Private Investigator Course
Private Investigators can enjoy varied assignments and the confidence that comes with doing important work and doing it well. Some of the tasks private investigators perform include finding lawbreakers, finding missing persons, catching cheats, protecting VIP's, engaging in surveillance and more. Enjoy the special satisfaction that comes with working as a Private Investigator on an important case. With our private investigator courses you could learn about:
- Investigation and reporting techniques.
- Sources of information and background investigations.
- Surveillance equipment and techniques.
- Ethics and professional responsibility for private investigators.
And you can learn it all from the comfort of your own home. You can get information about the private investigator's role in civil and criminal litigation, corporate intelligence gathering and espionage, and professional development and employment. To find out more about the private investigator courses we sponsor request a free information package today.
Penn Foster Career School 
Everest University 
Overview
On television, private investigators are often portrayed working on high-profile cases and they seem to have a lot of prestige. While the work of real-life private investigators may involve tracking a missing person or protecting a celebrity, it entails more ordinary duties as well. Some of the daily job tasks of a private investigator include interviewing people to learn more about someone's background, verifying a person's income or assets, conduct surveillance operations, investigating computer fraud and more. As a private investigator, you will most likely be employed by an attorney, private client or a private investigation business. Self-employment is also an option.
There are several specialty areas of private investigation that may be of interest to you. Loss prevention agents are private investigators who work in a retail setting to apprehend shoplifters. Financial investigators look into cases of suspected fraud. Computer forensic investigators are concerned with crimes committed through the use of a computer. They may be called upon to recover deleted data, gain access to an email account and so forth. Legal investigators typically help lawyers prepare for court cases by researching evidence for or against the lawyer's client. Finally, corporate investigators work in a business setting to detect employee drug use, illegal diversion of company funds and related crimes.
What Kind of Education is Required to Become a Private Investigator?
While there is no specific educational requirement necessary to become a private detective, it can be very helpful in a competitive career field. Many technical and career training colleges offer two-year training programs in criminal justice that can prepare you for an entry-level position as a private investigator. If you enroll in a formal criminal justice degree program, you can expect to study sociology, psychology, history, ethics and other courses related to your everyday work as a private investigator.
Obtaining a formal degree in criminal justice usually offers you the opportunity to complete an internship. When you are competing for jobs in the field, the ability to cite practical experience gained through an internship will help you to stand out above the other applicants. You may also choose to seek voluntarily certification through an agency like the National Association of Legal Investigators.
 The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates an annual job growth rate of 21 percent for private investigators from now until 2020. This figure is higher than the predicted growth for all occupations. The BLS gives several reasons for the projected job growth, including increased computer crimes, heightened security and the need for asset protection.
With identify theft on the rise, private investigators are needed to track down those who steal other people's identities to open credit cards and apply for government benefits. Other computer crimes, such as scams to defraud people and child pornography, are also rampant and need private investigators to help stop them.
The biggest anticipated growth area for private investigators is expected to be in the area of personal background checks. Employers are looking into the backgrounds of potential employees more than ever, especially when hiring the wrong person could mean criminal liability for the employer. Some of the areas of investigation include criminal history, sex offender registries, driver's license records, previous employment and even social history on the Internet.
In 2010, the average salary for private investigators of all experience levels was $42,780. It is important to keep in mind that this isn't your typical day job. You will work all types of hours and in all types of surroundings and weather conditions. If you thrive on constant change, this may be just the career for you.
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