How to Become a Private Investigator in the UK

January 25, 2021 - Reading time: 11 minutes

Careers in private investigation

As a leading detective agency based in the UK, we feel that there is often a lack of understanding as to the type of work that is undertaken by modern private investigators, and what it takes to become one. Private investigators are often represented in films or TV, with varying degrees of accuracy. As many people will never be in a position where they decide to instruct a detective agency, they may not be as familiar with the work that is carried out by private detectives as with other occupations. The private investigation occupation is a niche one, and can require any number of different skillsets. We have put together this article to try and shine a light on our line of work and provide information for those people that are considering a career in the private investigation industry.

At PrivateInvestigators-UK, we cover a wide range of different services for private individuals and companies alike. As such, the qualities and experience that we look for in our agents will depend on the nature of work that is being undertaken by them; each service that is offered by us is typically completed by an agent with specialist skills and experience that are relevant to the task they are being asked to perform in each case.

What type of people become private investigators?

While Hollywood might have you believe that private detectives are usually middle-aged men wearing trench coats, we believe that a competent detective agency should represent the varied nature of the British population. As such, PrivateInvestigators-UK employs agents from all different backgrounds, nationalities, ages, genders, and walks of life. We feel this is absolutely necessary in order to reach a successful outcome in each case.

Types of work completed by private investigators

The private investigation industry is in fact quite large and encompasses a number of specialised fields. Some detective agencies work mainly for private clients, for example, where an average day might consist of surveilling a husband or wife suspected of infidelity. Other firms may focus more on providing litigation support to law firms, whereby their role is to gather evidence which will benefit legal proceedings. Many other companies only accept corporate clients, whereby they provide due diligence and corporate investigations in order to check business dealings, companies, and private individuals.

Within these 3 niches are countless more specific roles. From process serving, to document analysis, debugging, covert surveillance, tracing people, insurance claim investigations, gathering evidence of cohabitation, interviewing witnesses, conducting lie detector tests, and many other specialist roles. Ultimately, the experience and qualifications needed will depend on the task being undertaken in each case. If you are interested in becoming a private investigator, then the first step would be to choose a speciality, before working towards gaining the qualifications and experience that would make you a desirable candidate for your chosen role.

Private investigator working a camera in England

Surveillance is traditionally the “bread and butter” of most conventional detective agencies, and what springs into mind for most people when they hear the term “private investigator”. Surveillance is simply the act of watching a person or property, following them, and collecting photos/video as proof of their activities. Surveillance can be utilised in many different situations, from infidelity investigations, to insurance claim investigations, or as part of corporate due diligence.

Qualities that we look for in private investigators

Many of the agents working for PrivateInvestigators-UK have experience from their former roles in law enforcement (police) or military; and we have a natural preference towards these people. While many private investigators find their roles after leaving a career in military or law enforcement, where they may have acquired and developed relevant skillsets, over the years we have seen the emergence of more and more “career” detectives; they are people that have primarily focused their working lives towards building a skillset, and experience, in investigation. Many of these individuals are highly talented people and very proficient in their roles.

Whether you are coming from a military/police background, or simply looking for a career change, the first steps to becoming a private investigator will almost always be gaining recognized qualifications which will teach you the basic skills needed during investigations. Qualifications and experience are naturally desired by all established private investigation agencies.

Aside from the more obvious qualifications in field work such as surveillance, we rely on many other skills on a day-to-day basis. For example, a surveillance agent may be a skilled photographer, but he or she will also need to be capable of editing, organizing, and compressing images which they have taken, along with writing coherent reports which includes all relevant details whilst being easy to read. Basic to moderate skills with video editing software would also be a necessity.

A private investigator must be highly proficient in the English language. All reports that are sent out must be grammatically correct, use correct punctuation, and be articulated in such a way that they are easily understood, whilst still providing detailed descriptions of events.

