Starting Out In The Industry

First of all, welcome to Stirling and the security industry. Congratulations for finding us, now you won’t have to look elsewhere.

So, this week’s blog may be a bit longer than others as we will be covering a lot of information on the topic ‘Starting Out In The Industry’ we will be highlighting what we believe are the main areas to know and answering the most common questions we receive from new comers.

We will be outlining what qualifications are needed for various security roles.
What courses we recommend and the average prices, time, what to expect and how to be best prepared for them.
Realistic expectations for pay within the security industry, taxes and invoices.
Locations and roles which are of high employment and how to get your foot in the door.
Best practises and advice on achieving your first job.
Social Media protocols.
Appearance

Qualifications

There are a ton of qualifications you can acquire within the security industry, but not all match the variety of roles within the security industry. From basic courses lasting a day or two, to courses lasting two weeks and upwards. We will talk through qualifications more in-depth on another blog, specially dedicated to qualifications, roles and experience, so here we will only go over briefly.

Most companies require a basic background check before working for them. This could be a simple DBS check, which can be acquired here (www.gov.uk) and should only take 5-10 minutes to complete. The basic DBS check costs £23 and the result is normally with you within 48 hours from the time of applying. You can also acquire an enhanced DBS check which costs on average around £70.

As stated, before there is a multitude of qualifications you can acquire and we will go over this in-depth in another blog, as stated before.

Most employers look for qualifications from the awarding body SIA. The SIA is the go-to industry standard for all qualifications and candidates in the industry. The SIA is a UK based Association, so EU, US or other countries may have other awarding bodies, but we are sticking to the UK standard, as this is what we know best.

Courses

Now, courses are not hard to come by, but a good course is! The market is currently saturated with a variety of courses surrounding the security industry at varying prices, qualifications, add on’s included, instructors and more.

So, of course, it is all based upon what sector of the industry you’re wanting to progress into. The main sectors are; Close Protection, Hostile, Maritime, Events and general, which we will go into more depth on these sectors below.

Close Protection

Close protection security which is also known as executive protection is one of the fastest growing and demanded services required within the industry. These roles can range from residential security to team leaders.

The qualifications required are:

SIA Level 3 Certificate for Working as a Close Protection Operative within the Private Security Industry
First Response Emergency Care – Level 3 – (FREC 3) or
First Person on Scene (FPOS) – but this qualification is slowly being less desired then the FREC 3
Military or forces background (not always essential but preferred)

Hostile Security

Hostile security is still in high demand, especially in war torn or unstable countries. These roles can range from residential security to ops managers to being armed or unarmed. These positions are harder to acquire and clients, companies and organisations usually tend to hire ex-military or ex-forces trained professionals with experience of working in hostile environments.

The qualifications + experience required are:

SIA Level 3 Certificate for Working as a Close Protection Operative within the Private Security Industry
First Response Emergency Care – Level 3 – (FREC 3) or above
Hostile Environment Training for Close Protection Operatives (HECPO)
Active-duty experience (not always essential but preferred)
Military or forces background

Maritime Security

Maritime security has slowly started to dry up due to the high influx of maritime security professionals around 2010, when there was high demand for well-trained maritime based security due to piracy increased attacks on ship main supply routes.

There are only a few companies with the main contracts within this field and provide security for vessels from oil tankers and cargo ships to super-yachts.

The qualifications and experience required are:

Maritime Security Officer (MSO)
SIA Level 3 Certificate for Working as a Close Protection Operative within the Private Security Industry
First Response Emergency Care – Level 3 – (FREC 3) or above
Hostile Environment Training for Close Protection Operatives (HECPO)
STCW 2010
ENG 1 Medical Certificate
Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (DSD)
Proficiency in Security Awareness (PSA)
Active-duty experience (not always essential but preferred)
Military or forces background (Not essential but preferred)

Event Security

Event security is gradually growing due to covid-19 restrictions being lifted and larger events can take place. Events can range from sport events, concerts, government summits, large gatherings and more…

This role could include searching guests, entrance/exit control, crowd control, dog handling, escorting, supporting local authorities and more…

The qualifications and experience required are:

Door supervisor (Minimum requirement)
First Aid training (Preferred)

General Security

General security is the highest demanded security services currently due to Covid-19 and other security reasons and concerns.

