Become a Private Investigator in New Brunswick

 

To become a licensed Private Investigator in New Brunswick does not require investigative experience or a Private Investigator course/ Private Investigator training. The province will issue you a NB Private Investigator's license (Agent) if you meet basic Private Investigator requirements and have a New Brunswick PI sponsor/ employer.

Private Detective Aptitude Test

• You will need to be employed by a New Brunswick PI agency before submitting your Agent license application.

When you get your New Brunswick PI license, you'll need to know how to perform investigations fit for Private Investigations, such as surveillance.

After learning how to perform investigations, you can simply work as a Private Investigator in New Brunswick for a PI agency.

• You need a PI business license (Agency license) to work for yourself.

To become a Private Investigator in New Brunswick that can perform, it is recommended that you first learn how to work investigations relevant to the New Brunswick PI industry:

• Surveillance for insurance fraud files.

The fact that NB does not have experience or education requirements does not mean that the quality of investigations is less in New Brunswick than in other Canadian provinces. In fact, due to poor industry standards, having a PI license in general does not make you a qualified Investigator regardless of experience or education requirements. The poor industry standard come from the non-relevant experience most, if not all, provinces require of you to become a licensed Private Investigator. This non-relevant experience can be education degrees and non-PI investigative experience.

NB Private Investigator License Requirements

NB Department of Justice and Public Safety

1. Be 18yo or older.

2. Be a Canadian citizen or be legally allowed to work in NB.

3. Have a clean criminal record. The DJPS will perform a records check on you via the application.

4. Be sponsored by a New Brunswick PI agency.

An industry standard flaw most places have is regulations regarding law enforcement experience. Most places allow you to obtain a PI license if you have law enforcement experience. Some places also accept non-PI investigative experience to obtain a PI license. The problem with places requiring previous investigative experience is that there is no such thing as equivalent Private Investigator experience. Sure, a career in law enforcement will gain you some transferable skills to bring to the PI world. However, an investigative career outside of PI work will not provide you the skill-set to perform what we do the most: single person surveillance for insurance fraud investigations. Furthermore, PIs typically obtain all evidence via quality and litigious video. This is uncommon for most other investigative careers. Being a police officer will not make you a good New Brunswick PI the same way being a PI will not make you a good NB police officer.

Some places also require you to take an approved PI licensing course, not New Brunswick. However, these courses/ tests typically focus on what laws you need to be aware of. This is of course useful, but new Private Investigators still need to learn how to perform investigations. The required tests/ courses do not focus on what we do most: single person mobile surveillance. Often, these tests/ courses do not not even mention single person mobile surveillance. If you are becoming a PI, you need at least 100 hours of surveillance experience to be able to perform safely and meet client's high standards.

Another requirement issue is the acceptance of post-secondary degrees. These degrees that are accepted for Private Eye licensing are typically in the criminal justice field. However, some Canadian provinces accept any post-secondary degree. The issue is, having an educational degree will offer almost no help to you in the New Brunswick Private Investigation industry.

Novel Data Investigative Learning offers the only Private Investigator education courses that focuses on mobile surveillance and understanding the PI industry. For more information on PI education, click here.