Looking for work in close protection

One thing anyone in this industry will tell you if you sit back and hope work will come; you are living in a dream world.

I have been in the close protection security industry since 1988 and always go looking for work, it’s like any other business if you want to succeed you must be willing to put the hours in at first to build your business, and then and only then can you start enjoying the fruits of your labour.

I quite often find it frustrating and annoying that things take time when all you want is it to happen now?

The truth is you must gain trust in every sense of the word, from time keeping, reliability, professionalism, honesty, confidentiality, and much more, from your colleagues, business associates, companies, and so on.

But don’t give up have a plan, practise what you preach, learn as much as you possibly can about your chosen field, as when you eventually do get that all important phone call, you need to know what you are talking about.

The last thing you need is being asked a simple question one that you should know and wham bam that chance has gone, maybe not forever but for now you look like an armature.

Don’t get me wrong we all make those mistakes as it is a learning process and as we gain knowledge and experience we hope there will be less mistakes made in the future.

Searching for work in close protection is hard make no mistake about it, there are hundreds of companies out there, but very few need employees as the work is not guaranteed.

Keep on looking don’t give up take up some temporary or casual work to get you by, don’t rush into anything your not sure about, and believe me it will happen sooner or latter.

How To Become A Close Protection Operative (Bodyguard) In The Uk

If you are interested in becoming a close protection operative (bodyguard) in the UK you must at least successfully complete a SIA accredited training course.

Part of this course is first aid which is compulsory and is a must, this is due to the fact you may be needed to perform first aid to a principal or client and you would be first on the scene.

There are many companies out there offering training some good some not so good, they range from £1000.00 to £3000.00 plus.

Many are geared to fit around you experience and knowledge, this can be a advantage, if you have previous experience you may only need to do a fast track course enabling you to brush up on what you already know thus being able to obtain you SIA licence.

They are intense courses so don’t go expecting it to be easy going, they normally start with you being interviewed by one or more seasoned veterans to see if you have the right attitude, quick thinking, problem solving, knowledge to complete the course, if have your in, if you don’t you will be asked to complete a full 21 day course instead of 8 days.

There is no Guarantee of work as this is normally a self employed job, it is a question of networking, making as many contacts as possible and never giving up, you may wait days for your first job, you may wait months but you must look for work it wont come to you.

After training you will need to send off for you SIA close protection licence, this is a further £190.00 and can take up to 3 months to be processed, so don’t bank on being legally working for at least four months.