Pros and Cons of Being a Private Investigator- 15 Things

Being a private investigator is a unique occupation that requires a particular skill set, massive amounts of patience, and fortitude. The private investigation career path is not for everyone. As a 16-year veteran of private investigations, I will share with you the pros and cons of being a private investigator and what you can expect or not expect from the occupation.

Let’s get into the pros and cons list.

Pros of Being a Private Investigator

Being a Private Investigator Can Be Exciting

If you have never been a surveillance investigator you are in for a treat.  There is something scary and exhilarating about conducting surveillance and being in a neighborhood while attempting to go unnoticed.  Your adrenaline will be high when you first start your career as a private investigator, especially if you start by working on surveillance assignments.

Figuring out and piecing information together can be exciting as well. As you research files and connect information it can be quite exciting when you connect important dots that translate to a successful investigative assignment.

When you interview someone through the course of an investigator and the person you interview confesses that they have lied or that they had filed a fraudulent claim, that can be pretty exciting. You are a hero to your client and likely getting some congrats from the company you work for. 

Variety of Investigative Assignments for Private Investigators

Every investigative assignment comes with its own challenges and differences.  No surveillance assignment will be exactly the same.  Every interview an investigative conducts with have its own unique variations.  If you are tasked to locate someone, there may be a web of information to connect in order to locate that individual and the route is not always the same.

When working on surveillance files, you will be at different locations weekly encountering different environments, people, and situations.  

No day is truly the same. 

A Private Investigator can Have a Flexible Schedule (Sometimes)

If you are working behind a computer researching or making phone calls from an office, there is some flexibility in that type of investigative work.

Research doesn’t have to happen during the work day (internet researching).  You have flexibility in that type of work. 

If you interview witnesses, defendants, claimants, insured individuals, or anyone else, that too can have flexibility related to an investigator’s schedule.  When arranging interviews you have some flexibility as to when you are available and what time you can schedule those interviews. So if it is important to make it to your children’s sporting events or other things that are important to you, this can be possible depending on the type of investigations your work.

Some Control of Investigative Work as a P.I. Business Owner

As a private investigation business owner, you will decide the types of investigations you will like to pursue.  

Some private investigators strictly work insurance investigation assignments as that type of work can be more consistent if a company has secured insurance companies or third-party administrators as clients.  You can’t turn down any of these files but there is some flexibility as to what dates the assignments will be worked on. 

If you receive calls from the public, you have the ability to vet the assignment and determine if you want to accept the assignment or not.

Of course, investigators have to be careful as to how many assignments they turn down.

No Limit to a Private Investigators Earning Potential

There are only so many hours a private investigator can work as an employee for an investigation company. If you remain an employee, your earnings will be capped at a certain point.

However, if you decide to start a private investigation business, which I would highly encourage you to do if you become a private investigator, there really is no limit to the earning potential.  A business owner can set the rates they charge their clients and they can have control of how much work they personally do.  

Being a business owner allows you to scale the business to a level where you have many people working in the field and in the office and you don’t have to run the day-to-day operations if you choose to level up your business.

As a business owner, you can also keep your business small and just be a one-person operation.  Plenty of companies do this. Really the choice will be up to you.

I have written on how to start a private investigation business here if you would like more information on that topic.

Your Worth is Only Dependent Upon You

Another pro to being a private investigator is how the success of your investigation is squarely upon you. 

Investigations are like an individual sport. If you do or did sports you will connect with this.   Wrestling is an individual sport. You are part of a team but whether you win or lose in most cases is up to you.  

Being a private investigator is very similar to that. How well you do as a surveillance investigator in most cases is how well you conduct surveillance.  Of course, there are outside things that can interfere but more times than not, the investigator themselves has control as to how well they do during an assignment. If you are a poor surveillance investigator, you will not make a lot of money.

If you are good at what you do, it could result in more assignments being given to you or billing out longer days during a surveillance assignment. 

Daily Challenges as a Private Investigator

As a private investigator, there will always be new puzzles to figure out. There will always be new information to uncover. And with new information uncovered it could lead to more information.  

There is always some challenge each day.  No day is exactly the same as a private investigator. It keeps things interesting and exciting for those who look forward to daily challenges.

Being a private investigator will stretch you and your abilities. It will require you to become more, to be a good private investigator.

Private Investigators Get to Help People 

There are going to be assignments where you feel as though you don’t feel like you are making a difference.

But there will be assignments (depending on the type of investigation work you do) that you really do make a difference.

You may conduct surveillance on someone’s spouse and determine that they are having an affair. It might not seem like a good thing but you will be providing closure to your client and that information can help with making a difficult decision.

You might conduct surveillance in regards to custody of children.  That surveillance might reveal neglect from one parent and that evidence may help with placing that child with the best parent.

