When presented with the term private investigator services, the first thought that comes to mind is Sherlock Holmes, though of course Mr Holmes is merely a fictional character who unlike you doesn’t need to pay bills (unfornate I know ! ).It is because of this fact, that it is important to know the salary of a particular career, and in knowing this you can answer the question, is it worthwhile?
The following article will discuss the salary of a South African private investigator as well as other components related to the job .
Salary of a Private Investigator
It is not often one hears of jobs, like a private investigator in a country like South Africa, can such a scarcely spoken of job possibly have a worthwhile salary? It seems it can! as the average base salary for a private investigator is a whooping R 75 001 per month.
This amount however may vary according to factors such as position, client base and job assignments and at entry level can start as low as R20 000 per month and go as high R130 002 per month.
The annual salary of a private investigator is R900 012 per year at average, again this may vary according to your position ranking as low as R240 000 per year for less experience workers and as high as 1 560 02 per year for more experience workers ( experience is key) .
Registration Requirements
In order to be a registered PI in South Africa it is vital to be make sure you meet these simple requirements.
- You must be 18 years old or older
- You must be a citizen of South Africa
- You must have a clean criminal record
- You must complete a South African government approved Pi licensing program , this is called the PsiRA private investigator licensing course . The duration of this course is 5 days and can be applied for through the PSIRA website (www.psira.co.za)
- You must pay a PI registration fee
- You must not be a member of any national security or police agency
Having this registration however does not mean that you will be able to work on your own but that you can only work under a fully licensed PI business . Though all is not lost as this does not mean that you will never have the freedom to go out on your own as PI business are not always economically able to provide mentors or survivallance teams .
Steps to Becoming a Successful PI
Becoming a successful private investigator requires hard work and dedication. Here are some tips:
- Get practical training and education
- Equip yourself with the necessary tools
- Develop an investigative mindset
- Learn common misconceptions about the profession
- Expose yourself to challenges
Here are a few places to look at
- https://cbmtraining.co.za
- https://www.hjntraining.co.za/
- https://forensic-school.com/
- https://www.izito.co.za/
Next it is important that you make sure to equip yourself for excursions, this includes technical equipment such as computers, tablets, as well specific gadgets such as binoculars and mini spy cameras. A varst amount of equipment may help you increase the quality of the feedback and proof you give back to clients .
These equipment can be bought at :
- www.amazon.com
- www.takealot.com
- www.digikey.co.za
It is also important to develop an investigative mindset, after all without his unique investigative niche Sherlock Holmes would be just another private investigator.
Learning common misconceptions about professional private investigators would also work in your favour, as well as exposing yourself to challenges that my come.
Highest Paying Cities in South Africa for Investigators
- Cape Town, Western Cape
- Johannesburg, Gauteng
- Cala, Eastern Cape
- Pretoria, Gauteng
- Delmas, Mpumalanga
Similar Professions to a Private Investigator
- Field investigator
- Fraud investigator
- Criminal investigator
- Claims investigator
