7 Ways to Build Experience to Become a Private Investigator

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Landing a job with a private investigation company can be challenging especially if you have little to no experience in the field. Depending on the size private investigation agency you are applying for and the specific focus of that agency, the qualifications may vary as to what the company is looking for. I have had plenty of experience with hiring and being hired in the private investigation field and I wanted to share what companies are looking for and what you can do to land a job as a private investigator.

Ways to Build Experience to Become a Private Investigator

There are not many companies in the private investigation industry that are willing to train their new employees from scratch. Years ago the economy was good and companies had money to spend on training and developing new employees.

Large insurance fraud investigation companies would fly out employees to be trained at a central location for a week. This process was expensive especially if turnover was high. Companies have changed their hiring model significantly. Why train someone from scratch when there are plenty of good, experienced investigators looking for work?

The suggestions I provide below are from actual experience of what was observed within the companies I worked for but because I was part of the hiring process for many companies.

I want you to give yourself the best opportunity to become hired by a private investigation company whether you have previous experience or not.  In the process of making yourself more marketable but doing some of the things mentioned below, you may find that either you are truly in love with this industry or this industry is not a good fit for you.  Either way, it is a win in my book because if you find that this industry is not what you thought, you won’t waste time trying to pursue the investigation career.

Volunteer to be an intern with a local private investigation agency

By becoming an intern part or full-time, you will quickly learn how to search for information, edit surveillance videos, conduct phone pretexts, and become familiar with that agency’s processes. You can work with veteran investigators and pick their brains as much as you want. Working as an intern gives a company a chance to figure out what kind of person you are, and what kind of employee you might be.  This is your chance to make a great impression.

Many times companies will hire interns after the internship has been completed. I have personally known of individuals getting hired by a competing company immediately after finishing their internship at an agency.

Vocational Training

There are many vocational schools providing classes in the private investigation industry. Though I have not had any personal experience with these schools, this may be a low-cost investment that provides more insight into the industry. I would pick your school carefully. Search for others that have taken the program to determine whether it helped them in their career path.

One particular program is the Penn and Foster Private Investigator Training Course.  Students have reached out to me in the past to share how they were involved with this private investigation training course and gave me some insight as two what they taught.   This might be a good starting point for some folks to learn about the private investigation industry.

Work in a similar industry to Private Investigations

Before my first job as a private investigator, I was in the U.S. Army, and I worked as a Loss Prevention Agent. These two occupations are what helped me land my first job as a private investigator. The company that hired me had great success hiring Loss Prevention Agents and transferring those skills to the private investigation industry. During my first in-person interview and ride-along, I already understood some of the private investigator terminology, which made the interviewer more at ease when making his decision to move me along in the hiring process.

So if you have a loss prevention background, security background, military background, law enforcement background, legal background, insurance claims background, or anything similar, this could give you a leg up in the interview process.

Take online courses

There are plenty of private investigators that have developed courses online. I would suggest seeking out others that have participated in the course work before committing your time and money. I can’t personally recommend any courses as I have not participated in them.

You may find some very inexpensive courses through UDEMY that can give you some tips or a better understanding of the private investigation field.

If you want to learn about conducting surveillance, my friend Larry Kaye has a well-thought surveillance course

Get a Degree

I don’t know of any degree programs within an accredited college that allows you to come out with a degree in private investigations.  There are many colleges that offer course certifications in private investigations.

University of Washington

The University of Washington has an 8-month online course that allows you to earn a Certificate in Private Investigations.  They cover:

• The Business of Private Investigations
• Civil Investigation and the Law
• Criminal Investigation and the Law

I would imagine a former or existing private investigator connected with this university to create this course.  One of the most important things about learning to become a private investigator is the law that protects you and the individuals you are investigating.  I am very glad they spend some time covering that aspect of investigations.

Ashworth College (online)

Ashworth College has a Career Diploma in Private Investigations which appears to cost about $900 which is quite a bit less expensive than the University of Washington.

One good thing is the course appears to take about 4 months to complete but you have up to 1 year to complete the training course.

My Experience Regarding Degrees

I myself went to the University of Phoneix and earned my associate’s degree in Criminal Justice and a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.  The main driver for me to go to college was to give myself some options should the private investigation career path not work out.

What I learned is that I did not need a business degree to manage or run a business.  And while learning about criminal justice was fascinating, I could have learned everything for free on the internet.  I do have two pieces of paper saying I learned something but more importantly what I want you to avoid is student debt.

A degree might help you lessen the time of experience needed to become a licensed private investigation business owner and maybe a step up with getting hired by an investigation company.  But please be careful not to rack up too much debt in the process.

Join a Private Investigator Association

If you are looking to meet other private investigators in the industry, joining a private investigator association will help you make connections. Many associations request that you be licensed before joining but many allow for those interested in the occupation to come to meetings and seminars.

Sometimes you just have to know someone to get your foot in the door with a company. Association members in my experience have been more than helpful in sharing information and their experiences.

There are times when Private Investigator Associations put on seminars and invite anyone to attend.  This again would be a wonderful way to learn about the investigation field and meet people in your area who either own a private investigation business or work for one.

Start your own Private Investigation Firm

Yeah, that is right, you can start your own private investigation firm and skip all the other stuff I mentioned earlier in some states.  Some states allow for you to have some corresponding investigative experience or actually take a test to become an investigation business owner.

You really need to dig into your state or country licensing requirements to see if this would apply to you.

If this was a route you decided to go I would still recommend receiving some practical training as an employee of another firm or through formal training.  This would help to keep you safe, legal, and knowledgeable as you serve your future client as a business owner.

Have your own Private Investigation Equipment

Having equipment ahead of time allows you to get familiar with what you will be using when you begin working for a private investigator company.  So while this isn’t a formal education experience, there are plenty of videos from Private Investigator Advice to teach you how to use the equipment below.

The days of companies providing you with equipment are just about gone. Maintaining and providing investigation equipment to private investigators is just too much cost for a company to maintain. With that being said, you need to invest in yourself if you are serious about working as a private investigator. Below is the basic equipment that companies typically require you have available to you.

1. A video camera with removable memory (Memory Card). – Similar to what I am using (Affiliate link to Amazon)

2. Lap Top Computer – What I use (Affiliate link to Amazon)

3. Tri Pod/Mono Pod

4. Smart Phone

5. A suitable surveillance vehicle

6. Digital recorder – Similar to what I use (Affiliate link to Amazon)

7. Video editing software (Camtasia or Investigation Video Editor)

For further tips in regards to entering the private investigation field with no experience I would recommend picking up my book, Want to Become a Private Investigator as it provides some more insights as you go through the hiring process.

If You Have Experience as a Private Investigator

Whether you are looking for a new job or trying to move up in the company you work for, I have some simple advice.  Continue learning.  Furthering your education or obtaining certifications in this line of work can only strengthen your authority in the industry.  Don’t become complacent.