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Federal Counterterrorism Jobs and Security Clearances:
Because of the high security threat posed by terrorists, many federal counterterrorism jobs require a security clearance. For example, if you want to work for a national intelligence agency like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), then you must undergo an extensive background investigation and security processing to receive a Top Secret security clearance.
All levels of security clearances for counterterrorism professionals, ranging from Confidential to Top Secret in the Department of Defense and other national agencies to 'L' and 'Q' clearances in the Department of Energy, are designed to protect and restrict access to information that if compromised, would pose a threat to national security.
Different Types of Security Clearances:
While each type of clearance level (Secret, Top Secret, etc.) has different requirements, eligibility for all security clearances requires US citizenship. Applicants for a security clearance must fill out a National Security Questionnaire (SF-86) and undergo a background investigation (BI). The SF-86 questionnaire is available in PDF format through the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM): http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF86.pdf, which anyone can download for free and review the types of questions that are asked. In some cases, candidates for certain positions may be required to submit to a counterintelligence polygraph (CI Poly).
Cleared Personnel in the Private Sector:
All security clearances are granted and approved by the US Government. The process for obtaining a security clearance is lengthy and expensive, so in job positions where a clearance is required, employers favor those applicants that already have an active clearance. Counterterrorism professionals are typically able to retain their security clearances once they leave government and go to work for a "cleared" contractor.
Many employers in the private sector that do federal government contracting, especially those engaged in providing services and products to the Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DOD) require that counterterrorism analysts and specialists possess a security clearance.
Regardless of where you work, if your employer requires that you have a security clearance to do your job, it is because you will be working with sensitive information that, if discovered or disclosed, could do harm or serious damage to national security. A security clearance, therefore, helps to verify and establish your trustworthiness to access classified information.
Other Qualifications for Counterterrorism:
Professionals across all counterterrorism jobs are common requirements for individuals that possess a minimum of a four-year degree with extensive, direct counterterrorism experience or an advanced degree in a highly-related field (like terrorism or intelligence studies). In all cases, a master's degree is desirable and for many counterterrorism jobs, is a minimum qualification.
Regardless of which pay grade you are hired into, it is essential that you understand the minimum career qualifications per position as they can differ slightly according to particular needs and requirements. For example, a Counterterrorism Analyst position at the CIA pays between $46K and $90K and requires a minimum of a bachelor's or master's degree in a field related to national security (like Intelligence, Counterterrorism, and Protection, for example) as well as foreign language proficiency.
