I’m writing this blog as a guide, a guide as to why I chose to pursue a career in Close Protection and how I came to choose my training provider in the hope that it will help other “newbies†to the industry not to make any rushed decisions and hopefully show some old hands of the trade that not all of us newbies have stars in our eyes and think that we are going to be the next James Bond and understand that there are real implications to the actions we take with a very real responsibility that rests on our shoulders.
So hopefully without boring you all too much and this sounding like a lecture, I’d like to jump right in.
I first decided that I wanted to do Close Protection when I was 18 and applying for the army, due to reasons that really aren’t relevant I was differed and later cancelled my application to the army to work in the finance sector... And here I sit 4 years later in my second position stuck paper pushing in an office dreading the drive in and longing for the drive home only to feel empty when I get home with zero job satisfaction. I’d decided it’s time for a change. After weeks of networking and some long hours brainstorming I closed in on my chosen role in Close Protection, funny how life seems to turn full cycle. I had no idea that the private sector was a big and booming as it is!
I knew that I had to choose a training provider that would help to give me an edge, especially coming from Civi street with no prior, formal, training! My first recommendation came in… Ronin South Africa, as an Ex-Pat it was back to the motherland and back to familiarisation. I was set. I made my enquiries and thought the course was excellent. Despite this I kept on looking, a few other training providers came to light with cheaper costs, but then again you always get what you pay for. I sat down and reviewed my goals and with advice from the forums, reading as much as I could I knew that I needed to gain knowledge that was relevant to my chosen field of work. I had decided I want to work in London and one name kept cropping up… Excellentia, now this is not to discredit any other London based training provider but Excellentia’s name always came with praise and high remarks so I delved further and learnt that the qualifications I can obtain from Excellentia will stand me in better stead for my chosen style of working environment.
I have now applied for the course in June this year and am raring to get going and make my mark in the CP. Many people have said to me to spend my money elsewhere and that I won’t get work due to my significant lack of experience and age. But I’ve decided I want to take charge and get into something that I have always wanted to do.
My advice to anyone looking to get into being a Close Protection Officer is to sit down and have a long and hard discussion with yourself, not looking in a mirror or any of that Bullshit. I mean really sit down and think about the work.
Don’t kid yourself either, be realistic, know the hours are long and unsociable and there is going to be a lot of shit shoving before you smell roses.
If at the end of your lovely chat, you decided this is still the career for you then as you may have guessed… its time for another chat with yourself. Look at your goals and the different areas of work, Hostile Environment, Remote Medicine, Corporate CP… The list is very long and very extensive so be thorough with it all and think about where you’d like to work and what style of work would best suite your character and skill set.
When it comes to choosing a training provider look at well-known companies that offer the course with relevant training materials and modules that will suit your chosen style of work, know that you do get what you pay for and if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Companies that promise work at the end of it I’d personally take with a grain of salt, I’ve learnt from reading posts by the likes of ‘SCT’ and ‘Nomad’, as well as various other, that the guarantee of work can never truly be guaranteed.
If you are looking to “secure†the potential of work after training (and I want to emphasise that it is only a potential and an unlikely outcome) then in my eyes your best bet is probably to train with an operational company who will look to draw from their students to fill positions within their own company.
This is simply a blog of how I came to choose my training provider, some advice from my point of view as I stand now as well as points I have thought about and answers I have got in doing a bit of leg-work.
I will add more to this once I have more to share, I will be meeting the training team and seeing some of the course, first hand, in March time and will have more to write about then. Until that time I hope that you can enjoy my story (so far) and this will help any newbies who feel a bit lost and overwhelmed by the wealth of knowledge that needs to be taken on board, that the answers will come in time. (Trust me I’m FAR from knowing everything).
Be patient and learn from the experience of others, listen to what they have to say, be it good or bad, and draw from their knowledge to help you better make an informed and educated decision. This is just the tip of the iceberg and I’ve barely scratched the surface.
I hope that my “research†into this can help, please do feel free to correct me if I have got anything wrong. (I look to the older hands of the trade for this.)
The points I have discussed and views I have shared are completely my own and this is by no means a complete guide of how to become a CPO, there is however a good sticky on this posted in - New to the Industry under the title – “A Beginners Guide to becoming a Close Protection Officer†by Nomad. It’s a quality read and is very informative and straight down the line, no bullshit, honest advice.
