Buzz·Posted on 27 Jul 201621 Things You've Always Wanted To Know About Private InvestigatorsIt's not as glamorous as it sounds.by Tabatha LeggettBuzzFeed Staff, UK LinkFacebookPinterestTwitterMail 1. We spend a lot of time working on insurance fraud cases. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF 2. And lots of private investigators actually specialise in work cover and injury claims. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF 3. Lots of us used to work in the police force. 4. And a lot of us are former shopping mall security guards. 5. But a good way to get into the industry is to start off doing computer work for an existing agency. View this photo on Instagram 6. If you want to set up your own firm, you don't actually need a university degree. 7. But if you want to work for an existing agency, studying something like Criminal Justice or Criminology won't hurt. View this photo on Instagram 8. Unlike the private investigators you see in films, our first jobs are never actually very glamourous. 9. And even when we eventually start doing surveillance work, we spend a lot of time sitting in a car, waiting for something to happen. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF 10. But at least we don't have to dress up for work. 11. Sometimes, we have to pee in a teeny tiny container in our car. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF 12. And we have to be really careful not to lose concentration, otherwise we could miss the action. 13. Sadly, a lot of our time is spent following people who's partners suspect they're cheating. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF 14. We can only film people when they are in public places. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF 15. Our biggest expense is buying our own surveillance equipment. 16. And we usually have to get our car windows tinted too. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF 17. Sometimes we make fake Facebook pages with the sole intention to adding our subjects as friends. 18. And some firms employ a dedicated group of people to work on social media investigations from the office. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF 19. Being a private investigator is the dream job if you're very patient and you like spending time on your own. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF 20. Despite what films would have you believe, we won't do absolutely anything to get the information our clients are after. 21. And the best part of the job is undeniably the adrenaline rush you get when you finally find evidence for something you've suspected all along. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF H/t All of these fantastic Reddit threads about private investigators.