Career Overlap Occupation record
RecordJob

Where a private detective can go next

5 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role a private detective already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.

Private detectives research and analyse information to uncover facts for personal, corporate or legal reasons, depending on their clients. They conduct surveillance activities, which includes taking photos, doing background checks and interviewing individuals. Private detectives may help in criminal and civil cases, child custody, financial fraud, on-line harassment and may search for missing people. They compile all the information into a file and hand it to their clients for further action.

Also known as private dick, sleuth, private investigator, inspector, PI, private eye.

Technicians and associate professionals 32 skills on file 5 career moves 0 above 60% overlap Closest: police inspector, 50%

Fig. 2 · Career map 5 nearest · ESCO v1.2.1
police inspector 50% covered police detective 50% covered intelligence officer 33% covered prosecutor 29% covered criminal investigator 28% covered private detective You are here
  • 70% and above · short step
  • 50 to 70% · real move
  • Below 50% · substantial retraining
The 5 nearest destinations from private detective, each one a link to that move’s record. Distance from the centre is how much retraining the move takes; the figure on each is how much of that role a private detective already covers. All 5 are listed in the tables below.
Table 1

Table 1 · Within reach

Table 2

Table 2 · A bigger jump

Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.

Table 3

Table 3 · What the job itself asks for

A private detective needs 19 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.

Required skill Area
  • check request legitimacy information skills
  • check subjects information skills
  • identify suspicious behaviour assisting and caring
  • develop investigation strategy information skills
  • check methods social sciences, journalism and information
  • provide information assisting and caring
  • screen clients assisting and caring
  • document evidence information skills
  • handle case evidence communication, collaboration and creativity
  • analyse legal evidence information skills
Table 4

Table 4 · Jobs that lead here

The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what a private detective does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.

Index

Look up another occupation

Private detective is filed under Technicians and associate professionals, ISCO major group 3. The full index lists all ten groups.

Note

How these figures were compiled

Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of a private detective’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.