Who is a private investigator? And what does a private investigator do? These are questions that may have run through your mind at one time or another, well, a private investigator or a private eye is a person who can be hired by individuals, clients, companies and law firms to conduct some background checks or information sourcing.

A private investigator is mostly used by clients who may suspect their mates of infidelity and those who may need background information on a suspect and sometimes a potential employee. A private investigator doesn’t conduct interrogations, questionings or arrests; we should understand that private investigators are not government employed, so they must do their work within the set principles of the law. For a person to be able to work as a private investigator he needs to undergo lots of training, this article will be talking extensively on some courses that anybody who wants to be a private investigator should undergo.

Private Investigator Courses

The professional investigation program (pip)—this helps a potential private investigator get his fit on the ground, he is helped to understand some things that makes him a private investigator, he is also helped to get a better understanding of the job he is about to take up.

Law related courses—a private investigator should have an up-to-date knowledge of laws that govern the state, knowing the latest laws will help a private investigator stay on the side of the law. Knowing the law also helps a private investigator do his job without infringing on the comfort of those he may be investigating.

Investigation institutes—here in the UK, we have investigation institutes like the institute of professional investigations, Humber college of investigations and some other institutes that train private investigators on lawful ways to source information.

Information technology course—this course will introduce all potential private investigators to an in-depth use of technology in their field of work, these training will also help the private investigator know how to handle evidences that clearly speaks against a suspect, and will also help them use things like wiretapping, cameras and audio recorders.

Surveillance training—I am quite sure you know what it feels like when you find someone spying on you. That is how people will feel if they should catch you doing same; you will need to undergo extensive training on how to monitor and how to mount surveillances on a person without being detected.

Academy—there are academies for private investigators, these academies can be attended either regularly or part-time, they will take you through the rudiments of being a private investigator and most likely even certify you after graduation. You will also be helped to be field ready and you will get training on how to stay undetected when you are following someone.

Online courses—for private investigators who may want to get more training, or those who have a very busy schedule, the online courses make learning about private investigation very fast. But, in contrast to offline classes, online classes do not have practice sections that will be even more important in the field.

University—for those aiming to get a degree in private investigation, the university is the place to be. Universities here in the UK offer courses for practicing professionals, so for someone learning from the basics, some of the aforementioned classes may have to be attended first.

Police background—a minimal knowledge of the police force and defensive skills may come in handy here, you should know by now that the job you want to do is just so tough, sometimes you may have to go undercover with gangs, you should have at least a little knowledge of police self defense tactics as that will help you whenever you may be at risk.