How To Become A Private Investigator

Becoming a private investigator is a varied role that covers everything from tracking missing persons to de-bugging an office for the prevention of industrial espionage.

Becoming a private investigator takes many years of training, it is not all cloaks and daggers as potrayed in the movies.  It is an extensive role that covers a variety of investigations from tracing a missing person to the investigation of a cheating partner, carrying out de-bugging or doing background checks on employees. 

Don't be fooled or seduced by the exciting undercover detectives you see on tv, the most succesful private investigators are just like you and me, they do not brag about their role, they usually keep a low profile, have the ability to be iniviative, patient and use their common sense. 

The Role of a Private Investigator

Figures taken from the Association of British Investigators (ABI), report that 80 per cent of members are have police or detective backgrounds. Many have worked within law firms, military backgrounds or journalism; training in roles that gives them the right contacts to be a succesful private investigator or detective.

Private investigators are part of the security industry that is already worth a wopping £3 billion a year and with the current invasion on people's privacy it is growing fast.  It is advised to seek out professional private investigator courses on the subject or ask a renowned agency for an appreticeship.  This will give you the experience of surveilling people, tracing people or assets, producing evidence for use in court and the methods to do so.

Many private investigation agencies outsource their work to individual firms which, means that building up a good reputation within the industry is a must.  The hourly rate in London is around £40 to £50 dependant on the investigation plus expenses are then paid on top of this.

A private investigator has to be licenced by Security Industry Authority, although this is not needed to be a private detective.

Be prepared to work long hours

Becoming a private investigator might sound glamorous, often the role is about spending long hours sitting in a car, carrying out administration and therefore is not all action packed.

There are more women taking to the role and are proving to be succesful as they are less likely to arouse suspicion than a man, especially when working outside schools or in public places.

You also have to take into consideration personal safety; as the work at times can be quite dangerous and puts many private investigators in quite serious situations.  That is why they tend to be very low key and being very discreet in what they share with others.

We would advise that you don't give up the day job until you have had a go!  Take time out to try and carry out surveillance on someone unoticed, make notes and see how succesful you are.  Reasearch; talk to professionals within the industry to get a good understanding of what the role entales and is their an opportunity to train in your spare time.

We hope that you found this guide useful and for more information of becoming a private investigator please visit our website http://www.private-investigators.uk.com for more infomation on the role.

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