you land the 210. It is standard for the instructor to land it as they put a lot of wear and tear on the airframe during interviews a bunch of years back and stopped letting interviewees land the thing.

They aren't looking for a Yeager or a Hoover. So if you make a mistake correct it and fess up. They are down to earth guys at the school house (mostly) and are interested in finding someone who's experience matches what they put on the resume and that they wouldn't mind spending a couple of weeks with during a TDY.

Best of luck

 

[Picsar]

Thanks trnspt for the heads-up.

 

[wishIwasinTX]

No autos or other emergency stuff in the helicopter. (or airplane for that matter) Normal takeoffs & approaches, slope landings, quick stops, pinnacles, confined areas, non-precision approach.