The TSA is hiring. By mid-June, the U.S. agency expects to have hired and commenced employment for 768 full-time screeners, in order to help diminish long security lines.
Recent developments have almost forced the agency’s hand. For example, in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, hundreds missed their flights due to security lines that took hours to go through.
The main issue for the TSA is that the number of officers employed has decreased, while travelers have increased. Since 2013, the number of TSA officers has decreased by 4,500, or 10 percent, while the number of flyers increased by 15 percent.
A total of $34 million is expected to be spent by the TSA to speed up the hiring process, along with increasing overtime and part-time hours.
The job duties of a transportation security officer typically entail using screening technology, monitoring terminal entrances and exits, and performing searches on people and bags. One can apply to be a transportation security officer at USAJobs.gov.
Be warned, however. The pay for being a TSA officer isn’t all that great, and you’re likely to encounter numerous hostile passengers. Officers must be alert at all times, and there are risks beyond what one would expect.
For example, one TSA officer in Los Angeles was murdered by gunfire on the job in 2013. While this was an isolated case, it is a risk that one should be aware of.
It is important to note that you must be a U.S. Citizen and have at least a high school diploma to work for the TSA, unless you possess a year or more of equivalent work experience.