private investigator

junior account executive

office assistant

front office assistant

marketing intern

Photofax, Inc

If your looking for a career in law enforcement whether on the federal, state or local level and are using this as a career resume builder, best advice is to stay away from this company at all costs Management is terrible. They only want and care about results for the clients at the cost of your safety and your reputation. They will question everything you do and call you a liar when they don’t get what they want. They want you to pass red lights and stop signs, speed and cut people off in order to follow the claimant throughout the day.  If you ever lose the claimant, you’ll be asked to go home and you won’t be paid for the rest of the day. For example if the person leaves their house at 10am and you lose them, you’ll be told to go home at 11am, so if you were schedule for 7am-3pm you lose out on 4 hours of work. Do not expect to work 40 hours a week, especially in the winter time. You will work anywhere from 16-30 hours a week. If you need a steady income this job isn’t for you. When you have to travel out of state, you need to find a hotel that is within their budget so most of the time you’re staying in a bad motel and they only give you $25 for food (how can this cover 3 meals?!). They do reimburse for all your gas which is a plus but the vans they provide are beat and old. I was at the mechanics almost every month with a new issue. And when you have to do van maintenance, all estimates have to be approved and within their budget. I was driving around in a van that needed so much work done on it but couldn’t get the work completed because the company refused to pay. When you are working a case you will stick out like a sore thumb. You’re provided with a beat up van with Illinois license plates that has a black curtain that covers the back. When your in a neighborhood you WILL stick out and look suspicious. You WILL have the police called on you. Many people leave the company because they are fed up with management and the lack of advancement. The things they tell you during the interview phase are false and used to make the company seem great. I feel for this trick and regret it. You start at $18 an hour and they make the raise process seem easy but management will delay this at every cost but They’ll brush you off and say we’ll talk about it but never follow through. Don’t expect to have a social life because you’re given your case a day before so you never know where you’ll be, even if your going out of state they don’t give advance notice. You’ll be working as early 2am and sometimes throughout the night. Expect to drive on average 1-2 hours a day one way. I honestly can’t wait to find a better job and leave this company. I’ve seen so many people come and go with this company because they think this job is really cool or a great resume builder but in reality this is the worst job I have ever worked. If you want this type of career get ready for tickets, no sleep or social life, management that is unorganized, unethical and harassing. Again I’ve been with this company for a while and have been biting my tongue for quite some time but I can’t any longer. Save yourselves....

Typical days of work begin with changing start times and drives to changing locations. There is no routine or rhythm to this and you will grow tired of it fast. You won't even know how short or how long you will be at the location because it is all at the discretion of the poor management. Life outside of the job will take a huge toll. The scheduling is ever-changing and you will be expected to be on-call, even on your days off. Speaking of which, you will only have 4 "golden" days off per month. The 4 days have to be selected a month in advance and you are not guaranteed to receive them. On top of this, you may still be contacted and asked to work on these days anyways. You will also be expected to tail subject vehicles. Many times this will involve driving in a dangerous manner. Do not let the company fool you, you will be putting your safety at risk and you are not protected from the law just because you have a PI license. Management is never consistent. There will be times where you need  time sensitive contact but will not receive it. Then there is the vehicle you will be assigned. These "state-of-the-art" vehicles are mini-vans from the 2000s with noticeable damages, nasty interiors, and prone to several problems. The company is very cheap when it comes to vehicle maintenance and that maintenance will more often then not have to be performed on your days off. Lastly, the vehicle is your workplace, and you will sit in it all day through the worst type of weather. Extreme heat and/or extreme cold creates a horrible work environment and has led to many to quit this job.

If you value life outside of work, if you do not want your job to invade your personal life and the life of loved ones, if you do not want driving violations or tickets, if you want to remain healthy and out of extreme weather elements, then I urge you to look elsewhere for employment.  

Been employed with Photofax for multiple years now. I enjoy doing investigative work for it's unpredictable and varied nature. At Photofax I get lot of opportunities to do a variety of investigative work. Everyday is different. I get to travel and explore  new places around USA at company's expense. One day I might follow a claimant to a gym and get to work out in the process for free because the company covers it. Another day I might do an SIU alive and well check of a claimant at their residence where I get to interview them. On a third day I might partner up with the USV department and deploy a company drone to do remote surveillance. The variety of work is plentiful and exciting for me because it fits my personality. This job is challenging no doubt. The hours can be long due to commute and depending on how active the claimant is. Cold winters and hot summers will make surveillance uncomfortable at times. Tailing claimant's, filming, report writing, and expense tracking  also takes time to master. You will fail a lot! Persistence and practice pays off, and with time you'll get into the groove of things. Photofax has a great team of people that will help guide you and provide you support along the way! Good performance is well compensated, and there is room for advancement! This job also helped me a lot with developing new skills, staying organized, keeping my mind focused and sharp in my day to day! Photofax is a growing company and we're always on the lookout for driven and strong willed individuals to join our great team! 

This job requires a very specific kind of personal with a strong mental constitution. This job is hard and stressful, they are very up front with that aspect of it. Some people will burn out within a few weeks others are here for decades. Week to week your days will almost always be different and unpredictable forcing you to make split second and occasionally risky decisions to complete your assignments to the satisfaction of your managers and our clients. You will fail, you will make mistakes, it is inevitable but what separates those who can from those who cannot do this job is to learn from them and communicate the complex situations you will face. Those who enjoy solitude and problem solving with a sturdy constitution will excel in this career. 