You may help someone find a relative that they wouldn’t have been able to find without your help.

The private investigator occupation can be very rewarding at times.

The Cost to Start a Private Investigation Business is Low

With all the businesses out there and the various cost to get them started, starting a private investigation business is relatively inexpensive. 

Usually, the biggest obstacle to starting an investigation business is having the experience required by the state.  But if you have that, you likely have much of the private investigator equipment already.

The small business administration provides a free worksheet to figure out your specific private investigation business start-up cost here. 

The Cons of Being a Private Investigator

Despite all the rewarding things that come along with the job of a private investigator, there are plenty of cons to the occupation as well.  Let’s get into that part. 

You Are Never Fully In Charge as a Private Investigator or Business Owner

Paul Seguin of Abacus Research has been in business for himself for 30 years. He recently said in a Facebook group that while he is the business owner, he still feels as though no one works for him and he still works for everyone else.  He works for the client and has to bend to their will.  He works for the investigators making sure they have what they need to be successful and that they are happy while working for him. 

Private Investigators Have Unpredictable Hours (you can’t plan)

If you are an employee for an investigation company, generally speaking, you do not have a set schedule. A private investigator may need to work weekends, late nights, early mornings, or starting in the middle of the day.  This can be a con for all the reasons we discussed as pros.

If you are working on an infidelity surveillance investigation, it might require the investigator to work late nights or work the surveillance assignment with little notice depending on the circumstances.

If you conduct surveillance and you get burned (compromised) on the surveillance you will have to break off the assignment.  This is true whether you have worked one hour or 10 hours on the surveillance.  So you may have traveled one hour to get to the assignment and you would be heading home 1 hour later.

There will be times when investigators make appointments to conduct interviews and they drive hours to get to the interview location only to find that the person they were to interview did not show up or return the investigator’s calls. The two hours the investigator thought they would be working are cut short and they will be headed home.

There will be times when the surveillance investigation is going really well. You may find yourself working 10 to 14 hours on that day.  This is great unless you had a date with your spouse or you had planned on attending your child’s event but can’t because you are working.  The spouse or child is then disappointed that they weren’t there and had to cancel.  This might not seem like a big deal however when that is compounded over years and years. it puts stress on a family.

There is Unpredictable Income as a Private Investigator

One of the most stressful parts of working as a private investigator is the unpredictable income. This unpredictability can relate to things out of the investigator’s control, lack of investigation skillset, or a lack of work that is available. 

It can be extremely difficult for a private investigator to be the breadwinner in a family due to the inconsistent income, especially as an employee.  This isn’t with all investigation positions but the overwhelming majority of investigators deal with these issues.

If you would like to know two ways to navigate the unpredictable income problem, I have written on how to live on an investigator’s income and I discuss the importance of side-hustles as a private investigator.

There Are Some Repetitive Tasks as a Private Investigator

Reporting writing is probably one of the most repetitive tasks as a private investigator. There are others but generally speaking, whether you interview someone, conduct surveillance, or have to detail investigative efforts, there is always a report due at the end of the assignment. 

The report is the product that you provide to your client and which many times will be used in court. 

The Private Investigation Occupation Can Be Stressful for Families

You may have seen the hints of this but if you haven’t let me share some of the stresses for families.

When an investigator can’t be present for family events or children’s activities, their resentment may build for the private investigation occupation.  It may build for the company they are working for. I have observed this with other investigators and have lived it personally.

Not only will the private investigator have resentment toward the industry or the company, but it can put stress on marriages.  If the investigator misses family events or is gone all the time due to an erratic assignment or travel away from home, it can put a burden on the spouse.  This may increase tension in a marriage.

Being a private investigator makes it difficult to build routines for the family which can add stress.

Money issues can cause stress on the family due to inconsistent work or a bad week or month of assignments that didn’t pan out. 

Keep this in mind as you budget money and anticipate unexpected expenses as a private investigator.

There Can Be Some Danger Involved as a Private Investigator

With most investigative positions there is some element of danger.  It could be because an investigator is working in a high-crime area. It could be due to someone wanting to retaliate against an investigator.   

Danger could be involved during surveillance assignments. People don’t like to be followed or have surveillance conducted on them and they will try to take matters into their own hands as it relates to dealing with private investigators.

If you would like an example, I share a scary private investigator story here.  

You might be asked to interview some unsavory individuals or knock on doors where you are scared for your safety.

Most private investigators don’t sit behind a desk 100 percent of the time.  Most investigators are in the field finding information.  This requires an investigator to interact with people that may make you feel uneasy.

These are the major pros and cons of being a private investigator.  I share some things I wish I would have known before becoming a private investigator in my book.  I hope you found this helpful.