Prior to qualifying to take the written test in California, an individual must have a minimum of 3 years paid, full- time investigative experience. This experience is usually gained via prior employment in law enforcement or while working for another licensed private investigator. The California Private Investigators test is administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. If you are hiring a private investigator out of the Yellow Pages, always check their license status with the State. In California, it is a misdemeanor for a person to perform unlicensed investigations and also for a person to hire or utilize the services of an unlicensed investigator.
Most private investigators bill their time at an hourly rate along with a per-mile, mileage charge.
An experienced private investigator should be able to give the client an estimate for the services that are being contracted. In most cases, the experienced investigator should be able to provide a fairly accurate cost estimate for an investigation. The State of California does not require private investigators to carry insurance. Consequently, you, the client, may be held responsible for any errors, mistakes or omissions made by the investigator. Because the field of private investigations deals not only with gathering facts, but dealing with and obtaining information from people, the variables that can occur can be numerous, if not endless.