How to get a Job with a Private Investigator
One of the main source of jobs for private investigators is other private investigators. An established private investigator with their own agency or firm may have a private investigator job for you if you're just starting out in the business of private investigation.
Private investigators with their own agencies can provide you with private investigator jobs where you get to learn from investigators who have more experience than you. These jobs may pay much less than the £23,000 average, but the experience can prepare you for future success. This is quite important for a trained investigator who is yet to do any investigator job.
How can you go about finding a private investigator job in such places?
How To Apply For Private Investigator Jobs
If a private investigation agency has jobs for detectives, they'll probably put up an ad. Some agencies will reach out to professional bodies who can then recommend investigators to them from their lists, depending on the type of private investigator jobs the agency is offering.
However, in case there are no agencies nearby that are advertising private detective jobs, you can also send a speculative job application. This should include a cover letter and resume. The idea is to demonstrate that you can be a valuable addition to the team, even if there is no detective job opening at that time. In many cases, the agency will keep your application on file and get in touch with you if there's an opening in the future.
Necessary Qualifications To Be Hired By A Private Investigator
There are different types of investigation agencies in the UK. This means that they'll have different qualifications that they advertise jobs from private investigators.
Some agencies will insist on their detectives being licensed, while others will only require you to have proof of training to qualify for the investigator job. Other agencies will require some experience, or even additional qualifications in specific areas e.g. accounting, when you apply for a private detective job. If an agency advertises a detective job, they will include a list of qualifications.
However, if you're sending in a speculative application, it may be harder to know what a particular agency requires. This is why having more qualifications is always a good thing when applying for detective jobs. You can get a rough idea of what a given agency needs by looking at their website and the kind of investigator jobs they handle or the type of investigators that work for them.
Training And Experience
Undergoing proper training is almost always a requirement for any private investigator when they are looking for investigator jobs. Most agencies will want to ensure that the people they hire are capable of doing the detective jobs properly. Some may even insist on having undergone training at specific types of institutions to qualify for a detective job. This ensures that the people hired have undergone proper training.
On the other hand, experience can be a tricky issue as well. Some investigation firms will want experienced investigators while others won't mind if you have experience or not when you apply for a private investigator job. In certain cases, if you were working in another capacity previously e.g. as an accountant, this can work in your favour when applying for particular detective jobs. This kind of experience is useful in private investigation. You can also seek to gain experience by volunteering or by working as an apprentice before applying for private investigators jobs.
How Private Investigators Work When They're Part Of An Agency
Working as part of a private investigation agency is quite different from taking on private investigator jobs in your own agency. For starters, you may not have to be actively involved in sourcing for new clients. Quite often, you'll be assigned investigator jobs by a supervisor depending on your skillset and experience. You may also be assigned to work on detective jobs as part of a team, in case the job requires more than one investigator.
People who are new to investigation will, probably, be assigned a more experienced investigator to mentor them during their first few months. This will mean playing a support role in detective jobs or just observing.