Qualifications

• Applicants to the position of customs agent must be U.S. citizens with no convictions for felonies or misdemeanor domestic violence. They must have lived in the United States for the last three years, and must pass medical exams, a physical fitness battery, drug tests, polygraph exams and a background security check.
  
  Those applying to the lowest -- Grade 5 -- level must either have a bachelor’s degree or three years of experience showing the ability to interact with people and apply a body of facts. The higher Grade 7 entry level requires at least one year of graduate education or at least a master’s degree. Also acceptable is one year of inspections experience at entry ports, or regulatory/compliance work.
  
  

Training

• Successful applicants must attend 17 to 19 weeks of training at the CBP Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Here, they begin earning their salaries of $31,315 per year for Grade 5 or $38,790 per year for Grade 7, as of June 2011. Training covers both classroom education and field exercises, and includes a strong physical fitness component. Agents assigned to Puerto Rico; Miami, Florida; or the Southwest border also receive an additional six weeks of training in Spanish. Applicants must successfully complete all training or be dismissed.
  
  

Promotions

• The pay tables used by the CBP divide salaries into grades, through which customs agents progress as they gain more experience and responsibility. Those hired at Grade 5, for example, can eventually reach Grade 7. It typically takes a year to progress from one level to the next, though intermediate raises are possible since each grade is divided into 10 steps. Higher grades mean higher salaries: At GS-9, agents receive a minimum $47,448 per year; at GS-11, they get $57,408; and at GS-12, they make $68,809, as of June 2011.
  
  

Benefits

• An important part of compensation for CBP employees is benefits. Customs agents receive overtime pay as well as a uniform allowance. Other benefits include 10 paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave and from 13 to 26 days of vacation per year. Health, dental and vision insurance are available for officers and their dependents, while a Flexible Spending Account can handle uncovered medical expenses with pretax savings. Upon retirement, agents receive monthly incomes from three sources: a basic pension, Social Security and a Thrift Savings Plan that is similar to a 401(K).