become a private detective? You must do this.

Becoming a private detective, or starting as a self-employed observer, may seem like a far-reaching task. But did you know that it doesn't have to be that way? You too can learn it.

We would like to take you through how this process works, and what you can and should do to follow in the footsteps of the people at Strongwood. Unfortunately, becoming an observer or private detective does not happen overnight, but it is certainly not impossible. You really need a number of skills and abilities, 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.

Start at the beginning, become observant.

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

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.

Which training should I do?

We dare to claim that we offer a unique training course, the OBSO1. This basic knowledge Observation is aimed at the starter and very complete. In addition to the mandatory PO (private researcher) training, take this training one step further and you can really get started. After completion, you will really be able to gain a lot of knowledge and skills through the practical experience you have gained.

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.

We offer this training for various purposes. As a stepping stone to a career as a private detective as mentioned earlier, but also as a necessary training for, for example, investigation and security companies and social investigators working at government institutions and municipalities, for example.

With the OBSO1 training in one you naturally have an advantage, because you enter the field with much more experience. In fact, if you want to work for us, the training is simply mandatory. 

What can I do after the training?

Completely successful? Then you've probably been a long time, and have a lot of experience, further along. As mentioned, you can start immediately with your diplomas as a self-employed person or in different types of positions at different companies.

With your OBSO1 diploma, in addition to the mandatory diploma for a private researcher, you certainly have a strong foundation. By gaining the right experience and a screening with the Justice Department and the Police, you can immediately start working as a private detective. We'd like to repeat it again: it's all about experience!

You ultimately become a real Private Detective by gaining experience

Experience is key in our profession. Do you dream of helping customers and solving problems for them? Then you really need experience! This starts with a good and thorough education, after which you gain your first practical experience.

So keep in mind that it will easily take a number of years before you are a full-fledged observer or private detective.