What is it Like to be a Private Investigator? The 7 Things I Wish I Knew

What is it like to be a private investigator?  This should be the question you if you are interested in this line of work.  A private investigation career has its good points and its bad points.  Typically I think the bad points stand out more than the good points. With that being said, I probably would not be in this career unless there was something good to say about it.  Just because I talk about some of the struggles in this industry does not mean it isn’t a good industry to be in.

Years ago I was a supervisor with a nationwide investigative company.  When interviewing a candidate for a position as a  private investigator, I believed the best thing I could do for that potential employee who is new to the industry, is try to talk them out of the job.  If they still showed interest after our conversation, then they moved on in the hiring process.

So what is it like to be a private investigator? I am going to share some insight into some of the things that I know other investigators have disliked about being a private investigator and some of the things I personally dislike about this profession. So here are some reasons you might not want to be a private investigator in no specific order.

What is a Private Investigator?

A private investigator, simply put is an information collector and finder. Investigators find information through research, interviews, physical investigation (evidence), and from surveillance efforts. This job description comes with many pros and cons which you can read about here.

A private investigator isn’t the judge and jury. 

A private investigator is hired to ethically and legally collect and document information for the client so that they may make an educated decision as to what to do with the information collected. In Investigative cases with insurance companies, insurance companies will determine based on the documentation collected whether a claim should be paid or is a valid claim. If you would like to read more about what it is like to be an insurance investigator you can read that here.

A spouse may hire a private investigator to see if their spouse is involved in infidelity so they can make a decision as to what they want to do in their marriage.  You get the idea.

Many Private Investigators Don’t Have a Set Schedule

Whether you have your own private investigation business or you work for a company you will have to be incredibly flexible with your schedule.  You can get a call to work unexpectedly for an assignment on the same day as the call, or you may have to work unexpectedly longer hours during surveillance. 

You may travel several hours to a surveillance assignment and be out of town for several days.  Then just when the assignment is about to be complete the client will ask you to stay a few more days away from home.  Let me be the first to tell you this is extremely hard on a family.

If you turn down an assignment as a business owner, that client will be forced to take their business elsewhere.  When taking their business elsewhere they will likely be able to find a company that will not turn down assignments and you may never see work from that client again.

So basically picture a lifestyle where it is very difficult to plan anything due to the flexibility that a private investigator must have.  Imagine missing holidays, birthdays, and being away from home for extended periods of time. 

Much of this is in reference to the life of a surveillance investigator and even a domestic investigator dealing with cheating spouse cases.  Investigators supporting attorneys may have a bit more of a normal lifestyle with less travel, but there will be extended unpredictable hours of operation.

There were many years that I had to disappoint my family because the assignment I was working on lasted 14 hours instead of the 8 hours I anticipated.  So whatever we had planned as a family was canceled because I couldn’t be home as I had hoped.

There are many things I truly dislike about the job of a private investigator but this is very much at the top of the list.

Some Danger Involved being a private investigator

You might not think there is any danger associated with this industry but I can tell you firsthand that there is plenty of it.  Private Investigators supporting attorneys with gathering evidence might not find themselves in positions of danger as often as a surveillance investigator.  

Insurance Fraud investigators will likely find their dangerous moments with aggressive claimants, witnesses, and/or neighbors.  Early in my private investigation career, I found myself being caught (the person I was watching figured out I was watching them) quite a bit.  Much of it was due to inexperience and enthusiasm.  Once the individual realizes they were being followed they are likely to make it very apparent that they know you are there. 

Some individuals have followed me for extended periods and in one case approached me with a gun.  Some of my fellow coworkers in the past have been blocked into a parking spot by the individual’s vehicle or had knives pulled out on them.  These are just some of my experiences.  These types of situations can be very traumatizing to an investigator or anyone for that matter.  This is something to consider when conducting surveillance.

If you are interested in reading about the different types of dangers a private investigator may encounter, I have written about that topic in detail here. 

