Gotta get outta Texas (Missoula, Shelby: fit in, how much, house prices)

[Gman2007]

Border Patrol recently have had job announcements for the Northern Border in Montana but as a BP Agent, you still have to learn Spanish and you will have to spend approx. 12 months in training on the Southern Border AFTER your academy training before they let you go up North.

[seven of nine]

Originally Posted by rickers

If you go to work for the border patrol you will have to learn Spanish and you will have to be stationed on the southern border for many years before you can get posted on the northern border. The pay is pretty good but the job is really stressful. My best friend is a border patrol agent.

Yes this is how they explain their assignments to me also, and yes it is a stressfull job, but at some point they do get to put in for their duty station of choice, am i correct in this? BTW I am fluent in Spanish just from living and working in Oregon

[seven of nine]

Originally Posted by Gman2007

She got hired as a Customs and Border Protection Officer then, not Border Patrol Agent. CBP Officers are stationed at the ports of entry and and BP Agents work the areas between the physical entry points.

Good to know the difference.

[decembergirl]

No hablas espanol?

[SamHouston62]

I second the motion regarding moving to Montana to get the h*ll out of East Texas. I'm a Houston native and have lived here for 35 of my 47 years. Houston used to be a pretty decent place until the early 1970's, then a massive influx of Yankees followed by a massive invasion of illegal aliens followed by another inundation of people from Asia and the Near East has completely ruined this town. I scarcely recognize the place anymore and feel like a foreigner in the place I grew up in.

A few years ago my wife and I were *privileged* (and I mean that sincerely), to visit Montana while vacationing and we fell in love with the state. Naturally, we were enthralled by the beauty of southwestern MT, (the part we drove through), but we were also impressed by how much the people reminded us of the Texans we grew up around in the 1960's - honest, decent, hard-working folks who lived by the Golden Rule and expected others to do the same.

When we got back to Houston and it's urban blight, crime, traffic, heat, pollution, and multicultural "diverse" chaos it was, to say the least, a depressing experience. It is only a matter of time before this town and the rest of the State goes back to Mexico. (Will the last real Texan to leave Texas please bring the Lone Star flag and Sam Houston's statue with you when you cross the state line?)

Anyway, it goes without saying that this place is no longer recognizable to us and we have sadly concluded that Texas is as doomed as California due to uncontrolled immigration. There is no way I see us retiring here 20 years from now. We want to get the heck out of here and move to someplace in the Rockies to get back to a lifestyle and a culture we can recognize as being old-style American.

Currently, Montana is our first choice - mainly because we like the lay of the land and the low population density there. Now that the real estate bubble has popped, we are hoping that land and house prices will recede to more reasonable and affordable levels in your state. I think the banking crisis (i.e. credit crunch) and the end of the real estate boom may bring a swift end to the phenomenon of Montana and other western states being invaded by leftist whackos from the West and East coasts. Anyone see any signs of this yet?

Anyway, I'm convinced that Montanans aren't all that different from old fashioned Texans. We have a common Western culture and neither of us cotton to outsiders coming to our states and changing everything. Trust me - if we move to Montana, we'll be grateful to be there and the last thing we'll want to do is tell Montanan's how to run their state. I reckon a person had to prove himself and become a productive member of the local community before he/she *earns* the right to start griping about *anything.*

You see, we've had a similar problem in Texas, (and the rest of the South), for over a century with Yankees coming down here from up North for our warm climate and laid-back culture who then waste no time at all trying to turn Dixie into NYC. This has always riled us and I absolutely "get it" as to why Montanans are royally ticked off over the California invasion and condescension. Ugly Californians are your version of our "Yankee" problem.

In Texas we have a saying that there are 3 kinds of Yankees: (1) A "Yankee" is a person from up North, (2) A damnyankee is someone from up North who visits the South and proceeds to tell us how they do things up North, and (3) a G*damnyankee is one who moves to the South and tries to "reform" Dixie so that it'll be more like the hellish Yankeeland he/she just fled.

I reckon there is a similar breakdown regarding folks from California, depending on how they act when they get to Montana.

Anyway, I'd love to hear from some longtime Montanan's regarding what sort of jobs are most plentiful and pay best in your state. Also, where is housing still reasonably affordable for regular, middle-class, working people? Is Montana really as economically depressed as some folks on these boards are saying, or are y'all just trying to spook all the rich California weirdos so they'll stay home?

[mattman3seven]

For all of you who have posted regarding that you have to move to the southern border and learn Spanish. BLASPHEMY! I really do not know where you're getting your information, but in all honesty, my wife has been hired as a BORDER PATROL AGENT, not a customs and immigration agent(I do know the difference, thanks!). She DOES NOT have to go to the South for a year or learn Spanish. I do believe, though, that it has something to do w/ the shortage of available people to man the posts here.

I just wanted to clear this up. That may have been the rule in the past, but it is not anymore, at least for now anyways.

[rickers]

Sorry but just go to the Border patrol and customs web site and go to the FAQ page and it clearly states that any applicants do not have to speak Spanish at the time of hiring but Spanish must be learned at the training academy. It also states clearly that new agents will be stationed on the southwestern border at first. You may be right about the need for agents exceed the number of applicants. I do know that for every rule there is an exception. My buddy is fine with working the southern border and has no intention of moving way up here to freeze in the winter and be bored. But if what you say is true then the agency bent or waved their rule or policy for her. Go to the governments website and see for yourself. Your wife got a break from their general policy, IF what you say is true ???

[rickers]

Hey Mattman3seven, no answer ? Believe me I know what CBP policy is and your wife got a deal that is not often offered to most male applicants. She must have some special skill that the other applicants can't provide ! That is my slap back at you for saying to you what I know is true, and that was called by you "Blasphemy" ! That in essence is calling me a liar. They may very well be allowing waivers to their policies just like the military does. Not to take my post the wrong way mind you, but the official policy as per their website does state what I said, That's where I get my information from thank you , --- it's called in my neck of the woods "The horses mouth" !

[JetMech72]

Originally Posted by mattman3seven

For all of you who have posted regarding that you have to move to the southern border and learn Spanish. BLASPHEMY! I really do not know where you're getting your information, but in all honesty, my wife has been hired as a BORDER PATROL AGENT, not a customs and immigration agent(I do know the difference, thanks!). She DOES NOT have to go to the South for a year or learn Spanish. I do believe, though, that it has something to do w/ the shortage of available people to man the posts here.

I just wanted to clear this up. That may have been the rule in the past, but it is not anymore, at least for now anyways.

She must have some pretty good connections over there in Sweetgrass. I'm in Havre and have 14 years of military service. I've looked into the Border Patrol here as well (gotta love Federal benefits). They told me to expect at least one year of service on the Mexican border before being able to choose where I'd like to live. When they said that, I withdrew my attempt at working for the Border Patrol.

[rickers]

My best friend down on the southern border knows the real deal and has only 4 years+ to go till he gets the retirement. He started off working for the immigration division.
Believe me they are either real hard up for agents or your wife pulled some strings or something. I hope things work out for you Mattman, do you work for the prison or do you let your wife support you. I have a feeling that you may be one of the many that go packing right back to Texas (or California or Washington or where ever else all the mail order employees come from, teachers coming to work on Indian reservations included !), after you get the pleasure of enduring you first winter on the high line !!!
Yee haw ! No wonder the population of this state isn't growing as fast as most other western states. Ya gotta be tough tough tough to make it here and honest as heck too.
The border patrol agents starting pay is twice that what me and my wife both bring in so I guess the work must be pretty rough untill you pay your dues.