This role could include retail security, corporate security, mobile security, door supervisors, store security and more…

The qualifications and experience required are:

Door supervisor (Minimum requirement)
First Aid training (Preferred)

Who we recommend training with

The training providers below are companies our team have personally worked with and recommend. You don’t have to train with these companies of course and there are 100’s of security training providers out there that we may not have worked with. We hold ourselves with high standards and we know the following companies achieve high standards when training to become a member of the security industry.

3rg

3rg are an ex-special forces, military and medical professionally run UK based company. They have years of front-line experience and close protection experience under their belt. So, you know that the training you are provided is of the best standard.

3rg provide extended, fast track courses, are ELCAS approved and hold package courses including multiple courses, which other companies don’t provide.

3rg have an extensive selection of courses you can choose from, including the following:

Close Protection
First Aid (FREC 3 + FREC 4)
Hostile Environment Close Protection Operative
Surveillance
Professional Investigator
STCW
Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (DSD)
Proficiency in Security Awareness (PSA)
Maritime Security Operative
Fire Arms

Their prices range from:

CPO course – £2000
HECPO course – £600
Surveillance course – £600
Investigator course – £600
FREC Level 3 – £750

You can have a look at their website on –https://www.3rg.co.uk/

Phoenix

Phoenix are a UK based company run by experienced serving close protection operatives. Phoenix also hire within their company and courses. They have an exclusive client portfolio ranging from Connor McGreggor to Arnold Schwarzenegger, so if you perform well on the course, you could have the opportunity to work with such names through Phoenix.

Phoenix only run one course which is a close protection operative training package which includes the following:

Accommodation for 15 nights
Course hire vehicles provided
Close Protection
Evasive Driving
Fire Arms
First Aid
Surveillance
Hand to hand combat
And more…

Their prices start from £4000+

You can have a look at their website on – https://www.phoenixgroupplc.com

Pay, Taxes and Invoicing

Many people new to the industry were never aware of how many private security companies operate, in conjunction with pay, tax and invoicing. Most companies operate by hiring security personnel as ‘subcontractors. Which means that you would be self-employed and be entitled to file your own taxes to HMRC and invoices to the company to get your pay.

To register as self-employed with HMRC is very easy and you can follow the steps on www.gov.uk and should take you 5 – 15 minutes to complete.

Once you are registered as self-employed you will either need to sign up as ‘self-assessment tax return’ or you could pay a small fee and have your accounts done professionally by an accountant. (We will be talking about what accountants we recommend and why in a later blog.)

Now you have all of that sorted, it’s time for your invoice and probably the most important part. (We want to get paid) There are many templates out there on Google and other search engines which are basic and free. Others can be more advanced and pricier but these are aimed more towards businesses, VAT and more in-depth accounting needs. For you, starting off in the industry or if you’re a seasoned veteran, you’ll only need the basic template for your invoice, but it must contain a few things.

Your Name
Company Name (Who you worked for and who is paying you)
Company Address
Your NI Number
Your Business/Home Address
Dates You Worked – 1^st Jan 2021 – 11^th Jan 2021
Your Daily Rate – 10 days @ £180
Expenses (If Covered, Check First, as this can make a job not worth taking if it costs you more in fuel and accommodation then you’re being paid) – (Train from X – Y on Mon 1^st Jan – £69)
Your Band Account Details – Name, Banks Name, Account Number, Sort Code
Total Amount – Added up at the bottom of all daily rates + expenses = Total
Date Of Invoice
State Terms of Payment – The terms of payment invoice refer to the period of time in which the invoice should be made. Also written here are the conditions if the payment is late or not paid. – (Payment will be made in full within 14 working days, 20^th Jan 21. If payment is not paid within said time, a 10% daily charge will be added per day payment is missed)

Below, find a template example for reference.