Uncomfortable Moments as a Private Investigator 

Being a private investigator requires you to have very many uncomfortable moments.  In surveillance, you are required to park in a neighborhood as discreetly as possible.  Neighbors are looking in your vehicle windows, kids are playing around your vehicle, and you become extremely paranoid that you are moments away from something bad happening. 

In some situations, neighbors confront you as to why you are parked in the area and you do your best to justify your presence in the neighborhood with a pretext.  Meanwhile, you are hoping that the person you are watching doesn’t catch wind of you being in the neighborhood and you also hope that the neighbors don’t figure out who you are or who you are watching.

When interviewing claimants, or witnesses, there will be uncomfortable moments where there is some defensiveness or hostility on behalf of the individual being interviewed.

No Dependable Paycheck as a Private Investigator

Whether you are a business owner or you are working for an agency, you never truly know the amount of work you will receive from week to week.  Most likely you are accustomed to a dependable schedule with a check that is the same amount every week.  This is not true for the private investigation industry.  Most private investigators employed with a company will never have a guaranteed paycheck every week unless they are salaried employees.  Most salaried employees with a private investigation agency work in an office environment.  If you would like to read more about the salaries of private investigators in the United States, I write about that here.

If you are a field investigator you may work assignments from 1 to 8 hours.  Surveillance might be scheduled for eight hours but you could be compromised, lose them during the investigation, or might not be able to determine if they are home.  Your day might be completed at the 4-hour mark and either you will have to make up the lost time on another day or the client might ask that you discontinue surveillance efforts and send them a bill.  Essentially your skills or lack thereof can be the determining factor as to whether you work a full day.  

There have been times when I have traveled 4 hours to a case to only work 4 hours and then return home.  This type of day can feel like a waste of time but it is part of the job.

Wear and Tear on your vehicle

If you want to be a surveillance investigator, be prepared to put anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 miles on your vehicle in a given year.  Keep in mind all of the maintenance on your vehicle each year.

There are many companies out there that supply a surveillance vehicle, pay for your fuel or pay you mileage.  In most cases, investigators are only paid mileage which is passed on to the client.  If you are a private investigator business owner you can pass on the costs to the client or eat some of the cost and write it off at the end of the year.  Just keep in mind that the life of your vehicle will be much shorter as a surveillance investigator.

Being a Private Investigator is Expensive

Just simply running a private investigation business can be extremely costly.  Consider gas prices, insurance, maintenance on your vehicle, phone lines, fax lines, office space (if needed), advertisement, purchasing equipment, and licensing fees.

If you are working for someone, you typically need to maintain/purchase your own equipment (computer, video camera, covert cameras, computer, cell phone, digital recorder, tripod, monopod).  If work slows down for the company you are working for, you will either have to live off of what you saved over the year or find something to replace that income temporarily.  This is something I and many other investigators have had to deal with throughout our careers.

As an employee, if you purchase and maintain your own equipment like the examples then when something breaks you have to replace it.   With all that being said,  your equipment shouldn’t fail very often but it does happen.

You are only as good as your last investigation

“You are only as good as your last investigation” is something you will most likely hear throughout your career.  Insurance companies will only remember you “typically” for the last assignment you worked on.  If the surveillance you performed was lousy, then that might be how they remember you or the company you work for.  It doesn’t matter how many surveillance cases you knocked out of the park, or how many great interviews you obtained, clients have short memories.  It seems like a tough life to live, but if you keep that in mind with every assignment, you will likely keep the company you are working for, or the client happy.

Work with integrity, do your due diligence on investigation assignments and work hard.

Exceptions to the Rule

Your experience as a private investigator will not be the same as mine or any other investigator’s experience.  You will likely feel much of the frustrations I and many other investigators have dealt with over the years.  There are awesome and gratifying experiences as a private investigator, but I believe in preparing for the worst parts and enjoying the good moments as they come.

That wraps up some general issues with the private investigation industry that you should be prepared for.  There are plenty of other topics I could have discussed but I will save it for a future post.  Thank you for reading and be safe.