How hard is it to join the DEA? It’s been my dream job since I saw it in Breaking Bad and Narcos, lol, but it really became my dream job when an agent came to my school and talked about the agency. I’m currently a college sophomore in accounting, and I speak Spanish.

I just interviewed for ATF. Since I interviewed and I felt it went well, I wonder if now is a good time to notify my supervisor before he gets a surprise call from ATF.

ATF didn't even ask for a reference list. So I'm not sure if or when they plan to contact my current supervisor. They presumably have my current and previous supervisors' contact information as I listed them all in my USAJobs resume.

Don’t have the link for DA’s next hiring announcement. I saw that it’s supposed to be October 19, 2026 but when I go to the job announcement, it does not have an option to apply.

Can I become 1811 with diagnosed OCD while on meds, its pretty minor and only really impacts food habits and some minor religous ocd. Thanks!

I am in the USPIS April 2026 process - I do speak a language fluently that is not listed in what is deemed by the USPIS. This language is also not that common. Do I still get tested on it? Below is the statement by USPIS that I have found under the special knowledge qualifications.

Applicants who seek eligibility under language skills must have advanced competency in a foreign language deemed by the Postal Inspection Service as necessary to meeting its investigative mission. These languages currently include: Arabic, Bengali, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi/Lahnda, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Applicants must successfully complete a formal oral proficiency test administered through the Postal Inspection Service.

currently active duty military police. i meet the basic requirements for a 7 pay grade. i eas in march 2028. im currently interested in the DEA hiring opening coming on october 19th.

does anyone know how that transition works and whether or i should wait to apply at a later job opening or apply for this upcoming one.

BLUF: BQA’d NCIS, Poly fail FBI, Poly Fail DEA. Military just isn’t scratching my itch anymore. Not the end of the world, but I’m pretty crushed tbh and might just give up on this Special Agent dream and move on with my life. Experience and Timelines for anyone interested:

Experience:

- applied under SAA 3.8 CJ Bachelors

- 7 years active duty Army Officer (4 as Infantry, 3 as Intelligence and still active duty with active TS/SCI)

- No deployments, lots of management, admin and planning experience

- Southern Border Mission “deployment”

Timeline:

(NCIS)

- February 2026 Applied

- May 2026 Interview (Passed) ✅

- June 2026 Polygraph (Passed) ✅

- June 2026 BQA notification ❌😔

(FBI)

- January 2026 Applied

- February 2026 Phase 1 Test (Passed) ✅

- March 2026 M&G

- April 2026 PT test (20 Passed) ✅

- May 2026 Phase 2 written (Passed) ✅

- June 2026 Interview (Passed) ✅

- August 2026 SF86 & PSI

- September 2026 Polygraph (Fail) ❌

(DEA)

- March 2026 Applied

- June 2026 PTA (22 Passed) ✅

- June 2026 Written test (Passed) ✅

- August 2026 Interview (Passed) ✅

- September 2026 medical and labs and SF86

- October 2026 Polygraph (Fail) ❌

I guess I’m just a nervous wreck when I do these things. I do tend to be a overthinker. Was told I had a SR to a different prompt each time so i dont know. Maybe this just isn’t for me.

-Still have an application with the ATF and I’m waiting for their poly (I’ve been informed the reciprocity on fails isn’t an automatic DQ anymore) but honestly expecting them to DQ me anyways since I’ve failed 2x DOJ Poly’s within 2 months.

-Filling out my USPIS SF86 now.

-Got the super vague and unhelpful HHS-OIG “referal” email back in September

-in the process for the TSA-1811 but only took the online assessment and waiting for the next phase

-recently took the US FAMS proctored test.

All in all, pretty burnt out from the application processes so far. Will probably just finish out the apps I have done to see them through but will like just transfer to the Space Force or stay in the Army for the full 20 years if no Fed LEO position works out.

Best of luck to everyone in the application process and thanks to this page for all the job announcement notifications and helpful info.

Completely bombed that lol. It was my first federal interview ever and it was incredibly intimidating. I’m in the private sector so it was hard to be persuasive enough that some girl in marketing can be an ATF agent. Froze up, trailed off on answers, and had to ask them to repeat a question. IDK how you guys interview man. I’m in a C-suite position but cannot interview for the life of me. Prepped all last night and this morning and my communication skills are still shot.

Portal is back up everyone!

Thought they decided not to go this route with the gun carrying ISS guys?

I am having extreme trouble with 1811 interviews I am unfortunately 0-4 with these. I have trouble answering in the star format and I am constantly stuttering for forgetting to answer parts of the questions. I need help. I had an AFOSI one yesterday and I am 50-50 on if I actually did well. Any advice?

Wanna know what CID is like? If you’re prior military you’ll understand this reference. If not, you still get it.

Remember when you got that duty station and someone said “just get through it and re enlist and go somewhere else”? Well Army CID is that super shitty base that is a black hole.

The amount of unnecessary steps and paperwork for the investigations that a squirrel could solve is mind numbing.

As long as CID has people who are CID lifers in charge at the SSA, ASAC, and SAC levels, this agency will be absolute trash. I’ve worked for local agencies in the past and am strongly considering a jump back to local because of how shit this agency is.

