For the curious individual
Scope for private detectives has increased over the years
Raman Mohan
Are you a curious individual with the ability to figure things out on your own and use a little deception when necessary? If yes, then you can always aspire to be another Sherlock Holmes, the legendary detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Detectives are basically investigators who use their skills and resources for private investigations.

Australia attracts Indian students
Mumbai: Australia is re-inventing its image in the young Indian mind from cricket to higher education as it is becoming the favourite destination for Indian students. According to research by “IDP Education Australia”, the demand from India for Australian higher education will surge dramatically over the next two decades, rising from just over 4,000 students in 2000 to nearly 90,000 students in 2025.

Link degrees to indigenous professions: UP Governor
NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri has asked universities to link degrees with indigenous professions like agriculture to give jobs to the youth. Speaking to Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) fraternity via teleconference recently, Mr Shastri said universities could adapt their courses to churn out qualified professionals for checking the rising unemployment in the country.

QUERY HOTLINE

For the curious individual
Scope for private detectives has increased over the years
Raman Mohan

Are you a curious individual with the ability to figure things out on your own and use a little deception when necessary? If yes, then you can always aspire to be another Sherlock Holmes, the legendary detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Detectives are basically investigators who use their skills and resources for private investigations. It is a vast field and the potential has grown immensely over the past few years. Private investigating and detective agencies are these days providing a range of services in the Indian context. These can vary from finding out the credentials of prospective grooms and brides to cracking industrial espionage cases. As a detective, you can choose to set up your own detective agency or you can work for one of the numerous established agencies which pay well. Generally, however, this career follows a set path. First you work for an agency and when you are experienced enough, you can set up your own business.

Natural aptitude is more important in this profession than any academic or professional qualification. A private investigator has to be a student of human nature all his life. A good understanding of human nature can make the job of a detective easy because basically he has to try and find out what happened and why. He has also to deal with all kinds of persons from all strata of society. An investigator must also possess the ability to think logically and cogently. So far as educational qualifications are concerned, one should at least be a graduate with a good expression in English or any other local language. Now, many online courses are available, which give you a fair idea of what investigation is about. For those who can afford, full-time courses are available in most universities in the USA and many other European and Australian universities. But nothing compares to practical experience gained by working for an agency.

You can, in fact, begin as early as your last year in school. Students between 17 and 25 of age, who exude enthusiasm and seek excitement, most often excel in the physical aspects of the job. They are most successful conducting surveillance, repossessing cars and paper work. However, in most universities abroad, a majority of the students are between the age of 25 and 40. Generally, they have prior work experience and are looking to change jobs now that they have more clarity and focus of their preferred careers. They are seeking job satisfaction and fulfillment. They can fill a variety of investigative positions because of their maturity and good communication skills. In India, zeduniv.com and zeelearn.com offer online courses in this field. By opting for these courses, you can learn the basics of handwriting and fingerprint analysis, forensic sciences and private investigation. This course equips you with all these and also tells you the basics of shadowing, trailing, the power of observation and a lot more. At the end of the workshop, you are also required to complete an assignment. There are other US-based sites like www.detectivetraining.com which also run highly professionalised online courses. You have to choose according to your resources. The average course completion time is three to six months.

Most of these courses generally cover the following areas: investigative records and resources, interviewing, interrogation and statements, marital investigations, theft investigation, undercover operations, surveillance and surveillance photography, automobile surveillance, foot surveillance, shoplifting detection and shopping investigations, vehicle and foot pursuit, advanced background investigations, insurance fraud investigation, arson investigation, auto repossession, business intelligence investigation, industrial espionage investigation and counter-measures, electronic surveillance and counter-measures and computer crime investigation.

Initially, you may work for a private agency as a fraud investigator, retail investigator, corporate investigator, or a legal investigator working under a reputed lawyer. Wherever you work, you will need to be properly trained in a variety of investigative assignments to work effectively as a private investigator. The areas of specialisation are many and most agencies in India specialise in two to three types of jobs. Only the top agencies offer a complete range of services, but these too have tie-ups with other agencies for more specialised work. When seeking employment, you must choose an agency which specialises in areas of your interest. This is important because sooner or later you would want to start your own agency. You can do that only if you are trained in a field best suited to your detection skills. Good agencies charge hefty fees and also pay their employees heavily depending on their skills and experience. Job security is good as no agency wants to first train an investigator and then lose him to a competitor. This career is equally suitable for women too since they by nature make good detectives and can easily penetrate areas where men may otherwise fail. Women detectives are preferred in investigations of matrimonial and adultery cases. So, to the curious happy snooping!

