| Private
investigators (PIs) are the eyes and ears of their clients.
They tail suspects, hunt for missing property, and search
for clues that uncover fraud. You need patience and the ability
to solve puzzles to do this work, as well as speaking and
writing ability. You may travel all over the country or the
world, wear disguises, take pictures, and give testimony in
court. Many PIs are self-employed, but others work for legal
firms and corporations.
Hard work and glamour:
Many PIs handle
a variety of cases, from tracing a missing child to checking
out an insurance claim. Others specialize:
Computer forensic
investigator—Computer geeks are real heroes who
work with programs that recover and analyze data from computers.
Recovered information is used in investigations or as evidence.
Legal investigators—Do
you like to talk to people, figure out puzzles, and follow
clues? In this job, you’ll help locate witnesses, serve
legal documents, interview police and prospective witnesses,
and gather evidence for court cases. No two days are alike,
so if you get bored easily, jump into this job.
Corporate investigators—Would
you rather have a steady paycheck and work mainly from one
location? Then conducting corporate investigations is a great
job for you. The company will depend on you to find out if
employees are stealing merchandise or information, or if a
supplier is sending them falsified bills for goods or services
they didn’t provide.
Interview with PI, Joan Beach:
Joan Beach never
tells anyone what she does when she goes to a party. When
people ask and then find out she’s a PI, their first
question is “Do you carry a gun?”
“No, I don’t,”
says Joan. She explains that some PIs with a military or law
enforcement background might feel comfortable carrying a gun,
but she has never had a need for one. Though she may help
police re-create a murder scene or interview witnesses for
a court case, she isn’t the one arresting the criminals.
“I never
had any intention of going into this business,” Joan
says. “I got a degree in sociology, and after a few
years, I set up a business to conduct child custody evaluations.”
Joan gave herself a year to make the business a success, but
after three months, the money wasn’t exactly rolling
in.
“People were
asking me to do other things, like interview witnesses,”
Joan says. Then an attorney asked her to put someone under
surveillance, and paid Joan more money for that one case than
she had made all year. It didn’t take her long to get
her PI license and switch careers.
“The most
glamorous part of my job is traveling to other countries and
meeting my counterparts there,” says Joan. “I
know that if I need help, I can just pick up the phone and
talk to someone at New Scotland Yard or its equivalent in
another country.”
The job is “sort
of like TV, but not” in Joan’s opinion. “We
can’t get everything done in an hour,” she says.
Just like on TV, though, PIs wind up in some strange places,
work odd hours, tail cars, and use night vision goggles. “I
wear a disguise sometimes if I’ve got someone under
surveillance for a long time,” Joan says. “I’m
five feet tall and look like a schoolteacher, but even I would
get noticed after awhile.”
What
You Can Do to Get Ready:
There aren’t
any formal educational requirements for PIs, but almost every
state requires them to get a license. You may need to take
a few weeks of coursework and pass a test to get a license
in some states, or need up to three years of experience in
others. Many PIs learn on the job by helping another PI with
investigations.
If you specialize
or work for a corporation, you may need a college degree,
particularly if you want to become a computer forensic investigator.
Investigators who work at corporations might need a degree
in business or accounting. For any PI, criminal justice and
police science courses are always helpful. Writing skills
are also a plus: “Even on surveillance, you have to
be able to document what you see, very clearly,” says
Joan.
What
it Pays:
Salaries range
from $19,720 - $64,380, but about 50 percent of PIs make between
$24,180 and $47,740. Many PIs are self-employed and charge
by the hour. Hourly rates can be between $55 - $150/hour,
plus any expenses like food, hotel rooms, and travel.
Other
Resources:
Occupational
Outlook handbook
Monster
Career Advice
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