There are numerous types of private investigator jobs available to those who are either trained and experienced or to those who are seeking an apprenticeship to gain the experience necessary to become a certified private investigator. Private investigators are not simply the traditional gum-shoe detective working in the shadows. Mainstream private investigators work for clients in a variety of different industries.
Marital investigators investigate cases of infidelity. When one spouse suspects the other of being unfaithful, a marital investigator will conduct several different forms of surveillance, gather evidence, and compile a full report on whether any wrongdoing has occurred. Marital investigators usually provide a sliding payment rate scale for clients, though other types of private investigators generally do not have to.
One of the faster-growing types of private investigator jobs can be found in corporate investigations. Corporate investigators spend most of their time tracking current employees for wrongdoing, abuse of company perks, or invalid use of sick time. An investigator in this field might also be hired to perform background checks on candidates or to gain much needed intelligence on the product or operations of other companies.
Computer forensic investigators are one of the most sought after types of the private investigator jobs. The specialty, of course, requires extensive experience with accessing and analyzing computer hardware and software. This job differs from other types of private investigator jobs in that there is generally less field work to conduct. Most of the work of a computer forensic specialist is conducted in a controlled workroom or laboratory.
Regional and local governments often contract with legal investigators to conduct surveillance work of people filing injury and insurance claims. Legal investigators gather evidence and conduct surveillance to determine whether any fraud has taken place or if any evidence exists that would disqualify a particular claim. Legal investigators contract work through government agencies but can also work with corporate or individual clients on a variety of cases as well.
In some jurisdictions, private investigators may work with collection agencies in order to track down debtors. This practice can be effective, but in many jurisdictions fair collection legislation prevents collection agencies from contracting with private investigators.
Missing persons investigators work to find people who have disappeared under various circumstances. Whether a person disappeared due to foul play or simply because they left town, a missing persons investigator will use a variety of tools to track them down. The work of missing persons investigators can often, but does not always, parallel that of police investigators.
