Hot Tip -- by Warren Werle

So you're thinking that being a private investigator would be a great job. Images of Magnum P.I. dance through your head - you always wanted to drive around in a Ferrari or fly around in a helicopter tracking down the bad guys.

According to the Occupational Information in ALIS, the Alberta Learning Information Service web site, Private Investigators generally:

• investigate and work to prevent loss caused by theft or fraud within corporations and businesses,
• observe disability insurance claimants to see if they are working at another job while they are claiming disability, or to see if their activities are consistent with the claimed disability,
• conduct searches for missing persons,
• gather information for lawyers about defendants or witnesses in criminal and civil court cases,
• gather material or evidence for individuals in divorce or child custody cases (particularly information about the couple's finances),
• conduct pre-employment checks, or
  
• work with law enforcement agencies to investigate corporate/insurance crime (Long irregular hours -- weekends, evenings, etc. -- are not out of the question and much of the work can be routine.)

In researching this article I spoke with Don Wilkinson, president of the Alberta Association of Private Investigators. Mr. Wilkinson explained that P.I.s generally will have a law enforcement background (retired city police or ex RCMP officers) though there are courses and programs you can take. Mount Royal College, for example, offers two continuing education courses under Investigations ("Private Investigation Skills and Techniques" and "Introduction to Business Crime Investigations").

These types of courses obviously don't guarantee you will find work as a P.I. but they can give you an idea of some of the skills you might need to be successful in this type of work. Mr. Wilkinson further explained that make a living from P.I. work can be a difficult. Work can be sporadic and you generally need to have some expertise and a good reputation to make a decent living at this type of work.

People skills are obviously extremely important. Patience and common sense are also essential to this business. He encourages anyone considering this type of work to do a bit of research to make sure P.I. work is for them. Do some informational interviews with agencies and individuals in the P.I. business. It shouldn't be too difficult to find someone to speak with. In addition to the Alberta Association of Private Investigators, there are about 60 P.I. agency listings in the Calgary Yellow Pages under "Investigators."

Another P.I. I spoke with indicated that this can be an "easy business to get into, but a hard one to stay in." She says that if you aren't in a position to own your own agency, you likely won't find full-time permanent work. Most (if not all) of the agencies that hire people do so on a part-time or per job basis, so the work can be sporadic. (The day this article was being written, two postings on the HRDC Job Bank in Calgary for investigators appeared - one was part-time, the other was contract based.)

She says that some agencies specialize and that probably 90 per cent of the agencies in Calgary do the majority of their work on insurance cases. While some of the assignments can be "pure boredom" she also indicated that it can be a very exciting and high adrenaline type of job. Her typical day might start at 6 a.m. and end at midnight and the day can fluctuate "from 12 hours of boring surveillance - to total terror." Her advice: "take some courses, be open-minded and be able to think sideways." Oh ya, she also recommends a dull colored and ordinary looking van for surveillance work - not the Magnum P.I. Ferrari.

To become a P.I. in Alberta you also need to be licensed via Alberta Justice. According to the ALIS web site:

• to open an agency, the Department of Justice requires that the applicant deposit a $5,000 surety bond,
• be at least 18 years of age,
• be a resident of the province, give a sworn affidavit, and
• have fingerprints taken by the local police (There is a $500 licensing fee for an agency and a $50 licensing fee for each individual.)

So, if you have the following characteristics:

personal integrity, physical fitness, tact and good communication skills, mental alertness and a good memory, a preference for work responsibilities which change frequently, an inquiring mind, a determination to investigate each problem in detail

and you think you can handle the long hours that can fluctuate from boring to total excitement, then this type of work might be for you. Do your research though - talk to some people in the business and connect with a career counsellor to further discuss if this is the career for you. Career planning has something in common with this type of work, so - INVESTIGATE!

(Warren Werle is a career counsellor at the Calgary Youth Employment Centre.)