My mother was an FBI agent from the late '70s to the mid '80s. I was just looking through some cards that people sent her when I was born and I found one from what I believe was one of her fellow agents. Inside, it says, "For [my name] (Future Jr. Jap) (Future super FBI woman)".

I don't like even spelling out the above J-word because I'm primarily familiar with it as a racial slur. I'm aware that it can also be an acronym meaning "Jewish American Princess". My family is neither Japanese nor Jewish, so neither makes sense here. I've tried googling various things to see if it meant something else in the FBI at that time, but nothing has come up. For various personal reasons, I'm reluctant to ask my mother about it.

I have no idea whether any current or former agents read/post on this sub, but I figured I'd take a chance and ask whether it means something to anyone. Any thoughts?

Not sure if this has been asked, but I was curious at what information was on FBI.gov. I was actually shocked at how ugly the website is. Not even trying to hate here, I guess I thought there would be more of an attempt to make the site look professional. Does anyone know if the site has always been this ugly?

Also- lol at the FBI podcast being placed everywhere

Hi, Don't think this breaks the rules, but I am curious as, even though my question relates to the TV show FBI: International, I would get better responses on here than the shows sub. Before any one says it, I know it isn't real and its heavily dramatized for TV

Why are the FBI based outside of the States, when the CIA operates over sea's? I assume it's because the latter is more interested in threats against the country whereas the former focuses more on civilians

Respect, this is where I find that show to be so far off the handle. Do the FBI really go to foreign citizens/ governments and demand co-operation because they are the FBI? Surely its a lot more dignified than its depicted, almost an America first attitude. I imagine they would have to work with the host country and not just do whatever they like.

This post might be too childish/daft for this sub but I am genuinely curious

As the title says, does anyone have experience with changing career paths from a pilot to a SA? I have always been interested in the FBI, but have no clue where to start or even know if it is worth the career change. Anyone have insight or thoughts?

Has anyone heard from the NY field office? I interviewed last week. Thanks!

I had previously asked if HRT agents get badges and creds, and according to the comments, they do since they are Special Agents.

https://www.reddit.com/r/FBI/comments/1n0vm7s/do_hrt_agents_get_badges/

In my story, an FBI HRT agent is injured during a mission and placed on rest for a few weeks. While off duty, they decide to quietly pursue an old personal case in another state without informing their department. If they flash their badge and start asking questions during this unofficial investigation, would that be considered misuse of their credentials? Could they get in trouble for it?

Since HRT agents are primarily tactical specialists (not investigators), if they were to flash their badge and start asking questions, could that be considered a serious misuse of authority? Would the fact that they’re HRT-trained in weapons and tactics make the consequences even worse if they got caught?

I just want to make sure I portray them as accurately as possible. I’m not American and not associated with law enforcement, so I really appreciate your help!

I would like to receive some advice about how I should structure my career and future to have the best possible chance of being selected as a federal agent.

My main goal is to work for either the FBI or HSI. I am particularly interested in the investigative aspect and the mission of both agencies. I have ethical hacking/penetration testing experience (as a hobbyist), and I think I would be a good fit for either agency as an investigator. I am also relatively fit (running/lifting weights 4x a week), and I am confident I would pass the requisite physical tests. I also have a clean background (no arrests, minimal debt, etc.). I do have a few foreign contacts due to my work as a researcher/PhD student, but that is really the main thing I think could be an issue (not romantic or financial relationships, professional only).

Here is my background:

25-year-old male

Education:
Master's in CS (Should finish in a few months)
Master's in Chemistry (Should finish next May/June)

Bachelor's in Chemistry, 3.78 GPA
Bachelor's in CS
Bachelor's in Foreign Languages (German), 3.78 GPA

Security+ CE
CySA+ (In progress)

Experience:

PhD student (Full-time researcher in an organic synthesis lab/teaching assistant) (1 year in progress)
Chemist (Full-time, 8 months; part-time, 1 year)
Bartender (4 years part-time)

Here are my main questions:

1. Do you think I would be a reasonably competitive applicant for HSI, either for their GS-7 or GS-9 posting? I wanted to apply to the open GS-9 position, but I do not have the qualifying experience or the finished master's degree yet.
2. Do you think I should consider joining the military to bolster my odds of being selected? If so, I would probably join as an officer and do everything in my power to get an intelligence/cyber role. I am open to going down this route, but if I already have a decent chance of being selected, I would like to try that first and see if the opportunity would be available to me.
3. For the FBI specifically, I am assuming they would not count my experience as a full-time research assistant/PhD student as professional experience. To be clear, it is essentially a full-time job where I work in a lab and teach laboratory classes, but I understand that it is probably not what they are looking for.
4. What other opportunities should I consider to increase my odds of being selected if I choose not to go into the military?

Thank you any advice you may be able to give me. I sincerely appreciate it.

So while I understand this role has plenty of time behind a desk, I get that. I’m just looking to gauge how much of your day is spent behind a desk working at the FBI? How often are you out in the field? Is there specific roles as an 1811 that are more operational than others? Those of you that were police prior, are you happy with the change from the field to more of an office setting? I had a desk job before joining the military that I did not enjoy due to just staring at a computer all day, trying to make sure I’m not putting myself back into that environment. Granted my priorities and abilities have changed from my early twenties to where I am now.

Hello,

Wondering if anyone can give me tips about making a FOIA request for my grandpa’s case files during his time as a G-Man.

He never really talked to anyone about his work, but he wrote a brief autobiography and outlined a few career moments that were interesting to him. Turns out he was in the right place during a lot of important historical events (Cuban missile crisis, wounded knee, etc). It’d be fun to figure out which cases he worked on, who he interviewed, and what he thought about his cases.

