Being a private investigator is not a walk in the park. Aside from the many challenges one has to face in trying to become one, there are also many challenges when you are already on the job. These include not only the many difficult and mind-bending problems that you need to solve, but also the obstacles and people that actually stand in the way of you doing your job.
Other challenges lie with the clients themselves, since some of these individuals actually expect more from the PI that they hire than is considered reasonable. Some even see the private investigator as some super human or magician who can conjure up evidence and details in a snap. The challenges that a PI faces are many, and here are some of the more annoying and trying ones:
How media has portrayed private investigators – There are many movies and TV shows that portray the work of a private investigator as glamorous, exciting, and even mind boggling. Some of these shows depict PIs as people who can discover anything and can do so in a short span of time. This unrealistic depiction of PIs have made it difficult for real-life private investigators to make their clients understand that what they do isn’t exciting, isn’t glamorous, and is definitely not fast nor easy.
The real danger that they are in – Another thing that some people may not realize when they hire a private investigator is that what they do can put themselves in harm’s way. No matter how simple a case may be, there are real life-threatening dangers that PIs need to face when they do their jobs. These include the danger of discovery by whoever they are tailing and tracking, as well as getting hurt by that same individual or by someone who is trying to protect that person. They may even be mistaken as a stalker, a mugger, or some other person that needs to be attacked due to the perception of the danger they present.
Crossing the line between the legal and illegal – Private investigators have to be very careful with what they do because, just like everybody else, they can also get arrested for doing things that are deemed illegal. This includes the act of tapping phones and videotaping private individuals to get information they need to do their job, which can actually be illegal in many states and would require permits just to get done. There is also the danger of surveillance being considered stalking by the person being followed and observed.
Lack of resources to get the job done – not all clients understand that, in order for a PI to do what they need to do for a case, they need to have money to operate. This is why most private investigators ask for a retainer up-front, and that is not to spend this money on themselves, but for their day to day expenses while working on the case. PIs, after all, have to eat, pay rent, gas up their vehicles, and pay their bills, apart from needing to upgrade equipment, upgrade skills, and the like.
These are just some of the many challenges a private investigator faces on the job and the obstacles they need to overcome in order to do their job right. Other challenges that some PIs may cite include how people view them as sleazy and how people think their jobs are easy.
