I have a few leads on reserve (unpaid positions), but will wait until graduation is closer before inquiring about full-time positions. I’m interested in a position with a forensics team or a medical examiner.
Some cities support the academy at TAMU because they don’t have to pour a bunch of money into building a good basic peace officer course - it can get expensive.
There are three pools from which candidates for this academy are pulled:
- Employed recruits - tuition is paid by the agency and the recruit is getting paid to attend the academy;
- Sponsored recruits: have a background check by an agency, but may or may not receive tuition assistance and/or stipend to attend the academy, and;
- Non-sponsored cadets - those with no tuition assistance from a department or affiliation with a department.
I was lucky enough to ask my county constable whom I have known since I was in high school. He agreed, put me through a similar interview and process as if I were being offered a paid position, did a background and criminal history check, and now I’m a couple days out from starting the academy.
