How to Attend a Private Investigation School
To attend a private investigation school, you'll need to meet the prerequisites for acceptance into the program, accept an offer of admission to the school of your choice and find a way to fund your education. The effort could well pay off, as the field of private investigation is set to grow in the coming years.
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Things You'll Need
- High school diploma, or equivalent
- Associate or Bachelor's degree (recommended)
Instructions
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Locate a Private Investigation School
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Decide whether you want to get a diploma in private investigation from a specialized private educational institution, or a degree in a security-related field from an accredited college or community college. Investigate the former option by reviewing a list of schools, such as what's provided at InfoGuys.com (see Resources below). If you prefer the latter option, you can find a list of security-related degree programs at ASIS International.org (see Resources below).
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Arm yourself with an Associate or Bachelor's degree to give yourself a leg up on application to the top private diploma programs. If you want to head to college for training in a security-related field, you'll generally only need a high school diploma and SAT scores that qualify you for entry to the program. Each individual institution sets its own entry requirements, which are easily accessible online or by contacting the institution.
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Keep an open mind as you investigate options for specialization. The fact is that most private investigators are not nearly as involved with criminals and intrigue as the movies and media lead many people to believe. Most of them are self-employed, dealing with issues such as legal investigations, corporate and financial investigations and retail loss prevention.
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Contact each institution individually and ask questions about their program. Find out whether each program leads only to a diploma, or whether you will get a state license upon completion. Narrow down your options by speaking to former students of the school, and asking how well the training course prepared them for their transition to the workplace.
Fund Your Education
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Avoid taking out loans if you can. Continue to work while you go to school, if it's possible for you to complete your program online or in the evenings.
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Contact the financial aid department of the school you plan to attend and find out what assistance is offered to students. Virtually every accredited, reputable educational institution offers students some form of financial aid, whether it's in the form of loans, bursaries or tuition payment plans.
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Defer your tuition, if the school offers you such an option, while you cross the Ts and dot the Is of your financial plan. Generally, schools will charge low or no interest on deferred tuition, at least initially.
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Tips & Warnings
Turn to private sources of funding (banks, lending institutions) only as a last resort if you need a way to fund your education. You'll likely get much more advantageous loan terms if you deal directly with the school you plan to attend.
