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How to become a Private Investigator: A Guide for Aspiring P.I.’s

The first step in becoming a private investigator is completing a degree program in criminology or criminal justice. Some choose to pair their degree with work experience and/or volunteering, such as law enforcement or military service. Others go on to complete another degree (such as an MS), which may be required by employers looking for private investigators with more advanced investigative skills (such as computer forensics). Once you’ve completed your education, you’ll need to get licensed. Licensing requirements vary by state, but all require passing an exam and undergoing a background check. It’s also worth considering professional certifications from organizations like the National Council of Investigation and Security Services or the Council of International Investigators, which can increase your credibility and employability.

Each state has its own requirements about how many years’ experience you need to complete before getting licensed. In some states, it’s three years; in others, it’s four. During this time period, you must only work under the supervision of a licensed private investigator.

Private Investigator Licensing Requirements by State

To become a private investigator, you need to obtain a license.

The requirements for becoming a private investigator vary by state, but generally encompass:

• Be of good moral character.
• Have no felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions involving moral character or untruthfulness.
• Possess the necessary education and experience qualifications to qualify for the license (see below).
• Pass the required examinations and background checks.

Private Investigator License Cost

• License cost varies from state to state, but on average it costs about $400 for a PI (aka private investigator) license.
• The range of license cost is between $200 and $1,000.
• License cost can be broken down into several smaller costs, including an application fee, testing fee and fingerprinting fee.
• If you choose to pursue your degree or certificate at an accredited college then the course fees will be additional. However, some colleges may have installment plans that you can take advantage of so that you do not have to pay all at once.

Private Investigator Salary & Job Outlook

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What is a private investigator?

A private investigator is a person who investigates and gathers information for business or personal clients. In this profession, you will be asked to research and analyze facts concerning businesses, individuals and legal cases. You’ll also be asked to testify in court on behalf of your clients as well.

Clients can include lawyers in civil, divorce or criminal cases, corporations and even private citizens, who may have hired you as an individual detective to investigate matters such as cheating spouses or unruly employees. Depending on your clientele and area of expertise, you may need to work long hours and sometimes irregular hours as well.

Education needed to become a private investigator

You do not need a private investigator license to become a private detective; however, it is recommended. To get this type of license, you will need at least a high school diploma or GED. You may also need to have gone to a reputable private investigator school or have at least two years of experience as an investigator.

If you do not want to go to college but would still like to work in this field, you can choose to pursue an associate’s degree in criminal justice or law enforcement instead. However, if your goal is to become a licensed PI then it is best that you have both a bachelor’s and an associate’s degree in these areas since they will cover many topics related directly and indirectly

to the profession.

Background necessary to become a private investigator

Though formal education is not required to become a private investigator, it’s important to have some knowledge of investigative techniques, such as surveillance and evidence collection.

Private investigators must:

• be at least 18 years old;
• be a U.S. citizen or have the legal right to work in the U.S.;
• pass a background check; and
• not have a criminal record.

Skills required to become a private investigator

It’s best to take a step back and look at the skills that aren’t directly related to completing your training. For example, here are some skills that could prove useful to any budding private investigator:

• Good communication skills. A quality private investigator is always in need of a good communicator. While it may not seem so at first, a good communicator can be of much help in getting the answers you need on difficult subjects like “what does this mark mean?” and “does she have it on her?”
• Ability to understand and follow laws. It’s important for any private investigator to have a strong sense of law and what he/she can or cannot do as an unlicensed agent of the law (don’t worry, we’ll talk about those situations later).
• Ability to remain calm under pressure. The idea of being under pressure doesn’t sound bad but knowing how to respond without panicking when you’re faced with tricky situations might come in handy, too.

This guide will teach you how to become a private investigator.

If you are looking to become a private investigator, then the first thing you need to do is be licensed in your area. The licensing requirements vary depending on what state or country in which you live. You can get some good information on licensing requirements online by searching for “private investigator licensing” and the name of your state or country.

To become a private investigator you should also have some kind of degree. Many people obtain degrees in criminal justice, but this is not required. Other options include getting an associates or bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as psychology, sociology, political science or even philosophy! If none of these work for you then consider getting an associates degree from a community college first so that it will be easier to transfer into one at university level later on down the road when work experience has given them more direction towards what they want as their future career path.

Another way that people can study how to become investigators privately without going into debt with student loans is through attending seminars and conferences about investigation topics like surveillance techniques, interview methods for witnesses and other types of investigative activities related careers like law enforcement where they might learn something new every time they go there which would hopefully lead them into becoming better at their job over time!