I don't love this job but I am good at it for whatever that is worth and I feel that my day to day work has a real, tangible value. The benefits are good, the compensation is acceptable (depending on what you've been assigned) and your co-workers are reliable and share a solidarity that few other careers can offer. 

Speak with your loved ones before taking this position as it will often entail days to over a week away from home at times, early mornings, and late nights. I say this not to scare off those who are interested but to stress the kind of person and support system one must have to be efficient and stable in this career.

If you like this kind of work, you can find a much better company to work for.

They give you a vehicle that's supposedly suited and modified for surveillance but the vehicles are in very poor condition and are always needing repairs.  Some are very noisy thus make you stand out when you're suppose to be "invisible" and it's very awkward when you're driving in neighborhoods and following people.  The company vehicles are also very suspicious looking, the opposite of what a surveillance vehicle should be.  But they are big and there's more room inside.  If you'd rather not use your own vehicle, at least they got one.

The managers don't care about you (the agents).  If they make the wrong call or screw up they'll blame you instead or taking the blame.  You're just another employee there to make money for them, nothing more.  They're mostly unavailable when you need them and will even get angry at you if you contact them when they're busy out shopping or napping or whatever but when they need you, you better be there or else.  But they'll act friendly to you as long as you're making more money for them.

The standards are very poor here compared to some other companies out there in the industry.  Just about anyone can get in, but most will quickly get out.  The turn over rate is extremely high.  You're just a number to them. 


Typically, if you enjoy waking up at 9 am one day and getting home at 8 pm to only wake up at 3 am the next day and never knowing when you'll have a day off, then apply here. If you need consistency in your life, this job is not for you. I definitely learned I need consistency and appreciate that they would attempt to do so, but it's hard when your out on the road for 7 days straight, living out of a suitcase with no days off. You are stuck in a van for 8-12 hours a day and get in trouble if you try to leave your spot to use a bathroom. Plus once you get home, you have to spend the next hour or two writing reports on your surveillance for the day. The company is really just a bunch of con artists, if you go on there website and look at what they're selling and then you go to work for them, everything is completely different. You don't get state-of-the art vans, there are no veteran field investigators. If you want to be a con-man/private investigator than this job is for you, but i'm not comfortable misrepresenting myself to figure out what the best time is to come back to perform surveillance on someone.

During my one-year tenure at this company, I encountered several challenges that significantly impacted my experience. The workload was intense, with demanding commute times and early mornings starting as early as 3 am. The company vehicle provided was subpar, requiring frequent visits to mechanics and tire shops—far more than I ever needed for my personal vehicles. 

Working independently is a core aspect of the role, which may not suit everyone. Additionally, there seemed to be a disconnect between managers and the cases we were handling. While I personally had no issues with my manager, it was evident that they were also overworked, contributing to a generally harsh working environment.

Administrative tasks, such as completing expense sheets, were poorly explained, leading to confusion and errors. Daily report writing extended the workday well beyond office hours, making the job both mentally and physically exhausting. 

While this position can serve as a valuable stepping stone, the overall compensation does not adequately reflect the demands of the role.

This job is definitely not for everyone and you should know that before going into the job. You will work long hours, you will frequently travel, you will work your tail off and work for every penny. Whether it be writing twenty page reports or taking your van in to get maintenance done, this job is very demanding. That being said, this job is great for building experience and getting your foot in the door especially if your right out of college and hoping to land a job in the field of law enforcement. I learned so many valuable skills that will help me in my next job. I learned how to write very detailed reports, I learned how to put myself in very awkward situations and excel under those conditions, and all the other facets that go along with being a PI. Although I worked independently most of the time, it was a nice change of pace when I was able to work with another investigator.

This is a demanding job but also one of the most rewarding.  It is a unique opportunity to make a real difference and impact by providing a sought after skill set- which the company teaches you.  The company provides excellent and in-depth paid training, along with continuous training opportunities.  Management is responsive to individual needs and will go above and beyond to accommodate personal needs.  It is demanding work but the effort does not go unrecognized.  The hardest part of the job is the pressure you put on yourself to excel and be the best.  As a retired LEO and longtime FTO, I will say this is an excellent opportunity for recent grads to gain a lot of experience for a rewarding career, and/or to gain a wealth of knowledge if their ultimate goal is public sector investigations (Fed or local LEO). 

Case Managers lack personalities and motivating power that employees require. Not a team oriented environment. Do your research prior to applying here, this place is a dead end for anyone wanting to progress into a career in investigations.  To elaborate, case managers are uneducated pencil pushers who cover their inexperience and ignorance with constant demands upon the agents.  Blame is a disease that is passed around from one person to the next leaving no accountability.  For a career field that requires constant communication, this company lacks it from top to bottom.  I am not a disgruntled  employee, only an employee who needed to convey the truth and real expectations working for this company.  This is the furthest from a TEAM environment you'll ever experience.  

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Private investigator 106 salaries reported	$25.15 per hour
Junior account executive 2 salaries reported	$85,000 per year
Office assistant 2 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour
Front office assistant 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour
Marketing intern 1 salary reported	$15.00 per hour

Working at Photofax, Inc: Company Overview and Reviews

Photofax, Inc

Photofax, Inc Ratings

Popular jobs at Photofax, Inc

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected