TSA hiring event for RSW on Tuesday, Wednesday aims to attract more women

The TSA, like so many industries, needs workers, which is why the agency is holding a hiring event for its Southwest Florida International Airport workforce on Tuesday and Wednesday, where no experience in law enforcement or security is required and women are especially encouraged to apply.

The starting hourly pay is $16.90 and the TSA is offering additional incentives to get some officers here at RSW, including a hiring bonus of up to $1,000; you’ll get $500 when you’re hired and the other $500 after you’ve been on the job for a year.

Leaders at RSW say they’re also offering current officers a referral bonus, so that if a TSO refers someone for a job and that person is hired, they’ll get $500, and there is no limit on how many people they can refer. Among other benefits, new hires will also have a 401K and health benefits. Being a TSO is also a good stepping stone for people interested in joining the federal government.

“Maybe your end goal wouldn’t be, ‘I don’t want to be with this agency this entire time,'” said Robert McLaughlin, federal security director at RSW. “But if this helps facilitate you joining another aspect of the federal government, sometimes working for us for two to three years might help you move on to other positions that you’re interested in or maybe you have other qualifications for.”

Leaders at RSW also say slightly more women than men come through the airport, so they try to match that ratio when hiring, mostly to accommodate passengers when it comes to things such as pat-downs.

But that’s just one of the ways the TSA says it tries to make sure officers can keep passengers as comfortable as possible. Another way is through their TSA Cares program, in which specially trained TSOs can assist families who are traveling with someone who is handicapped. RSW says each TSO will receive extensive training.

“Their primary focus is screening: screening of passengers, screening of cargo,” McLaughlin said. “And there’s other responsibilities that they have as well. We have a program called Atlas. We have officers, our TSOs, that are involved in canine support. We have behavior detection officers; we have a number of other things that are available to help them hone their craft and become even more effective.”

The RSW TSA is looking to hire between 20 to 25 people at this hiring event. They’ll be at the Embassy Suites located at 10450 Corkscrew Commons Drive in Estero Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you come to the event, expect to be there for around three hours.