Requirements to be a Detective

If you fantasize being a detective after watching Sherlock Holmes and James Bond, stop right there. The job of a detective is not even half as glamorous as Hollywood portrays it to be. In fact, if anything, it one of the most dangerous jobs, since he moves around pretty much head-on against dangerous criminals, all by himself.

So understandably, detective agencies and the police will have set a long list of requirements, which you need to possess, should you ever aim to be one in the future.

A job of this nature requires both personal and academic qualifications. Hence, if you want to be a police or a private detective, both these types of requirements are necessary.

► One needs to have completed high school. Depending on the nature of the job, you may also require to have a bachelor's degree in criminal and/or personal and/or civil rights.

► These educational qualities are important as the detective needs to know which law the person he's trailing, might break. He also needs to have basic know-how of first aid.

► A lot of professional detectives also know about criminal psychology, which helps them delve into the mind of the criminal and helps them anticipate his next move.

► If you want to become a police detective, you need to complete a 4-year bachelor's program from a recognized university, preferably in criminology/psychology or some law.

► You will also need to undergo extensive police training, at the end of which, you need to have the basic fitness levels as prescribed by them.

► A detective's job can often be of a rigorously physical nature, and hence, he should be strong enough to be able to deal with any such threats.

► You need to have a remarkably sharp brain, in addition to being very brave and courageous.

► You need to be able to disguise yourself reasonably well and be a good actor. You will find yourself in a situation where you have to change your look and pretend to be someone else in order to get information.

► Lastly, you need to be very social and should be well-connected. Who knows which of your contact might supply the information you need!

If you're really good at it, the job can be one of the highest paying jobs in the world. Other private agencies may lay down their own set of requirements as well, which they feel are important as part of the detective's job.