How To Become A Private Investigator
Would you like to have a career that offers more challenge than your current job? Are you tired of working in a field where it feels like you aren’t making a difference? Consider becoming a private investigator, a profession where each day holds the promise of working on a case to truly help your clients.
Whether you’re investigating fraud, theft, missing persons, or any countless number of other types of crimes, it’s far more interesting and rewarding than sitting in a cubicle or stocking shelves.
Becoming a Private Investigator
Of course, this isn’t typically the type of field where you can just turn in a few applications and become a PI. Certain requirements must be met. In this book, you’ll learn what you need to do to become a private investigator. We cover all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C.
However, in this book, we’ll be looking at far more than just the state requirements. You’ll also learn more about other aspects of becoming a private detective. You’ll learn more about what the duties of the private investigator entail including research and intelligence collection, undercover investigations, and the best skills to have as a PI. You’ll also learn more about the types of tools and equipment investigators use, and even how to create a business plan when starting your own PI business.
Make the Career Change You Deserve and Become a Private Detective
Becoming a private detective could be the best decision you make in your life. You’ll have interesting work and you can start doing something that you love. The only thing you need to do now is to take the first step and start reading this book. The sooner you start the sooner you can become a PI.
What is a Private Investigator?
A private investigator is an independent detective that’s hired to handle criminal or civil investigations that require research, interviews, proper documentation, and surveillance. The private investigators might be hired to work on a case by an organization or an individual. Their job is to find and follow the evidence to help resolve various types of cases both large and small.
Private investigators are people who typically have excellent analytical skills and a great eye for detail. They are observant and intelligent, and they know how to conduct themselves professionally whether they are dealing with clients, witnesses, or the subject of the investigation.
In most states, investigators will need to have a license to operate. However, the rules and regulations for becoming a PI vary from one state to the next. Those who want to become private investigators will need to learn the requirements in their state. The private detectives can work within a private detective firm, for an attorney, or an organization. They can also be hired by clients individually.
Private investigators can work on many types of cases. They might work on a case that involves missing persons or a computer crime. They could work undercover to find fraud or theft in a company, or they could provide background checks. Investigators work on many different types of jobs. Others could even offer protective services. Some might choose to specialize in a certain area, such as computer forensics or insurance investigation, for example.
Those who are interested in becoming a private investigator will not need to have a college degree, but they will need to have a high school diploma. Take the time to see what it takes to become a PI in your state if this career interests you. It could be a nice change of pace from your current job.
What Does a Private Investigator Do?
Essentially, a private investigator is someone who likes to solve mysteries and put together disparate pieces of a puzzle to find the solution. Investigators look for facts and evidence and use that information to learn more about the truth behind legal, personal, and financial matters. Their goal is to bring the truth to light for their clients.
Today’s private investigators offer a range of services and can perform many tasks for their clients. Let’s look at some of the different types of things that an investigator may be tasked with doing. Some of these include:
Conducting background checks
Tracking missing people/skip tracing
Investigating computer crimes
Investigating insurance fraud
Computer forensics
Provide protection
License Plate Lookups
During an investigation, an investigator will often research and collect information, as well as interview people. These people could be witnesses, or it could be the subject of the investigation. They may search for information using paper records or online records, and they will collect evidence that will often be presented in court.
Often, private investigators will have to conduct surveillance, and this sometimes means following a subject. The surveillance requires the ability to follow the person and even record their activities without them knowing that they’re being followed.
The hours that a private investigator works can vary quite a bit. Sometimes, they put in long hours and may even have to follow subjects out of town. Because of the long and unusual hours, not everyone will be a good candidate to become a private investigator.
However, for those who want to learn how to do this challenging and interesting work, it could be the best career move they could make. Each case is different and can provide you with a job that’s far more rewarding than so many of the other careers that are available today.
Private Investigator Salary: How Much Could You Make?
One of the first questions that many people ask when they’re considering becoming a private investigator is how much it will pay. Although they’re interested in the type of work that they’ll be doing, and they’re intrigued by the challenge and excitement that the career can offer, they also want to know that it will pay their bills. How much is a private investigator’s salary?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median private investigator salary in 2019 was $50,510, or a little more than $24 per hour. While this is a good salary, it’s important to understand that this is the median for the entire country. Each state has its own median salary for PIs. It might be somewhat lower, or it could be quite a bit higher depending on where you happen to live.
If you’re thinking about becoming a PI, you’ll want to check the results for your state and keep in mind that they change from year to year. As you look at the median private investigator salary in your state, you’ll see that they tend to go up over time like most other salaries.
You want to be sure that you’ll be making enough to handle all of the costs of living in your state, along with any costs for equipment and the like. If you work for a PI firm, they will typically have the equipment that you need. However, if you are operating your own PI business, factor in the cost of your gear.
Money isn’t everything, of course. Even though you need to be sure that you’ll make enough money to cover your bills, the goal for most in this career is to find a job they enjoy. When you find something that you love doing, you don’t need to make millions to have a good and satisfying life.
Types of Private Investigator Training
March 31, 2017
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If you’re interested in becoming a private detective, you’ll find that many states require that you have some sort of private investigator training before you
What to Expect from Private Investigator Jobs
December 31, 2016
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Have you ever wondered what types of jobs private investigators typically take? You’ll find that the types of work done by investigators can vary substantially.