Until next time, I wish you all the best in your endeavors.
Bear
So hopefully without boring you all too much and this sounding like a lecture, I’d like to jump right in.
I first decided that I wanted to do Close Protection when I was 18 and applying for the army, due to reasons that really aren’t relevant I was differed and later cancelled my application to the army to work in the finance sector... And here I sit 4 years later in my second position stuck paper pushing in an office dreading the drive in and longing for the drive home only to feel empty when I get home with zero job satisfaction. I’d decided it’s time for a change. After weeks of networking and some long hours brainstorming I closed in on my chosen role in Close Protection, funny how life seems to turn full cycle. I had no idea that the private sector was a big and booming as it is!
I knew that I had to choose a training provider that would help to give me an edge, especially coming from Civi street with no prior, formal, training! My first recommendation came in… Ronin South Africa, as an Ex-Pat it was back to the motherland and back to familiarisation. I was set. I made my enquiries and thought the course was excellent. Despite this I kept on looking, a few other training providers came to light with cheaper costs, but then again you always get what you pay for. I sat down and reviewed my goals and with advice from the forums, reading as much as I could I knew that I needed to gain knowledge that was relevant to my chosen field of work. I had decided I want to work in London and one name kept cropping up… Excellentia, now this is not to discredit any other London based training provider but Excellentia’s name always came with praise and high remarks so I delved further and learnt that the qualifications I can obtain from Excellentia will stand me in better stead for my chosen style of working environment.
I have now applied for the course in June this year and am raring to get going and make my mark in the CP. Many people have said to me to spend my money elsewhere and that I won’t get work due to my significant lack of experience and age. But I’ve decided I want to take charge and get into something that I have always wanted to do.
My advice to anyone looking to get into being a Close Protection Officer is to sit down and have a long and hard discussion with yourself, not looking in a mirror or any of that Bullshit. I mean really sit down and think about the work.
Don’t kid yourself either, be realistic, know the hours are long and unsociable and there is going to be a lot of shit shoving before you smell roses.
If at the end of your lovely chat, you decided this is still the career for you then as you may have guessed… its time for another chat with yourself. Look at your goals and the different areas of work, Hostile Environment, Remote Medicine, Corporate CP… The list is very long and very extensive so be thorough with it all and think about where you’d like to work and what style of work would best suite your character and skill set.
When it comes to choosing a training provider look at well-known companies that offer the course with relevant training materials and modules that will suit your chosen style of work, know that you do get what you pay for and if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Companies that promise work at the end of it I’d personally take with a grain of salt, I’ve learnt from reading posts by the likes of ‘SCT’ and ‘Nomad’, as well as various other, that the guarantee of work can never truly be guaranteed.
If you are looking to “secure†the potential of work after training (and I want to emphasise that it is only a potential and an unlikely outcome) then in my eyes your best bet is probably to train with an operational company who will look to draw from their students to fill positions within their own company.
This is simply a blog of how I came to choose my training provider, some advice from my point of view as I stand now as well as points I have thought about and answers I have got in doing a bit of leg-work.
I will add more to this once I have more to share, I will be meeting the training team and seeing some of the course, first hand, in March time and will have more to write about then. Until that time I hope that you can enjoy my story (so far) and this will help any newbies who feel a bit lost and overwhelmed by the wealth of knowledge that needs to be taken on board, that the answers will come in time. (Trust me I’m FAR from knowing everything).
Be patient and learn from the experience of others, listen to what they have to say, be it good or bad, and draw from their knowledge to help you better make an informed and educated decision. This is just the tip of the iceberg and I’ve barely scratched the surface.
I hope that my “research†into this can help, please do feel free to correct me if I have got anything wrong. (I look to the older hands of the trade for this.)
The points I have discussed and views I have shared are completely my own and this is by no means a complete guide of how to become a CPO, there is however a good sticky on this posted in - New to the Industry under the title – “A Beginners Guide to becoming a Close Protection Officer†by Nomad. It’s a quality read and is very informative and straight down the line, no bullshit, honest advice.
Until next time, I wish you all the best in your endeavors.
Bear
I'm having some fun with you !!!!!