CSI or SOCO is a very poular career as shown by the constant stream of posts entitled "How do i...?" or "I need to know...!" I'm going to give you a very basic idea of how to become a SOCO and you can work from there.

Education
It is highly suggested that you reach a minimum of A Levels in your education if you wish to succed. I'm not saying it is impossible to become a CSI but A levels or degrees do help. You want to aim for A* - C in all your A Levels but try to particually succed in Maths, English, Law, Forensic Science or any other releated course you are taking for your path. Degrees do help however i have not seen many people enter the CSI job with one, as most UK CSIs go away to National Training Centre for Scientific Support to Crime Investigation (NTC) in Durham.

Getting In
Most SOCO/CSI jobs will not be displayed on the national police recruitment site as each police region is in charge of it's recruitment. You simple have to knock on those doors and shout down that phone ;) to find out about positions. You do not have to have a previous Police Background although people who do may have a slight advantage. Do not worry about this though as most CSIs are expected to have only a ground knowledge of the job. If you do get an interview though. Make sure you know info about the area, another detail about the job to know why you want it and some key aspect you can bring to the job. It will help beleive me.

The Job
Once in the job you will just follow senior CSIs and learn the tricks of the trade. After a while you will go on the National Training Centre for Scientific Support to Crime Investigation (NTC) in Durham. or a smaller version of the trip. It lasts 9 weeks and is a residental however the information learnt there is priceless!!

The Money
It is very low pay the CSI job so i would recommend heading to london. It pays the most, has the most experience and because London is a city expect alot of crime scenes big or small. About average start is 15-18k and the max you can get outside london for senior position will be under 40k. However the job is amazing so i still suggest following your heart not yr head's lust for money.

Hope I helped, feel free to ask questions and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

InTheKnow

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