How to Study to Become a Private Investigator in California

California state law says a private investigator is someone licensed to investigate crimes; carry out background checks; find lost or stolen property; investigate the cause of accidents, fires and injuries; and secure evidence for court. If you're working in any of these areas in California, you need a state license, which requires many hours of work experience, college education or both. Before starting on your training path, make sure a PI license is what you need: Private investigators aren't authorized to work as security guards, the California Department of Community Affairs states, or as bodyguards.

• 1
  Find a job that will give you the training you need to qualify as a PI. According to the state Department of Community Affairs, it takes 6,000 hours of paid work experience to qualify for a PI license. You can acquire the experience working in such field as law enforcement, insurance adjusting, locating property for a repossession agency, or as an employee of a licensed PI. Your on-the-job training should last at least three years.
• 2
  Go to college to reduce the number of work-hours the department requires. If you graduate with an AA degree in police science, criminal law or justice, you need 5,000 hours of experience; with a four-year law or police science degree, you only need 4,000 hours.
• 3
  Use books or courses to prepare for California's two-hour licensing test if you need to refresh your knowledge. The test topics include laws, undercover investigations, surveillance and evidence handling, the Department of Community Affairs states. You can find books and flash cards for the test available on Amazon; there are also websites that offer to help you cram for the test, for a fee.