How to Earn Money As An investigator in Australia

How to become an investigator? How to become a Private Investigator? How to become an Inquiry Agent? How to get an investigators license? In Australia and most other countries Private Investigators operate in the field of Civil Investigation. That is Non Criminal Investigation. Like any field of employment it is the applicant who must gain the skills and knowledge to satisfy or even exceed the employers needs to secure work. By reading this Information Pack and adopting it’s content you can position yourself to become a paid working Private Investigator in Australia. The really good news is that 98% of people who read this information will say to themselves, "I can't do that!" thus the majority of your future competition will be eliminated at this point. Congratulations you have almost achieved a start in a new career. Part One – Overview and Background of the investigators work In a nutshell: You must become a Licensed Investigator or you will be merely a stalker. You cannot have a criminal conviction if you want to become a licensed investigator. You cannot be currently bankrupt. The main way to earn income as a Private Investigator is conducting Insurance Investigation on behalf of an established Investigation Agency. No one will employ you on the basis you are: "going to get a license", you must already have it to be employable. You are paid as a subcontractor not as an employee by 90% of investigation Agencies. The reason you paid as a sub contractor is that, what you will investigate by it’s nature, cannot be predicted so no one can say exactly what work you will undertake in any week, even though you will have a lot of work to complete. Not every investigation you undertake will be Fraudulent. You only need a basic knowledge of the law. You do not need police training or background. Investigations must be completed within 14 days You can conduct relationship investigations, and in nine cases out of ten you will prove infidelity. In eight cases out of ten you won’t get paid and if you get repeat business from the same person, they need relationship advice not investigation help. There are two types of Insurance Investigation that you can do to earn money: Surveillance Investigation – where you as a licensed investigator conduct surveillance on an individual or thing and write a report. Factual or Circumstantial Investigation – where you as a licensed investigator, conduct interviews and take statements, inspect accident scenes and write reports. There are five types of Factual or Circumstance Investigation Workers Compensation – investigation of work related injuries. CTP Liability – investigation of motor vehicle accident injuries. Stolen Motor Vehicle – investigation of stolen insured motor vehicles. Break Enter Steal – investigation of home burglaries. Public Liability – investigation of injuries in shopping centres etc. To get work you will need to be interviewed and approved by an Investigation Company and approved by the Insurers for whom they conduct investigations. Thus you will need the following: Up to date and detailed resume Certified copies of your qualifications Current investigation license details Copies of previous licenses (if any) Drivers license RTA driving history from your state police Criminal history report from your state police Equipment list Vehicle insurance Public liability insurance (if you have contents insurance on your house – you have Public Liability Insurance) If you don’t have these you will not become employed. Part Two Your Course Provider – What you need to learn to get work To stand out amongst the applicants for investigation positions and obtain work you must appear to be more knowledgeable than other average applicants. The first step is to select the right investigation course. Today in Australia the qualification you must achieve is PRS30303 Certificate III in Investigative Services. This is your first step to be smarter. Don’t buy the first course you see. Ask your course provider: Will I learn Insurance Investigation? What types specifically will I learn? When did the instructor last do each of those investigations? Is your instructor an experienced Security Guard or experienced Investigator? If you get fobbed off on any question, then as an investigator you should then ask harder questions. Good hard questions for the list above are: If yes – What types? If no – Why not? Specifically how many types of investigation will I learn and what is each called? Who for, how often, involving what, and what days dates and times, and what evidence is there of this? If s/he is an experienced investigator s/he will know: a) What is a Long Tail investigation? b) What is a Moral Hazard? c) If a person confesses to insurance fraud during an investigation, precisely what would the investigator do? Look for evasive answers, hesitations, smoke screens and distinct lack of knowledge. Congratulations you are starting to think like an investigator already. For the exact Units included in the Certificate III Qualification see Part 5 Part Three The Employment Interview After having enrolled, successfully completed your Investigation Course, and obtained your license you must now get work. In this