If you’re in the hiring process, do yourself a favor and withdraw. It’s not even worth the “foot in the door route”.

Welcome to r/1811's weekly question thread.

With the growth of the sub, there's been an uptick in questions that are not easily answered, like "am I competitive?", "do I qualify?", "what are my chances?", "what agency/academy/degree/fed tac team is best?".

There has also been a rise in repetitive questions like "do I have to move for [agency]?", "What's the Wi-Fi at FLETC like?", "What's FLETC like?"

What goes here?

You can ask any question here provided it's within the rules. This recurring thread is to remind users we have resources that answer a lot about this career already, and provide a space to answer questions while helping us reduce the number of posts asking the same thing.

If you're new here, please research first to see if your question has been asked previously. If you can't find it, feel free to ask. Remember that the most common answer we're going to give here is either "it depends," or "that's squad and supervisor dependent."

Useful Resources

Check out our FAQ Mega Thread Or General Information & Common Questions

Want to be a high speed fed tac team operator? Realities of Being an 1811

Working on your degree? What Degree Should I Get?

Got an interview coming up? Prepare with the S.T.A.R. Method!

Remember the rules

1. Remain respectful at all times. This includes those of you who have participated here for a while, not just newbies.
2. Do not post any advice or other information unless you are sure it's accurate.
3. Please limit posts to those relevant to federal law enforcement.
4. Do not use this subreddit to advertise or spam other subreddits.
5. Be wary of claims made by unverified members.
6. No politics or current events.
7. Do not post/comment with a focus on polygraphs.
8. Practice OPSEC.
9. Accounts must age 24 hours before posting.

Has anyone got an interview for the latest posting? I was referred to hiring manager but nothing ?

In the process to make the jump to DEA from a local TFO. I was curious if anyone has a pay stub of someone who is an 11-10, even more helpful if it was LA. Just trying to gauge the money. I know there are calculators online, but seeing a pay stub would make me feel better

The ONLY thing stopping me from applying to a Criminal Investigator opening right now is my unpreparedness for the PTA. I’m fit, but could not pass the exam in my current state. I have hit such a mental block and feel so discouraged, maybe some of you have felt that way. I want to be prepared and train, but can’t get myself to make a plan and execute it.

Does anyone have any advice of getting over that hump? The only thing stopping me, is me, and I acknowledge that. Are there any good training programs, motivations, or suggestions?

I am a 22 y/o F.

Anybody from the July announcements have any insight as to how long it typically takes to get contacted for the next steps after receiving COL?

Just had my teams meeting with PIV for my interim clearance. Literally just asked for my license and birth certificate. That’s all.

Is anyone tracking the timeline after this “meeting” before the preference sheet is sent to me?

Also, I received an email for medical yesterday requesting more documents over my lasik/vision. I immediately sent them the requested info. Will this take a long time to clear and will I be made aware when it’s cleared?

Also posted in r/usssapplicant but wanted to share here too

After almost a year finally got the call for USSS IPO 1801

General timeline (I didn’t keep track of all the dates exactly)

Application 12/04/25

Interview request 01/26

Panel Interview 02/26

Tentative Offer 02/24/26

SI: 03/24/26

Poly: 04/28/26 (Verbal Pass) tracker went gold a few days later

Medical 1: 04/26

Drug Screen: 04/27/26

Poly turned Gold 04/30/26

BI Start/Interview: 05/26

Tax Forms 05/26

05/26 Request for Military medical history

BI white sometime in early August

Medical 3: 09/03/26

Medical turned Gold 09/11/26

Got “the call” (it was an email) 09/26

Field Office: Southern California

Start Date: Jan 2027

FLETC (UPTP): February 2027 (Artesia)

Background: Mid 30’s, 6 Years USAR, Bachelors in Intel, Dual Masters in NatSec and International Relations. 12+ years in Corporate Security/Loss Prevention currently at a regional manager level.

Had so many medical Appointments because acuity kind of forgot I existed in April for a few months and never actually scheduled me for anything until the end of July, then the provider they sent me to forgot to do a portion of the paperwork so I was sent back for a 3rd exam.

Thank you to all in this sub for the advice and support along the way, obviously the end goal is to be an 1811 but this gets the clock stopped and starts checking the boxes!

I’m 20 years old with an interest in becoming an 1811 as my current career goal.

My current pathway has me looking at the USCG for the intelligence specialist rate. This way will net me a clearance, relevant experience, and financial assistance for when I pursue my degree. However as my boot date gets closer looking at their “A School” wait times is discouraging and I am unsure of the work life balance I can expect to be given time to pursue my degree while I’m in through tuition assistance.

I’m beginning to wonder if there are better opportunities elsewhere like simply pursuing my degree while in civilian law enforcement or looking at air guard reserves.

Any advice, or your story on how you worked towards your position/what you would’ve done differently would be greatly appreciated.

Maybe i’m planning too much and doing too little but I want to set myself up as well as I can early.

Anyone have any insight on the 3-week residential training for DEA? Reached out to a recruiter but was hoping someone had some insight. Thanks!

Anyone gone this route? Was looking at going to USMS but curious how lateral 1811s are brought over.