How to Become a Private Investigator: The Steps to a Dynamic Career

Nowadays, private investigations have quite a demand around the world. Did you know that the Australian detective industry is expected to grow by 4.9% in the coming years? The percentage is even higher in the US and Canada!

So, if you’re planning to become a private investigator, now is a really good time. You will not only get jobs quickly but your pay scale will be rewarding. In today’s post, we will guide how to start your private investigator career in four simple steps. Let’s get started!

Complete Your High School Diploma

A high school diploma is the minimum educational requirement for all fields. So, to become a private investigator, you must complete your high school diploma. It doesn’t matter what school you graduate from and what subjects you choose 

You just need to have the diploma certificate to make further educational progress. Also, you must meet the following general requirements:

•     Be at least 18 years old
•     Be a citizen or legal resident of the country
•     Have a clean criminal record

There will be more specific requirements based on your location. For example, in the US, you must not have done any felony-level offense or sex offense. Also, you should not have been dishonorably discharged by the army. So study the requirements carefully,

Pursue a Degree in a Relevant Field

It is great to have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a field that interests you and is a good background for your PI job. This may include criminal justice, computer forensics, and business.

Please note that your degree should reflect the area in which you want to work as a private investigator.

For example, if you want to work on financial fraud in the future, choose accounting as your major. However, if you are not sure, go for a general law-focused degree like criminal justice.

Obtain Work Experience

This is an additional step that can give your career an amazing start. Not only will you gain significant experience about how things work in the real world but your resume will also look pretty impressive to potential recruiters.

But the question is, what type of work experience? Well, since you don’t have a license, you can’t officially work as a private investigator. So, you should consider working in the military or police department.

You should also get self-defense, firearms, and other types of training to build your portfolio.

Get a License

The license is a legal obligation in many countries. Since the requirements may differ from state to state, it is important to research licensing laws in your place of residence and apply for the test.

Typically, the test covers criminal laws, state regulations, documentation procedures, and other basic investigation-related information. You will have a sample paper or detailed test guide available to pass the license test.

Once you obtain this license, you can start applying for job positions or create your own private investigation business. Most newbies prefer to work at a company for a few years before shifting to their own business.