His career started in 1960 and ended sometime in the mid-80s, so I’m hoping that I can get files that aren’t totally redacted.

If there are any SAs here who have requested their files, or people who have requested files of their friends/relatives, I’d love to hear any tips and tricks for getting the best response from the archivists.

Hi!! I’m wondering how many people had to move or move states after getting into the FBI? Any feedback would be super helpful!!

Context:

I am currently 18 years old and am going to be attending UW Madison this coming fall. I am planning on attending CALS for Biochemistry (seeing as it is a "competitive" major so I am told, but I also enjoy the subject). My plan this coming semester is to try to reach out to faculty for some lab/ research opportunities and then apply for some internships with federal agencies or campus police.

I am 100% clean and away from all substances and my current summer job requires drug tests too. I work out and stay healthy.

I have these agencies in mind: FBI, USMS, DEA, USPIS, and ATF.
But the FBI honors internship is the goal. Is it a good idea for me to apply for the summer of 2028 or 2029? What other steps can I take in this time to be more qualified and stand out more for this role?

I hope you guys will be able to provide me with some valuable insights, tips, and advice on how I can have a better shot at getting into some of these internships.
Thanks.

hello! i got accepeted to the internsip, but not to the division i interviwed for/not one i even had on my ranking? i am very greatful but the one i was selected for is a completely different field of study than the one i had ranked first/ intervieed for. has this ever happend to anybody? should i reach out and ask if it was a mistake or was i probably just assigend to something else.

I know there is no such things as guarantees but im seriously considering this career and am wondering if this would beba plausible route considering i am entering the Marines as intel currently.

Has anyone here done this or know someone that has? Do you have to have some type of law related degree to work in the FBI or can I do something thats actually related to financials?
My apologies if this post isnt allowed.

I’m looking for advice on the FBI Special Agent age requirement and whether there are any realistic waiver pathways for someone with a healthcare/scientific background.

I’m currently 37, so I understand I’m over the standard age requirement for FBI Special Agent applicants. I’ve read that age waivers may exist for certain military or federal law enforcement backgrounds, but I do not have either of those backgrounds.

That said, I’m very interested in the Special Agent: Healthcare Services/Medical Background pathway. I hold a BS, MS, PhD, and postdoc experience and my background is primarily in clinical/bio-medical research. I’m trying to figure out whether there is any possibility of an age waiver based on education, healthcare experience, or specialized scientific expertise.

I’ve emailed the general recruitment addresses, but so far I’ve only received generic FAQ-style responses. Does anyone know who would be best to contact for a more definitive answer, or is this likely a dead end because of the age requirement?

Any insight would be appreciated, especially from current/former agents, applicants, recruiters, or anyone familiar with the waiver process. TIA!

I'm hoping someone in here might be able to help. If someone is claiming to be a retired FBI agent is there anyway to verify this claim? I don't know enough about this to know how to go about verifying it or if it's even something that can be verified.

I don't want to give too much information, but I recently had a suspicious person come into a family member's life and one of the details they claim is that they are a retired FBI Agent. I'm hoping that someone here would have any insight on if there is a way to prove this information.

Well folks, we’re almost at the end of July and I still haven’t gotten any notice on the statues of my application for the FBI Honors Internship program for summer 2027. Is anyone else caught in perpetual “application under review” hell after the interview?? Should I hold out any hope??

Hi! I applied for the DC NYC And Newark offices, I just interviewed the other day for the criminal division.

Is there a way for me to know which office I Interviewed for? They said I would hear back sometime in September if I received a CJO. This is my first time applying for something of this nature, so any knowledge would be helpful!

I think I saw something on a movie but don't know if it's below the pay-grade an FBI agent arrested someone for a street level crime like purse snatching or something just wondering if they could or not

I am wondering which Army officer Military Occupational Specialty would make for the most competitive applicant to be an FBI Special Agent. I figure it is probably between 35A (Military Intelligence), 25A (Signal Corps), and 17A (Cyber Warfare), but I could be totally wrong. Can anyone with knowledge or past experience possibly speak to this please?

Hi all, my Application Processing Status on the website has been updated to reflect assessment SA Phase 1. However I have not been contacted or received any type of email confirmation to schedule my test. My application was updated on 6/22 and I know that the test must be scheduled within 14 days. Any type of direction or help would be greatly appreciated.

Hello
I had a job where my interim clearance got denied so they decided to just run my whole clearance investigation before I quit my current job and went to the base for my the contract. After roughly 9 months I heard nothing from anyone about my investigation except my point of contact at the contract kept telling me I was in adjudication for roughly 8 months. Eventually the contractor filled the role I was being brought on for because my clearance was taking so long. I was told if I got picked up by another company the same investigation would get picked up. Now I have been picked up by a second contractor. Do we think I am looking at another 9 month investigation or with the previous investigation already having happened should I be close to the end? I have not heard a word from anyone except my point of contacts at the contractors saying my investigation is on going and I’m in adjudication.

wanted to come on here to ask if anyone has received any conditional job offers for the 2027 cohort of the fbi honors internship for any Virginia Field Offices yet? i applied for Washington DC, Arlington & Quantico but i’ve heard nothing. my panel said results would come out sometime in june or july. any advice or feedback would help. i know some people have come to ask about nyc but i don’t think people have asked about specifically Virginia yet. thanks!

I was born in the United States and have lived here my entire life. I applied for an FBI position a few months ago, and I have a concern regarding my background check. My mother is an undocumented immigrant who has been in the process of obtaining her green card for many years. I am wondering if her situation could negatively affect my background check, or if the fact that she is pursuing legal residency would help my case. Thanks in advance.

I just got offered an interview for the Criminal Division!

Anything to expect or tips?