To become a Private Investigator in Nebraska is different from most other places. The difference is that Nebraska does not require much for you to work as a PI for a Nebraska Private Investigator agency. A Private Investigator course or official state Private Investigator training is not even needed.
You simply need to be registered as support staff for a Nebraska PI agency.
You will get a type of Nebraska license for this:
"Plain Clothes Investigator."
PRIVATE DETECTIVE APTITUDE TEST
You will need a Nebraska PI sponsor/ employer before applying for the PCI license. However, you won’t have a Nebraska Private Investigator's license but you can work as one. This can be viewed as you being a Private Investigator under supervision.
Nebraska PI Sponsor
To become a Private Investigator in Nebraska, you need to be hired by a local Private Investigator agency as well as meet the basic requirements. Getting hired as a PI in Nebraska requires experience. If you do not have investigative experience, you should take a PI course that focuses on practical skills: Intro to a Career as a PI 100.
Full Nebraska PI License
A full Nebraska PI license allows you to work for yourself:
your own PI business.
This requires you to have previous investigative experience or education. Other than investigative experience/ education, to become a Private Investigator in Nebraska, you need to meet basic Private Investigator requirements such as age, language proficiency, and other usual PI requirements of this nature. Furthermore, you need to take a government approved PI exam/ test (most places you do). After you apply for a Nebraska PI license, you will be contacted regarding taking the Nebraska PI exam.
Nebraska Secretary of State: PI Licensing
In Nebraska, the government body that controls licensed Private Investigators is "The Nebraska Secretary of State." Once you submit the proof of your ability to meet the requirements and experience/ education to the NSS, you will be able to take the Nebraska PI exam. After successful completion of the PI exam, you will get your Nebraska PI license. Most jurisdiction will have a PI beginner’s license. In Nebraska, it is the PCI license. Getting this license is when your struggle will begin.
Nebraska PI Beginner License
Your Private Investigator beginner’s license in Nebraska is just being support staff to a Nebraska PI agency.
This license is called, PCI.
It will allow you to work for a Nebraska PI agency, but you will not be able to work for yourself (your own PI company). This means you must work under the supervision of a fully licensed Nebraska PI agency. However, the term “under supervision” will be in namesake only. You will not be supervised or guided by an experienced Nebraska Private Investigator. In fact, PI agencies are not economically structured to have mentor/ student surveillance teams. Furthermore, a background in non-PI investigations will give you some transferable knowledge but it will not set you up to become a successful Private Investigator. New Private Investigators still need to know how to be successful working surveillance operations. This is why practical Private Investigator education and training specifically for Private Investigators is necessary.
Nebraska Private Investigator License Requirements
Plain Clothes Investigator
You will need to contact the licensing division to obtain an application for this license. You will need a Nebraska PI sponsor/ employer to apply.
To get hired in Nebraska you need PI experience. If you don't have experience, you should take a PI SKILLS COURSE.
Full Private Detective License Requirements
You need to be 21yo or older.
You need to be legally allowed to work in Nebraska.
You cannot have a history of mental illness.
You must have a clean criminal/ personal record.
You will have to pay a small licensing fee.
You need 3000hrs of investigative experience for a PI agency or government agency.
Degrees in a criminal justice type field can count as experience.
Private Detective Aptitude Test
Private Investigator Salary Nebraska

This lack of guidance is why so many rookie Nebraska Private Investigators burn out and quit and why many experienced Nebraska Private Investigators are jaded. On top of this, PI clients with small budgets typically get the new unqualified Private Investigators, nobody wins in this situation. It is also not fair to small PI clients to use their files to haphazardly train new Private Investigators.
So, the time comes for you to work investigations in Nebraska with no Private Investigator experience or education. If you took a PI course or PI training, it most likely focused on legal matters with no real practical Private Investigator training or topics. You will always be told by Nebraska PI employers that “soon you will get some PI training,” which never happens. It took me over five years to figure out the industry and get good at a few specialized fields. During that time, I struggled and probably lost several hundred thousand dollars due to losing work opportunities from a lack of skill and education. What is sad is that this is a common story in the industry. If you make it through this meat grinder of an industry with 3000hrs of experience (full time average) and get an Nebraska PI license, you be qualified to work for yourself with your own PI agency. Hopefully, when you are hiring new Private Investigators, you will appreciate the importance of proper PI education.
Thinking of Becoming a Nebraska Private Investigator?
“ICPI Level 100 online Private Investigator Training” is the ultimate blueprint to start your exciting and rewarding career as a real Private Investigator.
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Certification
Get a certificate that "actually" matters. When you get certified by Novel Data in the 100 Level course, Private Investigator agencies will be aware that you understand the PI industry. This will give you a great competitive edge in the PI job market. Most PI applicants know very little about the PI job they are applying to. Not you. A PI hiring manager will not want to risk turnaround by hiring someone unfamiliar with the industry, they will choose an applicant who is familiar with what will be expected of them. With Novel Data's certification, that applicant will be you!