Pay Expectations

Pay rates are affected by the following:

Role or position
Rank
Experience
Qualifications
Shifts (Unsocialable hours/Weekends)
Location (Travel or outside of home country)
Danger Pay (More likely of attacks or confrontation)
Accommodation (Provided or not provided)
Food allowances (Provided or not provided)

Roles or position base rates: (All based on low – high experience)

Close Protection Operative – £160 – £350+ per day
Maritime Security Operative – £140 – £300+ per day
Team Leader – £190 – £450+ per day
Surveillance Operative – £150 – £260+ per day
Event Security Guard – £8 – £16+ per hour
Door Supervisor – £9 – £18+ per hour
General Security – £9+ per hour

These are estimates and may change from when we posted this blog post, so please don’t use these as guidelines. Each role is different and so is each candidate, so rates will vary from role to role and company to company.

Achieving Your First Gig

Achieving your first gig hasn’t been so simple, quick and easy thanks to our StirSec platform.

All you’ll have to do is:

Create a profile (Upload documents, certificates, skills, experience etc…)
Click ‘Apply Now’ next to the position you are interested in (Your profile + CV will be sent to employer directly)
Wait for a reply from the employer or carry on searching and applying for other opportunities

We recommend that you are truly accurate with your profile as clients may do background checks before hiring.

Ensure you have a recent and accurate photograph of yourself.

Tip of the day: The more time you put into your profile, the more likely you are to be successfully hired. Employers look at your profile and see how much effort you put in, who would you hire? – We recommend always looking at this style of approach. How will employers see me, see my profile, what are they looking for etc?

Social Media protocols

Social media is such a huge aspect of life now, but within the private security industry you should always take caution.

A quote by a CEO of a well-known UK based security company that we have worked closely with said

‘The quickest way to get fired is thanks to social media.’

Our team at StirSec agree with this quote and have witnessed this first hand on operational jobs.

We advise against the following main points:

Using social media whilst on job
Taking any photos or videos whilst on job
Sharing your location

You may be required to use your mobile on job for operations purposes but for your personal purposes it is disliked in the industry.

So, if you are working as a close protection operative and your client is staying in a beautiful villa, with a sports car and a helicopter in the garage. We advise to not take pictures, sit in them or anything else. You have to remember that this is not your property and that you are there to ensure the safety of the clients or property. We can not stress this enough, as this is such a big no-no in this industry.

Appearance

Appearance preferences vary due to each client, company, operation or location.

A few areas we will touch on are:

Hair
Facial Hair
Physical structure
Tattoos
Clothing
Clothing accessories

As said, these will vary from each job and environment. So, if you’re working as a CPO with a UHNWI, the clients may require you look a specific way, which usually imitates their style to help you blend in to the environment, or if you are working for a company in a hostile environment like Iraq, they may allow you to grow operator style facial hair.

Tattoos can affect your employment chances if tattoos are offensive, location of tattoos etc. This is a big barrier within the super yacht industry as tattoos are still not fully accepted but this is slowly changing.

With physical structure, some clients may require the 6ft 6in stacked body builder style security to give that strong presence, whereas, others may require the convert security operative who has great communication and persuasion skills. Both have their advantages and teams we have been part of have had a selection of both styles of security to cover all basis. Sometimes being a security officer and having superior communication techniques can diffuse a situation better then brawn strength.

With clothing this also varies from job to job and company to company. This is mostly down to client preference and location/environment. If you are working for a company, they may provide you with uniform and equipment. If you are a CPO, you should aim to dress in accordance with your client but do not overdress (don’t look better then your client). Try and match the scenario, location, event etc. So, if you’re working with a client in St Tropez, wear something which will blend you into the environment, to not make you out as an obvious security detail, but don’t wear inappropriate clothing like flipflops, speedos etc… This isn’t practical for operational reasons. So, smart chino shorts, boat shoes and a shirt would work well.

We hope that you have found this article useful and it has given you more of an insight into the industry.

If you liked this article, please give us feedback in the comments below, like and share.

We will be posting a new topic of article weekly on a Sunday. If there are any topics which you’d like us to cover, please leave a comment below.

Our team here at StirSec wish you all the best in achieving your successful careers through our platform and our team will always be here to help where we can.

‘Take action now and go after your dreams!’