section it is essential to grasp and get across these concepts in interviews with potential employers. The best things in your favour are: Your License Your new knowledge Your location The requirement that 95% of all investigations must be completed within 14 days. (This sense of urgency means you have work opportunities). The downside is that Investigation Agencies have put their faith in less trained, and less skilled people than you in the past and thus, they are cautious about engaging new investigators, for strong reasons. What they did wrong was: Not complete work on time Did not send progress reports every 48 hours on investigations Insulted or upset people making the claim Did not know how to conduct interviews and take statements Did not know how to write reports Had no or only outdated equipment Made the same mistakes over and over again Blundered surveillance operations Lacked ethics Lied or exaggerated costs or time involved in the conduct of investigations Knowing that those are the ten biggest problems with investigators you can at the interview eliminate the employers concerns with you by: Demonstrate how you complete investigations in a timely fashion Explain that you can email, fax, or make progress reports through dedicated web sites and file tracking systems. Use empathy and people skills Challenge the interviewee at interview to ask you to take a statement now on any type of 5 different investigations Provide examples of your course reports Show current and ask what equipment will be required and commit to obtaining it Tell the interviewee that a good investigator learns something new every day Demonstrate from your course a thorough knowledge of surveillance techniques and skills Emphasise your ethical past and provide referees Demonstrate how you are committed to cost consciousness (saving unnecessary expense) Never leave an interview situation without getting a commitment for action in engaging your services. Action includes: Relevant forms to complete regarding approval by Insurers Commencement date, or induction day date and time. The organisations manuals and guides including pro formas A day or two days orientation with an investigator in the field Be consistent it takes time to achieve any worthwhile outcome. If the Investigation Agency cannot use your services at this time keep applying to others. Most agencies are listed in the Yellow Pages under Investigators. Just because there is a large advertisement, it does not mean it is a big company, apply to as many as are listed. Part Four Strategies Write, phone, email and make personal visits to employers. Timing is very important. Just because the organisation does not have a vacancy today, it does not mean there won’t be a vacancy tomorrow or next month. Never give in; a good investigator sees matters through to the conclusion. In this case your conclusion is to get paid work. The investigation industry is one with a large turnover of staff; this is mainly because investigators grow into Government employment, as they are attracted by the attractive incomes and benefits. Thus a continual vacuum is created in vacancies, and employers need to fill those vacancies. How to excel in this industry? Complete work thoroughly and on time. Communicate with your employer and client. Be competitive in your business approach. Insurers today want investigations completed in 14 days, from receipt of instructions, to final report, and updates every three days in the process. If you can meet that challenge you can excel as an investigation professional. My Academy answers over 50 inquiries per week from people wishing to become a Private Investigator. On average only 10 per month, of these are accepted into any of our qualification programs. The investigation industry has a sexy image due to television and movies, however it is at times, complex, demanding work un - suited to people who are not solution focused in their career outlook. Tell your potential employer these if they relate to you from the success of the learning in your course: Factual investigation applicants – what to say: I can take statements written or recorded I can write reports I can conduct Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigations I can conduct Workers Compensation Investigations I understand the and know the relevant parts of the Insurance Contracts Act Surveillance Investigators – what to say: I know what a pretext approach is I can follow subjects in a vehicle I understand what an investigators duty of Non Disclosure is I understand the need for steady, focused clear video tape I am familiar with / know the Privacy Act If you have any other skills point them out, as they will be advantageous: Multi language skills Computer skills – Auto Cad or similar Teaching skills and experience A trade (Trades people make excellent investigators) Qualifications in other industries Advanced people skills Remember your location alone has significant advantages because around where you live there are investigations to be conducted in the form of: Workers Compensation Surveillance CTP Liability Public Liability Stolen Motor Vehicle PART 5 The Australian Security Academy ’s Certificate III Information Pack Are you looking for a work, with more…. career