Most celebrities and important public figures like Governors and CEOs get protection from the team of bodyguards hired by an agency, security forces or police forces. If you’ve deciding to become a bodyguard, you should consider the following needed skills

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.

What does it take to become a bodyguard?

Most people believe you must be well versed in some sort of hand to hand combat and have experience in the military or handling weapons to become a close protection specialist. While in some cases this may be true and make landing a particular job easier, a private protection specialist simply needs to be someone willing to put their own safety on the line for the safety of others.

The close protection specialist work is similar to the secret service agent work. Good executive protection specialists and true professional close protection specialists are willing to take bullet for the person they protect.

This is why executive protection specialists get paid quite well to do their job. Their presence means that in order for any given person with malevolent intentions to get to the person being guarded, they will have to go through a close protection specialist first who may be armed and is probably prepared to maim or kill.

What does it take to get bodyguard job?

In order to get a job, you need to contact the people who need the services of an executive protection specialist, or people who deal in private protection services. You may be surprised to find out there is quite a big business built around private protection, and a simply search on the net will give you a number of places to leave your name and resume.

Keep in mind that typically higher profile jobs will demand a higher profile list of experience and weapons and tactics skills. Most of the close protection specialists who protect high profile individuals have years of military or paramilitary experience, as well as experience serving other people of lower profile.

In any case, if you are serious about becoming a bodyguard you can begin your training and search via the internet as soon as possible. There are a number of opportunities out there, and one may be just the one to open the door to this exciting career for you.

Just like the rest of society, bodyguard forums are populated with a mixed bunch of personalities. Once you join you should not jump straight in and post, first you must do lots of reading and get a feel for how the forum functions. You will quickly learn about the forum personalities that will almost certainly be present. There will be those that have an opinion on everything and delight in giving everyone the benefit of it. Others will insist that they are right when they are patently not. Some find courage with the anonymity that a keyboard and computer can give them and are much more rude or abrasive than they ever would be face to face.

You should see through these people soon enough and they are a small price to pay for the networking benefit that a forum can present to you. It does not matter how busy you eventually become you should always give networking a high priority and keep visiting the bodyguard forum. This will keep you up-to-date with current practice around the world as well as keep you in touch with your on-line buddies who will let you know when that contract comes along.

In terms of bodyguard courses, one search on Google will yield over a quarter of a million results. That’s a lot of courses. So you have to narrow it down, look for the ‘about us’ section and check what operational experience these guys have, see who your instructors will be, check that they have adequate insurance and check for testimonials from people already trained. If you can’t find any of these four things, forget it; move on to the next one. If this is going to be your career you can’t take any risks, starting now.

There are many different kinds of courses for bodyguards because modern bodyguard are not just a big lump of muscle. We have to be proficient in surveillance – including filming and editing, we should have multiple driving licenses, particularly handy is a Tank license (but a motorcycle license will do). Some bodyguards choose to specialise in Private Investigation and close protection – an interesting multi-disciplined application of our profession. The ‘standard’ Bodyguard Course is Close Protection Training and no matter what course you do or what discipline you choose to specialise in, you will need first aid training. This game is all about certificates – the more training you do, the better the jobs you get, the better jobs you get, the better your bank balance. In this world, how far you go is up to you.

Some overseas security jobs can be quite dangerous, depending on the location. For instance, there are many overseas security jobs available in the Middle East due to private company contracts with the military. It is necessary to have counter-terrorism training and the knowledge necessary to be able to assess potential threats. For this reason, many people make the mistake of believing that the only people who get these types of overseas security jobs are ex-military.

In actuality, anyone who has security experience and the right education is perfectly qualified for these positions. You may be wondering how you receive this training if you do not have a military background. If you are, you might be surprised to know that there are college degrees that you can earn that provide this type of training. For instance, you can get a certificate or even a bachelor’s in terrorism studies or protection. These programs are perfect for people who want to pursue overseas security jobs.

As you research different college programs, however, you want to make sure that they delve into certain topics. These include:

- Threat assessment
- Weapons, including nuclear, chemical and biological
- Bomb threat management
- Kidnapping strategies

Having a solid foundation and education will allow you to impress your potential employers, thus setting you aside from the competition as you apply and interview for overseas security jobs.

Bodyguard Jobs

Another niche area in the security industry is executive protection, or bodyguard jobs. Many people are attracted to the idea of being a bodyguard because it is an exciting, lucrative career that provides the opportunity to get close to celebrities, politicians, or dignitaries. In this way, it is looked on to be a somewhat glamorous job. Although that may be true, bodyguard jobs can be dangerous and they come with a great deal of responsibility. That is why in order to be hired as a bodyguard, you must prove that you have the training and experience to do the job right.

One way of getting that training is by getting a degree in executive protection. Although it is not a commonly found degree program, there are some colleges that offer certificates, bachelor’s, and even master’s for protection professionals.

To make sure you are receiving the right training for bodyguard jobs, look at the college’s course offerings. The degree program should include a curriculum focused on: – Types of defensive and self-defense practices – Knowing how to assess potential threats – Logistics and the importance of advance work

With the right education, you could be well-qualified for a variety of bodyguard jobs, including those protecting high-profile celebrities.

1) Something Out of the Ordinary

A bodyguard is unlike any other kind of job. It’s not easy, as you will discover on any of the bodyguard courses that you have to complete in order to get a job in the first place. But it’s also an exciting and thrilling job where no two days will ever be the same. If you prefer the standard nine-to-five then a job as a bodyguard is not for you, but if you’re after something a little bit different then it could be ideal.