Australia attracts Indian students

Mumbai: Australia is re-inventing its image in the young Indian mind from cricket to higher education as it is becoming the favourite destination for Indian students.

According to research by “IDP Education Australia”, the demand from India for Australian higher education will surge dramatically over the next two decades, rising from just over 4,000 students in 2000 to nearly 90,000 students in 2025.

“There is more than 100 per cent increase in the number of students opting for Australia to pursue their higher studies”, said IDP Education Director Henry A.S. Ledlie

Established by Australian universities as a non-profit company, IDP Education Australia is an independent international education organisation, which has its offices in seven Indian cities.

Officials from IDP Education Australia said they got an over whelming response from Mumbai students during interview sessions held here recently.

IDP Education Australia Manager—India (Administration and Finance) Vinod Malhotra said better infrastructure and quality education was attracting Indian students to Australia. — UNI

Link degrees to indigenous professions: UP Governor

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri has asked universities to link degrees with indigenous professions like agriculture to give jobs to the youth.

Speaking to Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) fraternity via teleconference recently, Mr Shastri said universities could adapt their courses to churn out qualified professionals for checking the rising unemployment in the country.

The Governor quoted the example of “Harit Kranti” where agriculture was linked to degrees and diplomas and added that societal approval for “Harit Kranti” showed that such successful examples could be emulated in other fields as well.

He said the youth should be encouraged to become entrepreneurs as an answer to unemployment.

IGNOU Vice-Chancellor H.P. Dikshit said education should be “humanitarian and qualitative.” Courses should be suited to the requirement of the remote and distant areas of the country, he added.

Emphasising the advantage of technology to spread education in rural areas, he said a new satellite would be available specially for education in June this year. — UNI

QUERY HOTLINE

Despite injury, you can make a career in cricket

A. You have hit the right chord. Yes, you can. However, compiling cricket statistics can be a career only if such statistics can be made available at a mass level for which you can either write books or work for the sports section in a newspaper, magazine, TV channel, radio or a book of records.

If you are creative, you are most likely to find work in specialist sports magazines or sports channels that are constantly churning out newer and more imaginatively packaged statistics e.g. Jason Gillespie takes a wicket for every 30 balls he bowls.

As a long shot, you could also try getting an assignment, albeit temporary, with any of the leading cellular companies that offer run rates on mobile phones or websites and TV channels, radio stations, etc

Your penchant for statistics could also be a great asset for a career as a cricket journalist or commentator. As jobs for cricket statisticians are not easily or frequently available, you may have to initially work in a broader field, even within sports. With some perseverance and the right breaks you should be able to score a hit. I hope you are using the computer to make your task easier.

A. Although becoming a star to a large extent depends upon your efforts and your lucky stars, I am mentioning some guidelines which you should bear in mind.

The stage is an excellent grooming ground for acquiring hands-on experience. Participate in as many stage productions (even street theatre) as you can to gain confidence. Join a good acting school if you can. Between them, the FTII and the NSD have contributed a mega share of professionally trained actors to Bollywood.

But watch out — most commercial acting classes simply fleece you in the name of training. While there’s a handful of good private schools, they can be pretty expensive. Although a trained newcomer has an edge, not every NSD or FTII graduate lands a plum lead role in films.

If you are genuinely talented and in a hurry to get started, you could bypass the formal training and plunge in straightaway.

Get a portfolio shot by a professional photographer and take a screen test if possible to seek an unbiased professional opinion about your potential.

While good looks are an asset, they are certainly not everything. It’s your spontaneity, naturalness, and acting skills that really count. For instance, neither Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Kamala Hasan, Nana Patekar or Manoj Bajpai (who incidentally flunked his entrance test four times before finally making it) are drop-dead good looking in the conventional sense — but see how they electrify the screen with their performance! What you need is screen presence.

If you are unable to procure work with any of the big banners, don’t despair. A competent independent producer or production house with good projects could offer you better exposure and experience than a big name. Besides confidence, you will acquire polish and versatility that will hold you in good stead for the future.

Jobs in the film industry are rarely advertised. So, do try and crack an entry by approaching studios and production houses directly. Most successful entrants vouch for literally knocking on every door and relentlessly pursuing every lead to increase your chances of being called for an audition or screen test. Try television first — it is relatively easier to break into and can serve as an excellent springboard to Bollywood. Besides, TV offers more opportunities (after all, there are so many more serials than films being made in a year).

Also, if you are serious about a career in this industry, you’ve got to be in one of the major film centres: preferably Mumbai.

A. At the Master’s level, environmental engineering is offered at the following universities in their affiliated engineering colleges.

Amravati University (Govt Coll of Engg, Amravati) (Mah). Course: ME (P/T).

