Private Investigator

To establish facts investigators or private detectives are hired. The range of their work can be very wide. Legal investigators are seen working in court cases where they investigate suspects, witnesses and other leads, Corporate investigators are found in big corporations where they investigate matters such as internal drug abuse or expense account misuse and proprietary information and merchandise theft, Financial investigators find out about confidential financial reports of companies or individuals that are frequently dealing in big financial transactions, Store detectives are hired by big retail stores in order to protect themselves from theft caused by shoplifters, delivery personnel, vendor representatives and store employees.

Work Environment

Usually investigators and detectives work irregular hours mostly during nights, weekends and holidays. They also work out of personal offices where they conduct searches on computers. Most of them work outside the office carrying out surveillance and conducting interviews. The environment varies when work is carried out outside office. The work can be dangerous and stressful since it includes confrontation.

Educational Requirements

There is no requirement for formal education for private detectives. Usually they all have college education or some kind of formal certification or training behind them. They often have work experience in other professions such as collection or insurance companies, private security agencies or as paralegals. Most states require private investigators to hold relevant licenses. However there are some states that do not have any specifications for licenses. Training in police science or criminal justice is of benefit to candidates looking forward to entering this profession.

Job Prospects and Salary Expectations

Several qualified people are attracted to this field. People with ample experience in other professions and young retirees both are attracted, thus the competition is extreme. The best opportunities will be entry level jobs in detective agencies and part time jobs with large stores. Demand for jobs in this field are expected to grow faster than in most of the other professions.

Salary starts as low as less than $19,260 and goes up as high as $58,470.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.