We are often asked about online courses especially those that offer a strap line to “become a private investigator online free”.

Practical skill sets

We have never been a big fan of online courses. We work and deal with practical skill sets which you cannot teach effectively online. There is only so much that can be taught on paper and through a web connection.

We give the analogy that you would not expect a technical practical subject to be taught without a practical class. Surgeon’s are not allowed to perform delicate surgery without having practised.The same has to be said for private investigators – sure we are not surgeons, but the consequences of getting it wrong can have major implications for our clients. We give two examples here of locus reports and process serving.

Locus reports are made about locations for the consideration of a court or a judge. For example, it might be a road traffic accident, or a personal injury claim that occurred from a fall in a nightclub. The investigator will be called upon to make an accurate representation of the area in the form of a plan and photographs. Certainly, the basics can be taught online but physically doing a locus report and having it assessed by someone who is qualified to approve it, is the only way to make sure you know what you are doing properly.

The other example is process serving. For the novice it’s not a simple task. There is a lot of legal jargon and you can easily get it wrong. Your clients are going to want to know you have been trained properly for dealing with their paperwork, professionally and competently. What are you going to do in the field if a problem occurs, or somebody refuses to accept the papers? Some of these things are better explained by example and re-enacting them with experienced tutors in a classroom or practical scenario – not online – and certainly not for free!

So, how much does it cost?

Realistically, if you could become a private investigator online free then don’t you think everybody would be doing it?

Remember you do not get anything for free in life – it takes hard work, dedication and sometimes some money expenditure to achieve things. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

A competent private investigator should comfortably earn a minimum of £30,000 a year. Do you know of any career where you can earn £30,000 without having undergone training?

You will need to set aside enough money to be able to learn the skill sets – our 5 day PI advanced course is £950 plus vat. You should also consider attending a professional surveillance training course – these cost from about £575 plus vat for three days.

Beware – sharks and rip-off merchants!

Be your own private investigator when it comes to investigating the training providers. It is often said “If you’re going to become an investigator, your first job is to investigate the people who train you!”

There are a number of companies who prey on this pipe dream. If any person or company offers you guaranteed work or leads after you have completed their training course be very cautious. There have been numerous complaints to both the ABI and Action Fraud of such companies. Do your research carefully!

If you have any questions, please get in touch on 0207 993 4080 or email info@bluemooncollege.co.uk