Being a secret service agent requires excellent military and investigative skills. The duties and responsibilities involve life-threatening operations as well as dangerous missions.
The main duty of Secret Service agents is to protect the president as well as other top-ranking public officials in the United States. With this special duty, it is just best to give them the salaries that they deserve.
To know the amount of salaries that they get, let us look at the average annual income of the agents based on their length of service.
Average Annual Income
How much money do Secret Service agents make? Agents who have been working for less than a year get an annual income of approximately $49,002 and those who have been involved in this profession for five years to nine years have a median pay of $90,733.
Employees who have been working as protectors of the president and other high-ranking politicians for 10 years to 19 years receive an annual salary of $95,000.
Job Description
Secret service agents were recruited to protect the president, and vice president as well as those who are in succession such as newly elected president and vice president.
Aside from these, they are also responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the immediate families of the president, vice president, president-elect as well and vice president-elect.
In addition, the agents protect former presidents and their spouses for 10 years after they leave the office. They also secure former presidents’ children who are below 16 years old.
The agents are also responsible for protecting dignitaries and spouses from other countries who visit the country. Additionally, they ensure the security of country representatives involved in special operations and missions in other countries.
The other tasks and duties of secret service agents involve the investigations of computer-based threats against the country’s telecommunications, financial, and banking infrastructure as well as financial institution and access device fraud.
How to Become an Agent
Secret service agents are citizens of the country ages between 21 and 37 who obtain a top security clearance and who are physically fit for the job. Applicants should pass a polygraph exam as well as a medical and drug test.
Agents who like to be promoted to the GL-7 level must attain a bachelor’s degree in a reputable college or university.
It is also important to have a grade average of at least 3.0. Above all, they should be affiliated with any of the scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.