Career of a Private Investigator
The life of a private investigator can be extremely exciting and even dangerous at times. A private investigator or PI is a person who investigates facts and analyzes information about financial,legal, and other matters.
Work environment
The environment in which a private investigator works is dependent on the time of job their doing, Days can vary from answering phones and other office work to Night time surveillance on a roof or tracking person.
Become a Private investigator
There are many different routes in which one could become a private investigator Some Private investigators go to college and obtain a degree in criminal justice or other similar degrees, others might be former police or military and some others might do training classes and work their way up from minor cases to larger more professional investigations. Almost every state requires Private investigators to obtain a private investigators license.Private investigators find it helpful to process strong people skills and the ability to think on their feet, photography,Video recording, Technology skills along with hand and weapon defense skills are very helpful in a successful private investigator career
Salary
The average median salary of a private investigator in the United States was $43,000 a year with some making well over $100,000 a year however this depends on the persons experience and the type of cases they work which will decide the pay rates also it depends upon if the private investigator works full time or part time.
Gear
The equipment that a private investigator employs depends on what type of cases the PI works. Gear can range from body armor, Wire tapping equipment,Firearms and surveillance equipment along with many other gadgets used in interviews and evidence gathering.
Employment
Private investigators normally work for themselves in a small business style environment typically with a partner however some are employed by a larger company to conduct investigations. A small percentage of private investigators work on contracts for the government to do tasks such as background checks, Debt resolution and investigations.
The future
The market for Private Investigators is estimated to grow by 21 percent which is faster then any other occupation. The increased need for private investigators can be traced to heightened security needs and the need for confidential work. Currently there are over 35,000 employed private investigators.
