Photo: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (Public domain)
Job description
A typical case starts with a client's question, whether a spouse is being unfaithful, a disability claim is legitimate, or where a missing person went, and moves through fieldwork and background checks to piece together the facts. Investigators write up findings as formal reports and sometimes testify at hearings or trials about the evidence they gathered, so the work has to hold up under scrutiny. Many private investigators work independently or for small agencies, building a client base through referrals from attorneys, insurers, or past clients.
Pros
- Faster than average projected job growth (6% over the next decade)
- Entry via vocational training or an associate's degree rather than a four-year degree
- Varied casework, from background checks to missing persons, rather than one repetitive task
Cons
- Above-average hours, expect more than a standard 40-hour work week
- Precision matters, since findings may be used as evidence in court or legal disputes
- Work often involves emotionally charged situations like divorce, custody, or missing persons cases
A typical day
The day might start at 5:30am in a parked car, positioned before a workers'-comp claimant's house stirs, camera ready to document whether the man with the 'disabling' back injury loads his boat trailer. By late morning the investigator is home at a desk doing the trade's real bulk work: database searches, court records, property filings, and social media, assembling a skip-trace on a witness an attorney needs served. The afternoon holds two interviews — a neighbor who saw something, phrased carefully so nothing is led — and report writing, because every finding must be documented well enough to survive a courtroom. No two weeks repeat; patience and paper trails are the job.
Tasks at the job
- Write reports or case summaries to document investigations.
- Conduct private investigations on a paid basis.
- Conduct personal background investigations, such as pre-employment checks, to obtain information about an individual's character, financial status, or personal history.
- Obtain and analyze information on suspects, crimes, or disturbances to solve cases, to identify criminal activity, or to gather information for court cases.
- Testify at hearings or court trials to present evidence.
- Question persons to obtain evidence for cases of divorce, child custody, or missing persons or information about individuals' character or financial status.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent sitting at a desk.
The pace is often fast, with real time pressure to meet deadlines, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. Precision and accuracy are essential to the work, and the work is highly structured, following set procedures.
Education necessary or common
Vocational training, apprenticeship, or associate's degree
Common college majors
Licenses & certifications
- State private investigator license
- Concealed carry/armed credential (state-dependent, some roles)
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- English — report writing that holds up under legal scrutiny
- Government/Law electives — the legal boundaries of surveillance and evidence
- Psychology — interviewing and reading people
- Computer Applications — database and open-source research skills
- Photography — surveillance documentation
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Mock trial — evidence and testimony from the inside
- Police Explorers (Learning for Life)
- School newspaper — investigative research reps
- Chess or puzzle competitions — pattern persistence
First steps you can take now
- Learn open-source research: practice finding public records on a property or business (stay legal and ethical)
- Read your state's licensing requirements for private investigators
- Interview a licensed PI about how cases actually come in
- Write up a detailed, neutral observation report of a public event — the core deliverable of the trade