Sending e-mails or reports which include spelling mistakes or incorrect grammar, indicates laziness and would be unacceptable for anyone working in our firm – we take our job seriously and we believe that messages which are riddled with spelling mistakes set an unprofessional tone. Taking the time to proof read reports and e-mails in order to correct mistakes is essential. Reports should be formatted into paragraphs so that they are easy to read. We would recommend anyone that is looking to work as a private detective to make sure that their English writing abilities are up to a high standard.

Being able to communicate effectively is extremely important when explaining the results of an investigation to a client or a fellow detective, and in outlining any requirements or prerequisites before a case is accepted. We look for highly intelligent, motivated people, and any other skills which they bring to the table would be seen as a bonus.

Do I need a degree to work as a private investigator in the UK?

No, a degree is not required in order to work as a private investigator in the UK. While some firms may look for candidates with relevant degrees, at the time of writing there is no legal requirement for private investigators to have degrees; nor is this a blanket requirement for detectives that work for PrivateInvestigators-UK. A private investigator with years of experience would always be seen as more valuable to our firm than a candidate with no relevant experience and a degree in criminology for example. We believe that besides completing relevant courses, that many of the skills relied on in our industry are learned through experience, and gradually honed over many years.

Get qualified as a UK private investigator

There are countless different options when it comes to choosing qualifications in the investigative field. Both ISS Training and Titan Investigations offer relevant courses in investigative skills and are recommended by many professional detectives. You might also consider UKPIN, which offers a diploma in investigative related skills.

Searching online you will find numerous private investigation courses and qualifications; many have varying degrees of usefulness and credibility. Before spending your hard-earned money and time on a private investigation course, we would recommend speaking with actual private investigators about what training they would recommend. Many PIs do not value so-called “online investigation courses”… Cheap online courses are generally not held with much regard by established detective agencies. Though it should be said that filling your CV with any type of supplementary training (online or otherwise) may well increase your attractiveness to prospective employers; we certainly recognize and appreciate people that continually try to better themselves through training and education.

Past investigative experience

As with any occupation, experience is everything when it comes to finding employment as a private detective. Many detectives start their careers from a law enforcement or military background, we certainly value the skillset from individuals that having been taught disciplines such as surveillance tactics from a law enforcement agency or military.

If your goal is to build a career as a private investigator, then experience will form the cornerstone of your professional credibility. Many private investigator associations only permit members which have a certain amount of experience within the field.

Without experience, an impressive list of qualifications may be needed to get a foot in the door at most firms.

Should you choose a career as a private detective?

As with most professions, working as a private detective has its ups and downs. Whilst the job can be extremely rewarding, there are often times when it can become tedious, or very hard and stressful. Private investigators often work very long hours in order to gather information or evidence. In many cases the results of an investigation may not be what is desired or hoped for by our clients… Some people may react with strong emotions to the results of an investigation; and dealing with people that are highly emotional, and perhaps not thinking rationally, is a part of the job. Ultimately our job is to uncover the truth and deliver it to our clients. Not all investigations result in outcomes which our clients hoped for, or that was in their favour.

A competent detective should be able to communicate effectively to people, and try to be the voice of reason in difficult cases. We are not counsellors or phycologists, though we have certainly had to recommend such professionals at times when our clients are struggling to deal with the confronting results of their investigations.

Though there are negatives, we dare to predict that most private detectives do enjoy their jobs and the satisfaction that comes with providing evidence or uncovering the truth for our clients in most cases.

Getting employed as a private investigator in the UK

PrivateInvestigators-UK is one of the largest leading detective agencies in the UK. Our detectives cover all areas of England, Wales, Scotland, NI, ROI, Europe, and beyond. We are always on the lookout for new talent within the investigative field, and we work with agents from a range of different backgrounds and skillsets across all areas of the UK. If you are interested in working on behalf of PrivateInvestigators-UK then please be sure to read our careers page for more information and details on how to get in touch with us.