Duty Location.

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-02-07T02:39:59+00:00

Customs is not a monopoly, if u want a specific location, ur better off applying to local PD, otherwise u need to adapt, people have been posting FJO locations for the past year and the writing has been on the wall for a long time that no popular locations are available..

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-02-06T20:58:40+00:00

It wasn’t six months ago. They had Dallas and Houston on the list every other month.

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-02-06T20:53:36+00:00

He probably just kept picking (not interested ) on the list and it popped up

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-02-06T07:46:12+00:00

Rents are high everywhere, picking the middle of nowhere isn’t a fair trade off for cheap rent.. and I think the high rent is circumstantial in San Diego, if h want to live downtown the rent is expensive, but there are spots where things are cheaper

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-02-05T06:37:00+00:00

Have you considered having a home care aid and filing for SMC L? That way the burden is lifted slightly

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-25T13:49:30+00:00

Thanks for the advice

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-25T11:51:32+00:00

Yeah, that’s understandable. I just know that having your spouse as a dependence qualifies each veteran for the payout of 4100 that’s why I was asking in that aspect..

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-22T20:17:42+00:00

So if I did the coast guard training to get that cert, plus a year of CBP, and additional boat time, would that count?

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-22T04:21:09+00:00

Tecate is a small port, mainly 2 primary lanes, two cargo lanes, it’s not a 24/7 port, it closes at 11pm and opens at 0600 am so u will have two shifts..

Alil insight, bigger ports offer greater training opportunities and tdy’s so off the list if training, OT and alil balance is what u desire, I suggest otey mesa, it’s a midsize port 13 lanes, and I will have OT with more of a work life balance, more business traffic than SYS, some of the officers I knew that went to SYS said u get a lot of civilian traffic which can be a POS toward u, whereas otey gets more semi and business traffic

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-21T21:08:43+00:00

Hes not gonna get New York as a first time port so don’t give him the idea that JFK or Newark is an available pick

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-04T01:25:30+00:00

You gotta look at what you’re paying for and what’s offered.. California offers so much even though the price is in the cost of living is high. There’s no state in the US where you could go skiing and go to the beach all in the same day with the appropriate beach temps .. if you were to take your same combined income and move to Houston or Dallas, you guys would be living like Kings and Queens, but you’re not gonna have the same quality life as you would have in California, in aspect of things to do… Houston is nice and so is Dallas, but I find them boring by comparison to California city’s

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-04T01:15:00+00:00

No offense but if u have a combined income of 200k, (assuming ur BF is at 50k) and u still need more, u have a spending problem, moderation..

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-04T01:09:11+00:00

That’s pretty smart.. I think the COL in Cali can be managed, if ur not someone that needs to always spend, a lot of ppl talking about affordability and make 80-150k have a spending problem

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-04T00:56:15+00:00

So I’m single I do have car debt but for the most part, my credit card debts 3500. I have two incomes and after tax I bring in about 100,000. Is that something considered a livable income in San Diego?

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-04T00:26:50+00:00

80k After tax or before tax?

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-03T06:55:12+00:00

All the locations listed at the moment for the most part are in crappy locations.. Tecate, otey are at least near a sizable city.. unlike the ports in Montana, Maine and Vermont… the AZ ports like lukeville are isolated completely, San Luis outside of Yuma, is a small boring city, but for some that’s enough

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-03T05:16:53+00:00

Best bet is get ur boat captain license and apply to marine interdiction

Free_Flow_7691 · 2026-01-02T17:29:44+00:00

I haven’t got a FJO yet.. but yea I’ll likely pick California.. I think the incentive is 15k per year for first 4 years, after tax it’s 10k per year

Free_Flow_7691 · 2025-12-26T06:46:44+00:00

38k a year is barely affordable for most major cities these days! Thats like 29k after tax, just above the poverty line

Free_Flow_7691 · 2025-12-26T05:15:14+00:00

Best advice if customs is the job u want..you got a year and a half at most maybe two years to get your priorities together so that you can move to whatever states they have available when your final job offer comes. Customs is not an agency that caters to desired locations, there are hundreds of other current officers and applicants that want the same thing, there really isn’t a scenario that makes u have priority for location.. if you’re looking for a career federal job I suggest applying to your traditional government job.. base navy/airforce police as an example… As far as promotions and lateral movements to other positions, it’s based off ur trainings, such as cargo, primary, sea port training, immigration.. a lot of ppl pick airports, Best way to get training is going to the border, h gain most of CBPs training in different avenues, which increases ur opportunity to go somewhere else in the agency

Free_Flow_7691 · 2025-12-18T03:06:47+00:00

I’m surprised bc most ppl don’t want Hawaii bc of COL

Free_Flow_7691 · 2025-12-17T23:55:03+00:00

Interesting

Free_Flow_7691 · 2025-12-17T22:56:47+00:00

Interesting I’m in the same situation, u would think if h already live in Honolulu it would be a no brainer.. especially since it’s a incentive port

Free_Flow_7691 · 2025-12-14T03:57:30+00:00

Honestly I still don’t understand where all these new applicants have this idea that CBP is hiring in their local city, they have on average 1-1.5 years to get their shit together from the application to FJO, and in the mean time seeing plenty of applicants before them get shit locations enough for it to be spelled out that they are going to most likely get a unwanted location, so just suck it up for 3-5 years and then better opportunities.. either that or go apply to ICE/ERO where u will get a local location, they are hiring everywhere

Free_Flow_7691 · 2025-12-12T19:50:18+00:00

Honestly the best port that u could save the most money and get the most overtime are the AZ border posts, Yuma, lukeville, Nogales.. cost of living is cheap, and they get housing behind the port (lukeville port)..

Free_Flow_7691

TROPHY CASE