LegalReference and Education

How to Become a Private Investigator with no Experience

Private Investigator Education

Becoming a Private Investigator is not the same as getting a PI license. It is typically easy to obtain a Private Investigator license; however, getting a job as a Private Investigator and successfully working investigations is a tough journey. So, when you are asking “how do I become a Private Investigator with no experience?” you are really asking “how do I get hired as a Private Investigator and stay hired?” The answer to this is obtain proper Private Investigator education. Furthermore, you can expand on this by working as an apprentice PI and practicing. However, a proper PI education will always be the most important first step.

So, your first step will be obtaining proper Private Investigator education. Not through the short government licensing course, but through at least 100hrs of practical Private Investigator education. Government licensing courses typically focus on legal matters, mostly privacy laws, which is useful but you still need to learn practical investigative subjects. This can be online Private Investigator training classes or in an in-class training environment. In order to become a Private Investigator with no experience, you need to become educated on the complexities of the private investigation industry (this will also help you decide if you want to pursue the PI career) and how to set yourself up to become a successful Private Investigator. Secondly, you will need to become educated on how to perform investigations.

To learn the complexities of the private investigation industry you will need to understand a few Private Investigator industry topics. Regional licensing requirements for Private Investigators will teach you what you need to obtain your Private Investigator license. To help you decide if you want to enter the career of private investigation you will have to learn the common misconceptions about the Private Investigation industry. Understanding the learning curve of a Private Investigator will set you up to become a successful PI.

Before entering the PI industry, it is useful to know the challenges encountered as a Professional Private Investigator. This will also help you make career decisions. Then you need to learn what you will be doing as a Private Investigator. Learning the areas of specialization as a Professional Private Investigator and types of clients and corresponding file requirements will help with this. You will need to learn how Investigators obtain assignments and hours of work to determine if this work environment is right for you.

how to become a private investigator
Investigator performing surveillance

If you are concerned about your ability to perform as a Private Investigator, learning what factors will determine your aptitude as a Professional Private Investigator and what makes a “good” Professional Private Investigator will be essential. It is also important to know the physical and health requirements and health considerations. Then there is equipment. Learning about equipment needed in order to get started in a career as a Professional Private Investigator is a must. Furthermore, you will need to educate yourself on communication devices and their role in private investigation. Lastly and most importantly, you must learn “The Investigative Mindset.” This will teach you how to think like a Private Investigator. After you learn these concepts, you will be well on your way to becoming a Private Investigator even without experience.

After learning the complexities of the private investigation industry, you will need to develop practical skills in various areas. The most important areas are Desk Investigations, Pre-surveillance, surveillance, mobile vehicle surveillance, on-foot surveillance, obtaining evidence, and litigious reporting. To learn Desk Investigations you will need to understand what is a Desk Investigation, Desk Investigation nomenclature, corroborated/ circumstantial evidence, The Evidence Document, The Desk Investigators Mindset, Google Basics for North America, and social media search basics for North America. Surveillance will be the largest subject to learn. Under this field you should learn about setting up a proper surveillance vehicle, surveillance spot checks, and surveillance set ups for various investigative operations.

As a Private Investigator, you will spend the majority of your time performing investigations solo. This is why learning single person surveillance is crucial. Furthermore, you will occasionally work in surveillance teams, so you will need to lean how to perform surveillance with two or more surveillance operatives. Private Investigators perform a lot of their surveillance from a surveillance vehicle, but also on foot, you will need to learn this also. The entire reason Private Investigators are hired, is to obtain evidence. Obviously, learning how to obtain evidence, mostly in video form, is a must. As a Private Investigator, you will need to obtain quality video that is litigious and that will satisfy your client. At the end of all this, you will need to learn how to create an investigative report that will most likely be used in litigation. After you learn all of this, you will have no trouble becoming a successful Private Investigator.

If you want to increase your chances of getting a PI job even more, you can apprentice as a PI. However, getting an apprenticeship may be difficult. You will need to go about this as if you are applying for a regular job. This includes sending out a lot of resumes and “pounding the pavement.” As an apprentice, your PI agency could give you experience in surveillance or working in the office in some capacity. Most importantly, working as an apprentice will give you the ability to put a real PI agency on your resume. This compounded with proper PI education will increase your chance of landing a job as a PI even further.

Then there is practice. You should build up practice hours in two common Private Investigator fields: Cyber Investigations and surveillance. Obtaining experience in these two common fields will help you successfully work investigations when you get a job as a PI. It is important to practice safely. You need to hide your digital footprint when online and follow people in the field without putting yourself or others in danger. If you are unable to do both, hold off on practicing.

Private Investigator online training
Private Investigator online training

How to become a Private Investigator with no experience should now be clear. Yes, the government licensing course is necessary but it will not set you up for success as a Private Investigator. Apprenticing and practice will help, but you will always need at least 100hrs of practical Private Investigator education. You will need to learn the PI industry, as well as how to perform. In fact, becoming a Private Investigator through proper education will set you up to become more successful than Investigators with many years of experience but who have not developed a strong foundation with proper Private Investigator education.

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