Anna University (Arulmigu Kalasalingam Coll of Engg, Srivilliputur) (TN)

Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad (MTech Env Sc & Engg)

Jamia Millia Islamia, Fac/o Engg & Tech, New Delhi. Course: MTech (P/T). Elig: BE/BTech (Environ/Civil) with 2 years ex. Selectn: Admission test & interview (2½ yrs).

MNREC, Allahabad (UP)

Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (Sri GS Instt of Tech & Sc, Indore (MP)

Thapar Instt of Engg & Technology (Deemed U), Patiala (Punj)

UP Technical University (Instt of Engg & Tech) Lucknow

Vellore Institute of Technology (Deemed Univ), Vellore (TN)

Incidentally, admissions are open at the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, for MTech courses. The deadline for this is April 16. For details, log on to: www.ismdhanbad.ac.in

Personnel management 

A. All courses in personnel management are offered at the postgraduate level, so you will have to wait till you complete your final year of B.Com. The eligibility for most of these courses is a basic Bachelor’s degree.

Correspondence courses are essentially meant for those who need to supplement their work experience with formal qualifications. Since you have time on your side, you should preferably go for a regular MBA or related PG course instead.

After passing out of a good B-school, you would typically start off as a management trainee in the functional area in which you have specialised i.e. human resources.

The company could be an MNC (e.g. General Motors, Cadburys, IBM or GE), a manufacturing company (e.g. Hero Honda, Telco or LG), a leading hotel group (e.g. Taj Group, Oberois or Hyatt), a large export or trading house (e.g. Adani Exports or Tata Exports), a service sector company (O&M, Morgan Stanley or Pru ICICI) Indian and foreign banks (Citi Bank, HSBC or ICICI), a pharma company (e.g. Ranbaxy, Cipla or Pfizer), well-funded NGOs (CRY or Helpage India), private Indian companies (e.g. Reliance, Bajaj, Godrej or Birla Group), global consulting firms (KPMG, PwC, Accenture, McKinzsey), BPO ( e.g. GE, Convergys or e-Serve) PSUs (e.g. HPCL, Indian Oil or SAIL), a government undertaking (e.g. Indian Railways, RBI or UTI), a foreign and Indian airline (e.g. British Airways, Air-India or Jet Airways), shipping companies (e.g. P&O, Mitsui), a large retailer (e.g. Shoppers Stop or Pantaloon), a media company (e.g. Bennet Coleman, Living Media, Star or ZEE).

On completion of the training period, you would be confirmed as an Assistant/Deputy Manager.

— Dolly Makkar, Chandigarh

A. The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) under its National Talent Search Scheme, awards 1000 scholarships (including 150 scholarships for Scheduled Caste and 75 for Scheduled Tribe candidates) each year.

As many as 37,427 candidates took the NTS, 2003, written test, of which 1,510 qualified, for the Interview.

The purpose of this scheme is to identify brilliant students at the end of Class X and give them financial assistance for good education in basic and social sciences up to the PhD level.

If you opt for a professional course like medicine, engineering or management subsequently, you can avail of the scholarship up to the second-degree level so that their talent may develop further and they may serve the discipline as well as the country.

Selection for the NTS Exam consists of a two-stage process: (a) State-Level Exam, followed by (b) National-Level Exam. The State-Level Exam is usually held during October-November.

All Class X students studying in Class X of a recognised school are eligible. The exam generally consists of two parts: Mental Ability Test and Scholastic Aptitude Test (both papers consist of objective-type questions).

Selected candidates are informed about the National-Level Exam, which is conducted by the NCERT. This exam consists of Part I: Mental Ability Test (MAT) and Part II: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Both the MAT as well as the SAT papers consists of 100 multiple-choice questions of one mark each. The SAT questions comprise those on sciences (40 marks), social science (40 marks) and maths (20 marks).

Finally, the shortlisted candidates (approximately double the number of awards available) are called for an interview (25 marks)

Circulars are usually sent to the schools by the examination board and advertisements are issued in newspapers.

You don’t need any specific books for the SAT exam but do make sure you are thorough in physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, civics, algebra, arithmetic, geometry, trigonometry, statistics and mensuration — all up to the level of Class X. Your knowledge of these subjects is tested in the Scholastic Aptitude Test. If you have been faring consistently well in all your subject exams, you won’t find the exam difficult.

While awardees studying basic/social sciences are eligible for scholarships up to PhD level, those enrolled in professional courses in engineering, management and medicine receive scholarships up to second degree level.

— Pervin Malhotra, Director, CARING

Please send in your query, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Query Hotline, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160020, or at careerguide@tribuneindia.com