The Bodyguards Bible

The Definitive Guide to Close Protection

Bodyguard Training – Skills You Should Turn up on Your Course With


To become a professional bodyguard requires plenty of training, if you have never done anything like it before there really is a lot to learn. However it never ceases to amaze me how some people feel that as long as they have the money then the trainer can do the rest and turn them into a bodyguard. This is simply not true. Whilst I would be the first to admit that close protection is not “rocket science” you do need to turn up for training with some skills and attributes. This article discusses the skills and attributes which are essential if you wish to become a professional close protection officer. It goes without saying that you should be honest, punctual and have a mature outlook; however I will outline other essential skills and attributes below.

Good Communication skills

The close protection officer has to display excellent communication skills throughout. He needs to be able to speak not only to his principal but to other team members as well as officials. You must be a “people person” because a bodyguard will find himself dealing with people at all levels, from heads of security to hotel chambermaids. Without good communication skills you are unlikely to become a professional bodyguard, in fact you are unlikely to get past the first interview for your first job.

Common Sense

You will need copious amounts of common-sense. Close protection officers often have to “think on their feet” making decisions on their own, assessing situations and working out the appropriate action to take. Unfortunately you cannot be taught common sense, you either have it or you do not.

A Professional Attitude

Close protection officers needed to project a totally professional attitude throughout their working day. You must display this attitude from day one. Anything less than a professional attitude will not see you through your course, let alone a subsequent career.

Good Team Player

Close protection is a team sport, if you are not a team player you should reconsider your career choice. There is absolutely no room for individuals who cannot function well as part of a team. Teamwork is everything and if you do not function well within one then close protection is probably not for you.

Confidence

Whether you have it or not you must learn how to ooze it. Your principal needs to trust that you will do the right thing in an emergency. The confidence that you show on a day-to-day basis will go a long way to you earning the trust of your principal. Professional close protection officers that are not confident in everything they do will just not be taken seriously.

Bodyguards & Bodyguard Trainers Need a Licence in The UK

In the 1990’s the British Government decided that it would licence the whole of the “security Industry. It took them a long time but it has finally come about. They formed the new Security Industry Authority (SIA) as part of the new Security Industry Act 2001. This was in an era when the UK government of the time was trying to regulate (and tax) as much of any industry that they could.

The regulation bandwagon gathered speed when The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) reported that the security industry had many criminals working within it and said that if everyone in the industry was vetted and licensed then this would make things much better. A very small minority of criminals had bought the whole industry into the spotlight. But were there many at all?  At that time there were many criminals and ex-criminals working as bouncers and car clampers and by including these professions in the “security Industry” it did taint the whole industry. In fact the rest of the security industry proper which included over 100,000 security officers and 1000s of close protection officers probably had very few criminals in their ranks.  But regulation was going to happen no matter what and it finally started to roll out in 2003.

In the manned guarding industry, licensing was costing the security industry money, every security officer needed a licence that was costing them almost a week’s wages (more tax!) the security companies were told that the industry training qualification that their trainers held needed to be changed and everyone groaned, more expense. But it was not long before the main benefit of licensing started to become apparent. The training that the officers needed was developed to a good standard and the professionalism within the guarding industry began to rise.

3 years later the SIA used the manned guarding model and applied it to close protection officers. They had industry experts develop a training course. When a candidate passes the course and can prove that he or she does not have a criminal record they can then apply for a licence to operate. The course is a minimum of 150 hours guided learning, as well as having qualification in First Aid.

To specify a minimum of 150 hours was commendable but the testing procedure leaves a lot to be desired. Probably with costs and convenience in mind, almost all of the ‘awarding bodies’ have opted for a multiple choice examination with a pass mark of only seventy per cent. This makes it far too easy for the students to pass and does make a mockery of the whole licensing process. If the licence is to be held in any regard it should be earned rather than given away.

Presently after the 150 hours of training you will need to apply for a licence. It will cost you an additional £250 and will need to be renewed every three years. You cannot work without this licence and it may take many months to arrive as the SIA is not well known for its efficiency. You need to have this in mind when the training is finished and you are looking for work.

Getting that first Bodyguard Job

Once you complete your bodyguard training getting your first bodyguard Job will obviously be high on your list of priorities. However there are a couple of things you need to do immediately after your training. First you need to apply for and receive your licence before applying for any positions.

Getting a licence from the SIA ( Security Industry Authority) in the UK should in theory take less than 4 weeks but many wait 8 weeks and some close protection officers have waited 12 weeks before their licence arrives! You should bear this delay in mind if you are considering giving up your regular job whilst waiting for your licence. It could well be many months between finishing your expensive bodyguard training and earning from your first bodyguard job.

The best advice for finding that first job is to initially avoid the internet. Start with the paid advertisements in your local telephone directory, look under “Security” as well as “Detective Agencies” and see who offers “Bodyguards” or “Close Protection” as a service. When approaching local companies interviews can be arranged easily and quickly, they will let potential employers put a face to a name and because they know that you can be called upon to work at very short notice this can have a very positive effect on your job prospects. When you initially call, tell them you are local and ask if you can send them a CV/Resume most companies will say yes. During this call ask who you should send the CV to. It would be nice to get a name so that you can personalise that CV cover letter, but chances are you will just be told to send it to “Personnel” or Human Resources”

Send the CV out, wait a couple of days and then follow up with a call, ask if they got the CV, tell them you would like to come along for an interview. At this point they might say that they are not recruiting at present, but insist as strongly as you dare that you would like to pop in and let them meet you. Its important that you do get a face to face meeting as this will increase your chances of getting a call when they do get a contract in. Start doing the exact same process moving further and further away from home, keep a diary and schedule a call to everyone who has your CV every four weeks or so and gently remind them that you are there and looking for work. Some companies will be more receptive to your repeated calls, but if you feel that you are annoying a potential employer then maybe increase the interval between calls to couple of months or so. Some newly trained bodyguards find that securing that first bodyguard job is the hardest part of their career and plenty give up before they do. The harder you work at it the luckier you will get! Once you have the experience of that first bodyguard job added to your CV the second job will be easier, and the third easier than that.