Becoming a Bail Bondsman isn’t a very easy experience: there are many regulations around becoming a bondsman, and it can be very difficult waters to navigate. However, once you have successfully become a Bail Bondsman you will find yourself running a business that will generate a constant income stream with limited ongoing effort. While there is an initial investment involved in becoming a Bail Bondsman, you will find that actually being a Bail Bondsman is usually a relatively easy and simple way to earn an income on your own schedule.
As a Bail Bondsman, you will be able to write out bonds when people need to be bailed out of jail, but don’t have the money to do so. This means that those who are in jail will be looking for your assistance, and that your clients will come to you, not the other way around. Essentially, your customers typically come to you for help.
You will provide bail for your customers and to write bonds, but other than this you will be able to collect from them or the person who signed them out even if they decide not to go to court and end up losing their bail money.
How to Become a Bail Bondsmen
A bail bondsmen is required to have a license from the state in order to operate. They will also need to pass a test regarding the regulations that they need to follow as a bail bondsmen and the laws that are applicable to them. A bail bondsmen is not law enforcement and does not have the same protections as someone who is law enforcement. However, it can be very beneficial for a bail bondsmen to acquire a degree in law enforcement, such as a degree in criminal justice. The State of California requires a certain level of training of their bondsmen, as do many other states.
This is important because a bail bondsmen needs to understand the legality of their position and exactly what they can or can’t do when pursuing bail. While a licensed bail bondsmen can act as a bounty hunter, they do not necessarily need to. Many bail bondsmen instead hire bounty hunters as necessary rather than doing it themselves.
Succeeding as a Bail Bondsmen
Once you have become licensed as a bail bondsmen, all you really need to do is advertise to gain customers. As long as people are able to find you, you will eventually be able to get customers. Many states, such as New York State, offer citizens the ability to search through registered bondsmen, which means that work can be funneled directly to you. It is very important for you to follow all the necessary paperwork and regulations as a bail bondsmen, because skirting by the federal and state regulations can easily get you into trouble or simply make it very difficult for you to recover any funds.
Average salary for a bail bondsmen varies wildly, because in many ways it will depend on how much work you wish to put into the company. Being a bail bondsmen is not like a traditional job where you will pull a salary: instead, a bail bondsmen gets a percentage out of every bond he or she writes. This is industry regulated as well, which means that bail bondsmen cannot charge over a certain amount of money for a bond in most states. This controls the market, which means that competitors also cannot charge over a certain amount.
In many cases, whether you are a successful bondsmen will be determined by how your reputation is in the area in which you operate. Those that are successfully serviced by you and your company may come to you again. You can also then proceed to hire other bondsmen as well, and incorporate a company. Being a bail bondsmen is an excellent way to start your own business because it is such a unique enterprise that funnels clients directly to you, due to the necessity of posting bail.