Secret Service Jobs

Established in the year 1865 to tighten governmental control on the several aspects of counterfeiting of U.S. currency, the United States Secret Service is unarguably one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country. Since its establishment it has undergone numerous changes, handling several investigative cases and is now phenomenal in execution of its two new missions viz., safeguarding the lives of national and visiting foreign leaders and investigating crimes.

Becoming a Secret Service Employee
Right from protecting the US from currency counterfeiters, to protecting the president and other elite government officials from attacks to dealing with reputed criminal investigative cases, the USSS has assumed a great significance in the US government system.

Job Requirements
To be eligible to apply for job openings in the USSS, ensure that you have at least a bachelor's degree and you're minimum 21 years of age but not older than 37 years. Your bachelor's degree may be preferably in subjects related to international and national law, criminal justice and similar fields. You must also be a US citizen while applying for any position in the USSS. Besides these requirements, candidates must be in top physical condition with excellent vision and health. It is also mandatory for aspirants to go through urinalysis screening and they must pass top-level security clearance processes before being inducted into this organization.

Opportunities
In the USSS department, there are many positions offered that include Secret Service uniformed division jobs, clerical and administrative support, administrative and management and special agent jobs. Even students are offered internship offers in numerous fields. There are nearly 150 Secret Service offices throughout the US and as an employee in the USSS, you may be posted anywhere in the country. If need arises, you may even be required to work in any part of the world. After completing a years training course, you can apply for homeland security jobs as the USSS comes under the Department of Homeland Security.

Training Period
For 8 weeks, you'll have to go through investigative training and the USSS officers will perform extensive criminal background checks, if you have been a drug or alcohol addict and if any lawsuit has been filed against you in the past. They may contact your past employer, even your girlfriends, and your family members too, to ensure that you have no records of legal cases pending against you. You will also have to go through 9 weeks of training in firearms and special agent courses.

General Job Duties of a Secret Service Employee
Although, depending on the designation of your job, your duties will vary, mostly the USSS employees work together to ensure following:

• Ensure national peace and harmony by combating and eliminating threats of terrorists activities like the disastrous September 11 terrorist attacks.
• Work closely in collaboration with US police forces and government to ensure that national security remains unchallenged.
• Safeguard lives of top US government officials, including the President and Vice President.
• Make efforts to combat any plans of adversaries to threaten national peace and security.

It is not that jobs in the USSS don't require good academic record and higher qualifications. Many of these jobs require higher degree and it won't hurt if you have postgraduate degrees in subjects related to law and criminal justice. More over, you must have good academic record throughout your college years. Being multilingual is appreciated as special agents and employers may have to frequently travel to other countries and nations. The salaries vary on the type of job. However, one can make anywhere between USD50,000 to USD74,000 per year, in these jobs. Added to this benefit are other rewards like long holidays. life insurance benefits, decent bonuses, health insurance and other employee benefits.

If you have been dreaming of working as a secret service agent ensure that you're not just dreaming about it but you're also making efforts to get into this organization and are ready to work really hard. Wish you all the best for a bright career!

PS: The above information was just a tip of the iceberg and there are many more complexities in the USSS jobs when it comes to recruitment. For instance, some posts may require higher degrees and there are numerous tests like treasury test exams, etc. Hence, aspirants must VISIT the government website to know everything about the process in detail.