(Career information)
2. Meet those requirements
3. Pay fees for P.I. license from State (or County)
4. You are now a Private Investigator
Well, no. The State licensing requirements for a Private Investigator can range from only requiring payment of a fee, all the way to having to pass exams, take college courses, train under another P.I., the works. You might even have to find another Private Investigator to "sponsor" you, depending upon your state. There may also be additional requirements depending on the Municipality or City that you live in.
The fees are not too bad, depending upon your State, but they can add up quickly if they have exam fees, processing fees, background check fees, etc.
The key is, if you want to do this, then DO IT! You can't let obstacles stop you from pursuing a goal that is close to your heart. And there will be obstacles, let me tell you. But anything can be accomplished if you set your will to do so.
The really difficult thing is finding someone willing to give you experience as a private investigator. I tried to find someone to hire me in the beginning, before I had received my license. (Most States allow you to work under the license of another investigator as his employee). You'll find that a lot of the big agencies that are hiring don't want to pay very much for your time, and the smaller ones are often "one man shops" that aren't really set up for employees. In addition, they are (quite frankly) nervous about the prospect of training someone who they feel might go into business for themself, in competition with them.
But don't let that stop you! Somebody out there will hire you, or at least let you work for free for a while. For free? Yep. Sometimes that's the only way to get your foot in the door.
Okay, what if you can't find ANYbody to hire you?
Do an assessment of your skills. Do you have the skills necessary to get hired? Can you write an understandable report? Do you know how to use video and photographic equipment, and can show it if someone asks you for details? Are you comfortable with computers? Do you have an eye for details?
Find out where you think you are lacking, and fix it. Read more, learn more, do more. Ask yourself, if I opened my own agency, what would I need to know how to do? (That depends on the type of investigation you are working on, of course). What skills would I need? If you're not sure, check out Yahoo Groups, and look for the ones that allow non-PI's (unless you've already got your licensing) to join. Your best bet is to keep your questions to yourself until you're licensed. Non-PI's make real investigators nervous. Just read, and learn. There are several Yahoo Groups that are just for New Investigators. Check those out.
An Alternative Route
You could always choose the path I chose. I would never, EVER, have opened my own agency if someone had been good enough to hire me. It's a much steeper hill to climb, if you know what I mean. Business is slow to grow, but when it picks up it's great. Personally, I'm glad that I followed this path, now that I look back on it. But if you choose to get a license and start your own company from scratch, you need to be the kind of person who makes friends easily. Get to know your fellow P.I.'s. Once you are in competition with them, you've removed their greatest fear about you... that you'll go into competition with them. You've already done it! But show them that you are the kind of person that might be good for their business, as well as yours. Do favors for any P.I. who needs a hand, they might return a good deed right back to you. Nothing creates more work than helping someone in need. Trust me. You'll probably do better making friends with P.I.'s that are not in the same city with you, but share the same State. There's less fear of competition, and it gives you the opportunity to refer work back to them, if you don't want to go all the way up to their city. They love that, and they'll return the favor if they can. If they do refer work to you, offer to let them pay you less than they are offering, and they can give the results to the client, if they'll help you "learn on the job". It's really hard to turn down an offer like that. Either way, remember, don't let obstacles stop you from getting what you want! Oh, and make sure you get insurance... more on that later. It's not worth the risk to not be insured.
But it helps a lot!
Why? Partially for the experience you will have in regards to interviewing, reporting, procedure (from the Police side). Actually, most law enforcement officers never do any surveillance on the job, or investigate anything beyond suspicious activity, unless they move into investigative departments. They do often have a developed eye for trouble, and are trained to seek out and find details, however.
The other reason it helps a lot is because your clients believe it helps a lot. It's a matter of perception, really. If a client has to choose between two investigators, and one of them was a former electrician, and the other was a former Patrol Officer, which one sounds better. The LEO of course! He just seems like the better choice. He may not necessarily be the best choice, but to your potential client, perception is important.
The good news is a lot of people are moving into this career field from very diverse education and job experience. Accountants are becoming Forensic Accountants (I think those guys are cool), computer experts are working at exposing electronic fraud, this field is widening to welcome anyone with the right personality and abilities to do the job. This is mainly due to the fact that the need is growing so rapidly. Private Investigation is currently the 5th fastest growing job market.
So don't let your lack of Police or Military experience stop you. Get skills, and it won't matter in the long run.
Van Nuys, California.
Established in 1907.
Florida Campuses.
Private Investigations Services Program.
Investigations Academy
Richmond, Virginia.
60 hour P.I. Course.
Martinez, California.
in Forensic Accounting
Floria Atlantic University.
Online and On-Campus Program.
Las Vegas, Nevada.
Campus, and On-Line program.
Throughout Australia.
Classrooms, and online courses.
Online Virtual Campus.
Based in Canada.
Investigative Career Program
San Fransisco, California
-- More to come!
A Professional Investigator's Course.
Instruction Manual on CD, 4 hour Video set, Members-Only Web Site.
Professional Private Investigation Program.
Home study course.
Private Investigator program.
Home study course.
Home study course.
Take Lesson 1 online for free.
Div. of PROBE,INC.
"Distance Learning" program.
Home study course.
Free sample course materials.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Home study course.
Eligible for CE credits, some states.
Online courses.
Check out Imagine's website
Free online investigative information
Mostly in English, some French
-- Information not restricted to Canadians
the professional image of licensed Private Investigators.
A licensed Private Investigator must follow a set of
ethical & legal standards, and should put the needs of his client first.