project assistant

U.S. Border Patrol

Inspect aircraft parts to verify proper documentation and serviceability.  I've learned the orchestration required to operate in a supply dept for a very large, national and very vital operation.  I have held the Branch Manager position for the US Customs directing approx. 40 employees consisting of aviation mechanics, Quality inspectors, ground technicians, logistics technicians and various office support personnel for 3 years.  I have now taken on the role of special projects.  I am creating a Quality assurance system in the National Supply warehouse for the US Customs and Border Protection programs. I do not find anything that I can say is difficult with this position, I have worked at capacities of this position for many years and I have much confidence in my abilities, ethics, and morals.  The most rewarding part of the this position is the ability to create a Quality Control system recognized and approved by the United States Department of Homeland security.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Toxic work environment supervisors are very unprofessional ,there is it's who you know ,not what you know.Their senority system sucks for your days off for a long long time. Their union helps those only those who they chose to help ,if you have a real a HR ISSUE you cannot go to HR you have to go through union and they are no help at times. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Not being able to go to a real HUMAN RESOURCE OFFICE with your legit issue . When it comes to a hostile work environment or some time of work harassment. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
At times negative depends on your department and supervisor 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Depends on your department and supervisor

Too much politics! You will work 10 hour days of straight pay if you are on the day shift! No overtime work!! Salary isn't good until you get your GS12. 10% extra for night differential, and a lousy 25% extra for working Sundays. The union doesn't fight for anything. Horrible days off. Not a good job for family life! For many stations expect a long commute! Depending on where you are stationed living conditions can be very bad. You need 3 years of service to be eligible for a transfer, and once you become eligible it goes by seniority, so don't expect to get back home anytime soon! Advancement also goes by seniority so don't expect to do any of that cool stuff for a while like the four-wheelers, horses, and other things. 

A typical day involved working with the traveling public, ascertaining citizenship and immigration status, arresting violators of federal immigration law and federal and state drug laws. I worked with and under very competent upper management and worked with and supervised co-workers from many different backgrounds. The hardest part of my job was enforcing immigration law under difficult circumstances for people who were less fortunate. I learned a great deal about dealing with people, listening to them and solving problems and how to enforce the law in a firm yet compassionate manner.

Very hectic, being new and not speaking Spanish this created an atmosphere of animosity with the other specialist, they made the job extremely hard to learn and wanted me to fail so they'd have to hire someone that spoke Spanish.  The BP agents also made this job difficult to learn.  Running criminal history state and federal, registering illegal aliens, completing all the paperwork the agents would need to support their claims, the paperwork and producing the background checks became easier with time.  Monitoring ground sensors, and dispatching agents to locations of alarms.

I have worked for the US border patrol for more than 10 years, I left for one year to go work for ICE ERO and it was the worst decision I could’ve made.
The pace of work at BP keeps me busy and engaged, I have never met more dedicated people and those that work for the USBP. I will say that more opportunities need to be looked at for the civilian workforce and that remote working should be considered .

This once was a good job for anyone who was willing to work hard and liked the outdoors and different environments.  However, once the older managers and upper level management bosses, who spent their time on the Southern border states and never forgot what it was like to be an Agent started to retire, a new group of young wanna be company leaders started to form the regime.  This group now cares nothing about the agents except for how they can screw them over and advance their own careers.  NONE of them would be willing to go to bat or have your back!!!!

The job itself was enjoyable. All of the managers knew what it was like to do the job and most of them were more than willing to jump in and help. The academy was difficult, especially if you had no background in Spanish, the PT was no joke either. The instructors were all very thorough and accessible if you needed assistance. The work days were normally busy. It was normal to work 10 hours each day and sometimes longer. The worst part of the job is the locations you are forced to live in. It is especially bad for agents with children.

The United States Border Patrol is an exciting place to work despite recent news coverage.  Chances for advancement are constant.  Management is like every large corporation with good and bad but the good far out weight the bad.

It is a demanding job for the first couple years but then a person can move and work as opportunities present themselves.

The weather and some shift work in the beginning years are the toughest obstacles to overcome.

Teamwork, benefits and ability to work anywhere in the country are genuine highlights.

In a typical day at the U.S. Border Patrol can be slow or really fast passed depending on what comes your way. I have learned not to be complacent and to always be on the completely aware of my surroundings. Management is really good, especially at the agent level. The workplace culture is great, there are traditions in place which have been around since the inception of the Border Patrol. The hardest part of the job is knowing when to quit when tracking illegal aliens. The most enjoyable part of the job is working with the great people that are employed there.

Working at U.S. Border Patrol: Company Overview and Reviews

U.S. Border Patrol

U.S. Border Patrol Ratings

Popular jobs at U.S. Border Patrol

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected