Being an Auror is an exciting and dangerous task. It has been a dream job for Harry Potter since he first heard about it.
It takes a certain skill set and a big dosage of bravery and determination to become an Auror. It certainly is not a job for everyone.
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What Is An Auror?
An Auror is a person that catches witches and wizards that commit crimes. In Muggle terms, an Auror can be compared to Police and Army. Aurors have their own office within the Ministry of Magic under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
During the First and Second Wizarding War in Great Britain, Aurors had their hands full trying to catch Death Eaters and other supporters of Lord Voldemort.
Depending on the country, Aurors take care of many different types of threats depending on their previous training and abilities. The main job of an Auror is to prevent witches and wizards from hurting each other and Muggles.
What Classes Do You Need To Take To Be An Auror?
There is not a lot of knowledge available about other Auror Offices, but to be a part of the British Auror Office, one needs at least five N.E.W.T.s of Exceeding Expectations or Outstanding.
The classes recommended for this type of job are Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Charms, and of course, Defense Against the Dark Arts.
If we think about it for a minute, it makes sense to study those subjects. Considering that somebody sent a small potted Devil’s Snare to kill Mr. Bode in the St. Mungo’s, it is important to know your magical plants.
Seeing as potions like Draught of Living Death are brewed in a classroom setting, it would be wise to know about Potions and their ingredients. Who knows when an Auror would need their Polyjuice Potion to spy on Dark Wizards? Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts are rather no brainers.
One needs to be skilled at performing magic to perform Auror duties.
The rules became slightly less strict for a time, directly after the Battle of Hogwarts. Kingsley Shacklebolt, then the Minister for Magic, declared that anyone who fought and survived the Battle and didn’t change sides possessed enough skill and character to qualify for further training.
The less restricted rules allowed Harry, Ron, and Neville to become Aurors despite not attending the last year of school or achieving any N.E.W.T.s.
How Long Is Auror Training?
The British Ministry’s Auror Training lasts three years.
Before attending the training, future Aurors also had to go through a set of character and aptitude tests to determine the worthiness of applicants.
We also know that Ministry does background checks. During his career advice, Dolores Umbridge was kind to inform Harry that a criminal record disqualifies one’s potential to become an Auror.
During the three years of training, future Aurors learn how to react well to pressure, demonstrate a lot of perseverance and dedication.
Naturally, all Aurors-in-training have to possess very high skills in practical defense. They also need to be partial to learning because Auror training requires a lot of studies.
Thanks to Tonks, who told Harry a little about her career and training, we know a few courses that Aurors have to complete during their training: Concealment and Disguise and Stealth and Tracking.
Professor McGonagall also implied during Harry’s career advice that poisons and antidotes are essential studies for Aurors. From that, we could assume that they also figure as a course during an Auror training.
How Much Does An Auror Make?
Neither books nor movies reveal the salaries people make in the wizarding world, but we could give an educated guess.
Considering that Aurors are equivalent to highly trained Muggle police/military, we can look into a Muggle paycheck to see what an Auror’s salary would look like.
On the same level as Aurors, Muggle law enforcement would include the American FBI or the British MI5. The salary of an FBI agent varies from $52,440 for an entry-level agent to $79,468 for a mid- to senior-level agent. The salary of an MI5 agent starts at £31,807 (£34,385 after the first year).
The Muggle law enforcement officer earns on average around $60,000. We can assume that Magical Law Enforcement could pay their Aurors similar wages.
Taking a Galleon to a USD currency exchange of 1 Galleon = $6.64 would mean that Aurors make around 9,040 Galleons per year.
Can Aurors Use Dark Magic?
Aurors are the Magical Law Enforcement officers, and therefore have to abide by the magical law they are enforcing. It means that Aurors can’t use dark magic.
They undergo a three-year extensive course of advanced magic to learn how to apprehend and detain a dark wizard without using dark magic, including the obvious – the Unforgivable Curses. The only time that Aurors were permitted to use the Unforgivable Curses was during the wizarding wars.
Final Thoughts
Aurors are the Magical Law Enforcement officers working to protect the wizarding (and Muggle) world from dark witches and wizards. They are highly trained and strong-willed wizards, adept at magical combat and espionage. During the war-time, they often risked their lives to protect others.
To become an Auror, one needs to be smart, witty, and cunning, with a good moral compass and a lot of bravery and perseverance.