Want to become a self-employed Observant or private detective? You must do this.

Becoming a self-employed Observant or private detective may seem like a far-from-your-bed show. But did you know that that doesn't have to be the case at all? You too can learn it.

We nemen je graag mee in hoe dit traject in zijn werk gaat, en wat jij kunt en moet doen om in de voetsporen van de mensen bij Strongwood (zoals Nico van den Dries – natuurlijk bekend van Zeeman Confronts) to act. Unfortunately, becoming an observant or private detective does not happen overnight, but it is certainly not impossible. You really need a number of skills and skills, which you learn in theory and practice.

Do you have the ambition? Then read on quickly and learn more about the options and steps you have to go through to get there.

Starten bij het begin – observant worden.

Let's start at the beginning. Do you eventually want to become a private investigator? Then you start as an observer. That's how you roll into the profession. But it is also a job in itself. You can work in several jobs with a diploma. As an observer, it is your job to follow someone (we call them 'subjects') or several people ('subjects'). You keep a close eye on this subject – or the subjects – without being seen yourself. This can be the basis for discovering patterns, but also, for example, for confirming suspicions. So an important task!

You do this not only from a car with binoculars and a photo camera at the ready, as may be your first thought, but can also be very dynamic. Think of following subjects in a shopping mall, in catering establishments, but also on highways and at gas stations. For this you have to be able to switch quickly, stay calm and, above all, have and keep focus. A job as an observer can therefore be very diverse.

The duties of an observer

And that important task, with an important goal, is anything but boring. You can learn to observe, in multiple ways. We take you through a number of tasks related to observation:

• An observation should be well prepared. Of course you have to know exactly who you are going to follow and have a clear idea of what the goal is. You can only do this if you are well prepared.
• You do observation actions, where you explore and try to discover things. You can be used in all kinds of situations. So you have to be flexible.
• You can also observe dynamically in which you start the chase on foot or, for example, by car. The most important thing here is that you remain unseen. So you always have to keep focus and make tactical choices in order to keep following the subject, but to stay under the radar yourself.
• You accurately report all important things you see and discover, so that this can be used in the investigation. This is also a very important step to be able to prosecute the observation you made and possible conclusions and evidence that arise from it.

Become a self-employed Observant or private detective with experience

Experience is key in our profession. Do you dream of helping customers and solving cases for them? Then you really need experience! That starts with a good and solid education, after which you will gain your first practical experience. In our unique training you combine this, so that you enter the field as a full-fledged observer and private detective. A good start to your career. Unfortunately, as mentioned in the introduction, this is not something that happens overnight.

So keep in mind that you will soon be a few years further before you are a full-fledged observer or private investigator.

Dit leer je in deze unieke opleiding

A starter in the profession and looking for a good education? Then Strongwood's 'self-employed Observant or private detective' training is a good choice for you. You can count on a lot of learning elements waiting for you.

We offer this training for different purposes. As a stepping stone to a career as a private detective as mentioned earlier, but also as a necessary training for, for example, investigative and security companies and social investigators who work for government institutions and municipalities, for example.

The training contains the following components:

• All required material for a private researcher.
• Alle lesstof voor een observant (OBSO1: Observanten Basis Opleiding 1).
• What it's like to work in the field.
• How to collaborate and communicate efficiently.
• The basic knowledge to work as a freelancer.

There are not many complete courses in the Netherlands. But we do offer it. You will not only receive the compulsory course material, but we will expand it with skills that we consider important and deem necessary for a good observer. With us you will have access to an e-learning program for both private investigator and observer, and you will be guided during the training by professionals with a lot of experience.

The OBSO1 training is intensive and heavy, but you learn a lot in a short period of time. In addition, we make it mandatory to do an internship for 160 hours. We believe that you cannot learn without experiencing. We help you in this process and determine together how the internship fits into your program. Of course you do all this under supervision, so that you learn as much as possible.

This is another reason why our training is unique

We dare to claim that we offer a unique training. This one complete ZZP training observer is gericht op de starter en heel compleet. Naast de veelgevraagde PO (particuliere onderzoeker) opleiding, zet je met deze opleiding een stapje verder en volg je ook de OBSO1. Hiermee ben je na afronding écht in pacht van een heleboel kennis én kunde door de praktijkervaring die je hebt opgedaan.

In the Netherlands, a lot of work is done with self-employed people in the observation profession. This is because there are very few (count on two hands even) desks with staff. There are many smaller agencies that work with the hiring of freelancers. The minimum required for this is the aforementioned PO training.

Met ook de OBSO1 opleiding in één heb je natuurlijk een streepje voor, omdat je het werkveld toetreedt met veel meer ervaring. Met onze unieke opleiding kun jij zo’n zzp’er worden, die met veel ervaring direct ingezet kan worden op diverse klussen.

Heb je al een PO diploma maar wil je meer praktijkervaring op doen? Dan is het volgen van een losse OBSO1, observantenopleiding, ook een mogelijkheid.

Duration of training

Deze opleiding zelf kost je plus minus vier maanden van je tijd, en zorgt ervoor dat je na het afronden ervan aan de slag kunt als (ZZP) observant. In deze drie maanden leer je alle praktijk, en ga je na onze opleiding met je stage aan de slag. Met de nodige kennis en praktijk ervaring in je broekzak dus. Hoewel je al direct aan de slag kunt, kun je dit ook zien als een springplank om je kennis en ervaring nog verder uit te gaan breiden. In totaal zul je al snel een aantal jaar bezig zijn, zoals we al eerder noemden.

Cost of the training

ZZP Observant of privé-detective worden kost voor deze opleiding rond de € 7.500 euro. Het grote voordeel van onze opleiding is dat je dit gespreid kunt betalen. Zo betaal je +/- €393 per maand voor 24 maanden. Op deze manier maken we de opleiding toegankelijker voor iedereen. Dit bedrag heb je natuurlijk als ZZP’er in die 24 maanden ook per maand al terugverdiend.

What can I do after the training?

Finished your internship and really passed it completely? Then you are probably already a long time, and a lot of experience, further. As mentioned, you can start immediately with your diplomas as a freelancer or in different types of positions at different companies.
Je hebt met je OBSO1 diploma, naast het verplichte diploma voor particulier onderzoeker, in ieder geval een sterke basis. Door de juiste ervaring op te doen, en een screening bij Justitie en Politie, kun je dus direct als privé-detective aan de slag gaan. We herhalen het graag nog een keer: het draait allemaal om ervaring!

Interested in our training? Then you find on the page about this observer training more information.