2) An Important Job

If you’re ever worried that what you are doing is not important enough, you won’t have that problem when you get a job as a bodyguard. As a bodyguard you will be responsible for looking after and protecting the lives of other people, so when you get home at the end of the day you know that your job has real value.

3) Meet Important People

As a bodyguard you could end up working for many rich, famous and important people. Some days you might find yourself rubbing shoulders with royalty, whereas on others you could end up protecting famous celebrities. It’s always good to have a bit of glamour in your life, and by taking one of the bodyguard courses to train as a bodyguard you will certainly have that.

4) Travel the World

There are not many jobs where you get paid to travel to exotic locations all over the world. However, once you’ve got a job as a bodyguard after taking part in one of the official bodyguard courses there’s a good change you’ll get the opportunity to do just that.

Conclusion

Is a Bodyguard the Perfect Job for You?

Working as a bodyguard really can be the perfect job. Fun, glamorous and endlessly interesting, it might be the perfect career option for you. If you think that it might suit you then make sure you look into the different bodyguard courses available and give it a go.

For public figures with higher risk, several bodyguards are employed for protection whereas in the case of those with lower risks, often bodyguards serve the dual role of a driver and bodyguard. Bodyguards are not just hired for protection rather they also fend off stalkers of violent fans from attacking and harming the celebrity. The bodyguard company decides how the bodyguard should be armed for protection of the client based on the laws in the concerned jurisdiction. The various types of arms are pistols, pepper sprays or body armors. The government bodyguard agencies are allowed more freedom in this regard and often are allowed to use automatic pistols or mini-submachine guns for the protection of important personalities.

The job of a bodyguard is not easy and most bodyguard company prefer explaining the hardships of the job beforehand to the applicants to ensure best practices for clients asking for bodyguard protection. The work requires them to be ever vigilant to ensure the client’s safety always. Actions implemented to achieve such goals including examining premises where the client is about to arrive, check the entrances, identify loopholes in security and avoid them and know the staff in and out. The bodyguards who double as drivers should be capable of practicing driving techniques to evade suspicious looking vehicles. Unless the bodyguard company hires vigilant people as bodyguards who can react quickly and calmly to threatening situations, the risk involved would still be as high as without any bodyguard protection.

For group of bodyguards working together, the bodyguard agency designates different set of activities to different bodyguards. For example, some specialize in screening and controlling the crowd, some specialize in searching for bombs or explosives or weapons whereas others might just be acting as protective escorts. But the standard training in combats both armed and unarmed, first aid and driving is a must for everyone in the group. Some bodyguard companies also participate in assessing risk and analyzing weaknesses in security provided by other agencies to clients to ensure that their security is always assured and the client gets a second opinion as well. Sometimes different bodyguard companies need to work in conjunction to ensure seamless protection.

In recent few years we have seen a considerable rise in political unrest and other envious factors due to which security of these high-profile people is always a question mark. To ensure their security these people hire personal protection specialist or bodyguard.

There is no national standard for these protection specialists, but still there are few training institutes and organizations that prepare you as a bodyguard. But having a graduate degree is prerequisite for many of these training institutes to enroll you as a trainee. Following are given some important things that you have to consider becoming a bodyguard.

Bodyguard schools provide an extensive training that helps one to polish his skills to expert level. The training usually involves anti terrorism preparation, self-defense skills, security procedures, threat assessment, anti-ambush procedures, and martial arts, close combat and disarming advanced weapons.

It is important to take any necessary training such as how to deal with weapons. Your skills should be of expert level.

You need to have a strong, athletic body and strong legs and arms which help you to give quick responses in critical situations. Remember, moving quickly, running, standing for long periods of time is a part of this job. So, make yourself prepared for all this if you really want to become a bodyguard.

When you think you are ready with everything, now is the time to look for a job. You can reply with reputable bodyguard companies.

Unless you have a particular proficiency in technology the best place to start your career would be with the British Bodyguard Association. The British Bodyguard Association runs the training courses that you will need in order to get on the ladder.

Bodyguard courses are held in very high esteem within the industry and there is a great deal of scope for private employment for those who successfully complete the bodyguard training.

To supplement your bodyguard courses you could also do a close protection course. The close protection training will make you even more employable and it will increase your confidence and competence.

Obviously the more courses and training you do, the more employable you become. This does not mean that you will spend the rest of your career in training. Most people would do one or two courses (paid for by themselves) in order to get a job. Once the job has been sorted out the majority of employers offer ‘career progression courses’. This means that your employer will pay for your on-going training and that your salary will increase with each course that you complete.

Start your search by looking for bodyguard agencies. Agency’s usually list their candidate’s training, and will more often have actual professionals. It is an agency’s business to hire and train the best types of bodyguards, so they will provide you with good service.

You can also check with government agencies to see if they know of any veteran officers who would like to bodyguard. Government organizations can provide good bodyguard services. Most of these types of bodyguards are ones that have seen service in the field and are now retired from the government.

When you have narrowed down the agencies you would like to use, contact them. You can do this by contacting them over the phone, online through email or questionnaires, or in person. By visiting the agency you will be able to see how the agency is run and see how efficient it is.

See what their customers are saying about their service first, before hiring them. If you know of others who have used bodyguards ask them if they enjoy the agency they went with, or what things you should look for. Some agency’s will give you a reference list that you can contact.

When finding out information about your bodyguard ask what training they received. Ask them a lot of questions to be sure they provide the best options. Ask how they select their bodyguards, and what other special requirements they ask of their employees.

If your family needs more protection consider hiring a bodyguard. Remember to start your search broad and narrow your choices down when you interview them. You should be able to find an affordable body guard agency near you.