How To Become A PI

Are you considering becoming a private Investigator just because it does appear to be the perfect job for the nosey among us? Be honest with yourself, (it's a skill you need to develop for the job anyway) because if that's the real reason you are making this choice, then it's probably not the job for you. There is a lot more to the job than sneaking around peeping through windows and listening at keyholes. This article looks at What you will need to do to work in this field once the new regulations are in place.

First of all let's look at the skills needed to be successful:

• A background in security or the armed forces is often found to be a useful tool to draw upon when becoming a private investigator.


• You will need to be able to speak and write clearly and concisely, often presenting written and verbal reports of your findings.


• You need to be able to pay attention to detail and have top-notch observation skills.


• Once you have obtained data, the chances are you will be expected to analyse it, so you need to be analytically minded.


• You will need the ability to appear professional and confident as you give evidence in court proceedings.


• You will need some basic computer skills and some technical knowledge of key surveillance technology.


• You must understand the law surrounding privacy. The consequences of breaking the privacy laws can be quite severe.


• You must be able to work alone and be prepared for unexpected delays when completing observations.


• You need to be able to approach tasks in an organised and logical way.


• Probably the hardest skill to master, is showing empathy when you are dealing with a client who has asked to check in to personal lives of their loved ones, or ex-loved ones. They may still find your news hard to take.

The new regulation of this industry means that you will have to be trained to a minimum standard and be registered with the Security Industry Authority before you can legally practice.

The type of work that you will be asked to complete will vary, but your bread and butter work is most likely to be desk bound analysing data and interviewing people. Depending on the types of cases that you are willing to accept and can source, you can expect to carry out observations - stake out style, fraud investigations, looking for missing people and serving people legal documents to name but a few.

Ellen Ralph is an expert writer in the field of private investigation and should you need the services of a reputable private investigator, she recommends you visit http://www.merloc.co.uk