Can You Teach Me How to Become a Private Investigator?
Can You Teach Me How to Become a Private Investigator?
You’ve watched detective movies all your life and it’s clear as the day to you that you need to know how to become a private investigator. If so, you’ve come to the right place.
How to Become a Private Investigator – Education and Licensing
The great thing about becoming a private investigator is that in most cases, there are really no strict academic requirements to comply with and especially if you are intending to work freelance. Of course, any educational achievement in the field of criminal science and law would always help. In many ways, a background on psychology would help as well.
It’s with licensing that things get a bit more difficult for those who want to become a private investigator. If you live in states like Mississippi or Alaska then you’re luck as these are two out of the seven states that still have no licensing requirements for practicing private investigators. But if you live in California then you’ll need to comply with the requirements listed below:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Possess academic background in justice or criminal law and police science
- Possess at least three years or 6,000 hours of relevant experience
- Submit to a background check with the FBI and California Department of Justice to verify that you have no criminal history
- Pass a two-hour written exam regarding relevant laws and regulations
Skills and Training for Private Investigators
In most cases, it is your proven expertise that will win over a client and not a college diploma. If you have previous experience working as a law enforcement officer in any capacity then that would help. But if not, you would need to build your “portfolio” so to speak and gain experience in investigating and solving cases.
You will have a more productive time working as a private investigator if you possess the following skills:
Keen observation
You need to be patient and be prepared to spend long hours simply observing your subjects. You need to be able to pick up clues that ordinary people would have easily missed or unconsciously leave behind.
Analytical skills and deductive powers
You need to make sense out of the clues that you’ve been provided or discovered. You need to be good at connecting dots and making puzzle pieces fit together to answer your client’s questions or solve his dilemma.
Self-defense skills
The job of a private investigator is potentially dangerous so it’s ideal if you’re capable of defending yourself when necessary.
