Private Detectives and Investigators

PRIVATE DETECTIVES AND INVESTIGATORS

By the time I am grown and have a family, I want to be a Private Detective and Investigator. This is something that I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. I know it will be hard, but it is my dream job.
Private detectives and investigators assist many people and businesses by finding and analyzing valuable information. They connect clues to revel facts about personal matters. The assistance of a private detective and investigator can include being a celebrity protector, or finding evidence including preemployment verification and individual background profiles. Some investigators compute crimes and provide assistance in criminal and civil liability cases. They are sometimes hired to investigate individuals. Most detectives and investigators are hired to perform physical surveillance. They may also search people’s homes, locations, and cars.
Private detectives and investigators could earn up to $41,000 to $60,000 in a month. The amount made depends on the employer, their specialty, and the area that they work at. The lowest a private detective and investigator can make in a month is $23,000 and the highest that can be made is $76,000 depending on the area.
There are no formal education requirements for most private detectives and investigators. Many companies require a postsecondary degree. College courses in criminal justice and police science are suggested and helpful. Although some companies require related experience, some people start working as soon as they graduate from college. An associate’s degree or bachelor degree in criminal justice, police science, and police investigations is required.
Most of the work that private detectives and investigators do is learned on the job. New investigators will usually start by learning how to use databases to gather information. The training that is received depends on the agency. Because detectives and investigators work with changing technologies, some of them never stop training. They learn the latest methods of many tasks by attending conferences and courses offered by different professional associations. Most states require detectives and investigators to be licensed. In the states that do not require them to be licensed have strict requirements and regulations.
Some detectives and investigators receive a certificate to show that they completed a certain field. To receive this award, employees must have five years of investigation experience. They must satisfy the educational requirements and continuing-training requirements. They must also pass written and oral exams. Most private detective agencies are small, so there is little room for advancement. Usually, there are no defined ranks or steps, so advancements include a raise in salary and assignment status. Many detectives and investigators start their own agencies after gaining experience and receiving many advancements. Some detectives and investigators may be raised to supervisor or manager of the security or investigations department.
Private detectives and investigators held about 500 jobs in 2008 in Memphis, TN. About 21 percent were self employed, which means they used being a detective as a second job. In the Memphis area, around 41 percent of detective and investigator jobs were in investigation and security services, which included private detective agencies. The rest of the employees in Memphis, TN worked mostly in State and local government, legal services firms, department or general merchandise stores, employment services companies, insurance agencies, and banks. A lot of competition is expected for most jobs like this because private detectives and investigators careers attract many qualified people. Most of the qualified people include many young people who have retired from law enforcement and military careers. The best opportunities for new job seekers will be in entry-level jobs in detective agencies. There will be a lot of opportunities for certain types of detectives and investigators.