potential? Would you like to exceed your own career expectations and provide the added value you are so capable of, in your everyday work activities? Are you competitive, organised and able to complete tasks in a timely manner? Do you enjoy the challenge of something different every day? Become a Licensed Working Private Investigator! Thank you for your enquiry regarding the Private Investigator Course. Your Information pack contains 4 items: 1: Course Information 2: Frequently asked questions 3: Complete course outline table 4: Private Investigator test A lot of experienced investigators have achieved their qualification through on line study. It is the most comprehensive and easiest way to gain a National Qualification in Investigative Services. Maybe it’s because of all these great benefits: · No travelling to and from classes. · No parking hassles. · No distractions. · One on one instruction and assessment. · No repeating training you have previously undertaken. · Recognition of your previous work and life experience. · No time wasted listening to lectures and war stories. · No classes on subjects irrelevant to your work. · You don’t have to listen to a teacher telling you how good he was 15 years ago. · You can work on your study out of your own home, office, (Or from the beach!) At your own pace. Course Information PRS 30303 A career as a Private Investigator is both challenging and rewarding. You will operate in the civil investigation Industry conducting non – criminal investigations, in the areas of: Public Liability Investigation Workers Compensation investigation Motor Vehicle accident Stolen Motor Vehicles Surveillance Household general claims (property). Compulsory Third Party Motor Vehicle Claims You can tailor a very successful and rewarding career, in any, or all of the above. These are the money earning investigations. Working in these areas, you can confidently expect to earn over $50,000 per year as a professional investigator. The Australian Security Academy Pty Ltd Established in November 1999 the Academy has developed client partnerships with some of Australia ’s largest Investigation Agencies, supplying trained, competent investigators, to those agencies, on demand. The Academy is Australia ’s only specialist Investigation Registered Training Organisation (RTO) that is, committed to teaching Investigations. Most RTO’s who teach investigations are owned and operated by persons who teach Security Guarding, often employing Police Officers who have never completed a Civil Investigation. Although they are most probably excellent security guard training firms, they do not teach investigations Australia wide every day. The work of a Private Investigator has nothing to do with that of a Security Guard. At the Academy, Investigations are our passion, and through your learning at the Academy you will quickly acquire the skills of an investigation professional. The Academy is owned and operated, by qualified professional investigators, who teach income earning skills, to individuals who want to excel as Private Investigators / Inquiry Agents. Frequently Asked Questions How is the Investigation Program Delivered? Your course is delivered by a combination of online and, workshop training. That is you complete a series of scenario assignments. These reflect real workplace investigations. You receive workbooks relevant to your training and are never asked to learn something that you won’t use in your daily activities of a Private Investigator. Investigations are complex, and take some time to learn. Night courses are generally very difficult to complete after a hard days work, so the Academy allows you the opportunity to learn on line. This type of training is called Flexible Delivery, allowing learners to complete training as quickly or as leisurely as the wish. There are over 5,000 licensed investigators working in Australia today. Most are employed in Insurance Investigation, otherwise known as Civil Investigation. Professional P.I.'s in Australia do not do criminal investigation work. No two investigations are the same, and the reason you are engaged to undertake work is to, gather all factual evidence relating to a matter or claim, so a solicitor, specialist or claims manager can make a decision about paying, negotiating or denying a claim. If you like a challenge, and possess an inquiring mind and an ability to make people relax you will excel as a P.I. Licensing To become a worker in this industry, you must obtain a license. The minimum qualification needed varies between states from Certificate II in Queensland to Certificate III in Victoria. You are not employable until you hold that license. Thus prospective employers will not engage your services until you meet the licensing requirement. The truth is employers receive a lot of applications from unlicensed individuals speculating on the hope that their application will be noticed and the employer will train them for free. Investigation employers are not in the business of training beginners. That is one reason why pre licensing courses were established, to reduce the burden on busy employers. Another reason was to weed out those who seriously believe that civil investigators carry guns, and enforce the law.