Part-Time Private Investigator: Start Under an Agency's License

A part time private investigator is licensed or registered through an agency, but the mechanism depends on the state. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that most states require private detectives and investigators to be licensed. The three states below show three different ways to meet that rule (statute text checked November 1, 2026; the Texas text comes from the Department of Public Safety's 2023-2024 compilation, so confirm it against the current Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 1702).

In Minnesota, a conditional employee cannot work as a detective until the background check clears, though training is permitted in that period. In Vermont, the investigator's own license carries a separate bar: independent practice requires two years of investigative experience. Minnesota's own license for a private detective costs $1,000 for an individual, as of November 2026, per the state's license page. Working as an employee avoids that fee.

Vermont also exempts some roles from licensing altogether, including insurance adjusters and company investigators, and attorneys and their staff. If your day job is already in one of those roles, your side work may sit under a different rule. Other states differ in detail, so read what a private investigator license does and does not cover, check license requirements by state and then ask your state board.

Buying training before the agency and the state have said which training counts is the costly order. These four purchases are the ones we recommend avoiding, based on the statutes above.

Buying a long course before being hired. In Minnesota the 12 hours can be preassignment or on-the-job certified training, completed within 21 days of employment. An agency may supply it. Ask first.

Treating a short course as an entry credential. A certificate of completion is not a license or a registration. A 4-hour surveillance course builds skill. It does not put you on an agency's roster.

Assuming "independent contractor" removes the license question. A listing that says 1099 (the U.S. tax form for non-employees) does not change who must hold the license. In Texas, the statute says the individual must be employed by a company license holder. Ask how the arrangement fits the state's rule.

Buying continuing education as a starting course. Our Texas Private Investigator Course (18 hours, $175) is continuing education for people already licensed in Texas. It is not an entry course.

Ask five questions and get the answers in writing. Each has a pass and a fail, and the answers decide whether to say yes.

Whose license covers my work?

Pass: the agency gives you its state license number, and the state board confirms it. Fail: a vague answer, or "you won't need one."

Who files my registration or application, and by what date?

Pass: the agency names the step, the person and the date. In Minnesota, you do no detective work until the background check clears. Fail: "we'll sort that out later."

Is my training on the job, or must I bring a certificate?

Pass: the agency names the training, who pays and the deadline. In Minnesota that is 12 hours within 21 days. Fail: you are told to buy a course that is not tied to a state requirement.

Am I an employee or a contractor, and how does that fit the state's license rule?

Pass: the agency points to the state rule. Fail: "we don't worry about that."

What availability do you require?

BLS notes that schedules may include early mornings, nights and weekends. Pass: a written range of hours you can keep alongside your day job. Fail: on-call availability you cannot meet.

Ten hours a week at the BLS national median of $24.62 an hour (May 2025) is $246.20 gross. Our model divides each course price by that wage to show the cost in hours of work. The median covers all investigators, most of them full time. It is a reference point, not an offer, and it is before taxes and expenses. For employee and owner pay in more detail, see private investigator salary.

Formula: price ÷ $24.62. One week at 10 hours ($246.20) covers every course in the table. The 40-hour Vermont licensing course ($150) and the Georgia course ($290) are for people applying for their own license and are left out of the table.

We offer state-specific courses for the Minnesota and Vermont employee routes above, courses for people applying for their own license, and short skills courses for the work itself. All are self-paced, with rolling access and a certificate of completion.

Minnesota. Our Minnesota Pre-Assignment Course for Private Detectives/Investigators is 12 hours and $185. Our course page states that it meets the requirements for pre-assignment training mandated by the Minnesota Private Detective and Protective Agent Services Board. Use it if your agency expects a certificate rather than supplying on-the-job training.

Vermont. For people employed as investigators in Vermont, our Vermont Registered Private Officers course is 8 hours and $130. Our course page states that a Registered Private Investigator needs 8 hours of training for the State of Vermont and that the course is approved by the Vermont Board of Private Investigative and Security Services. Our Vermont Private Investigator Course is 40 hours and $150. It is for the Vermont investigator license, which needs two years of investigative experience for independent practice.

Georgia. Our Georgia 70-hours Course is $290 and is for people applying for their own Georgia private investigator license. Our course page states it is mandated by the Georgia Board of Private Detectives and Security Agencies as a prerequisite to obtaining a private investigator license in Georgia.

Skills for the first assignments. Surveillance and Background Investigation are 4 hours and $80 each, and Note Taking and Report Writing are $80 each. The Surveillance page lists approval for 4 continuing-education units (CEUs) in Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Oregon, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. The Background Investigation page lists the same except Arizona. Confirm any course with your state board first, using this credit-verification guide.

To choose a sequence rather than a single course, read what private investigator training career changers need.

To ask which course fits your state, call us at (832) 922-1215 or (706) 268-2221, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST. Our email is sharondecet@yahoo.com.