Redundant, security work?

[smithy961]

Hi people got made redundant from the armed forces yesterday and looking into getting into the security sector. Anyone on here in that game? Anything I should know before training?

Came as a bit of a shock so any help would be great, thanks.

[domhnall]

Not my line at all but there's some good forces to business stuff on LinkedIn (I'm an employment support officer with TA so I am subscribed to a lot of those sort of discussions).

Good luck.

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[richie]

Sorry to here that mate. I'm MDP, but we're not recruiting for a while yet. I think MPGS or MPS might be, but no idea with regard to MGS.

If you want a security job, you may need to get your SIA licence first, or find a company who will do it as part of their training. Dare I say G4S do that as far as I'm aware..... not 100% sure.

Depending on what your trade was in the army, there are firms who will recruit ex HM forces to do security on ships to deter pirates in the warmer parts of the world..

British Transport Police are recruiting PCSO's if that of interest to you, better money than the security industry and some police forces will take you over as a PC after 12 months service as a PCSO.

Google is your friend for research mate, good luck, don't let the barstewards get you down.

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

My brother done his SIA. Work is normally short term contracts for gigs or just one or two nights a week. Plenty of micky mouse firms trying to mug him off. Only door work seems to pay reasonably, still not enough for him to want to put up with all the drunk prats though. He did have a cushy number at a local building site, nights, just sat in a shack thing doing hourly walks, was a bit boring though.

[sparks03]

Sorry to hear about losing your job dude.

Where about do you live? It may be worth checking your local force to see if they're taking on PCSOs/ Officers as its good money and seems to be a relatively stable career option. Plus I know a few ex-forces that have gone down that route. Better money and career prospects over uncertain work and dealing with dome heads

[smithy961]

Thanks guys, looking for more the ship/personal security stuff. Im currently in an army aviation role but have done plenty of tours and been out on the ground. Police is off as I was a naughty boy many many moons ago-shame, I'd of jumped at the chance. Will be going ahead with SIA as part of my resettlement package, I've heard there's plenty of dodgy firms out there so hoping to avoid these. Again, cheers for the info guys, I'm looking at it from a good perspective-fresh start!

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Depends on how naughty you were - you have since proved yourself to be an upright member of society by serving your country. Might be worth inquiring if you are interested in the police, they can only say no at the end of the day and you are no worse off. We are all allowed to make stupid mistakes when younger.

Good luck with which-ever route you choose.

[Macdemon]

Hi people got made redundant from the armed forces yesterday and looking into getting into the security sector. Anyone on here in that game? Anything I should know before training?

Came as a bit of a shock so any help would be great, thanks.

Sorry to hear about your redundancy smithy. :(

Especially after sooo many 'penpushing arseholes' received bonuses for increased performance.

Must be like being kicked in the teeth while you're down. :(

There is SOOOO much that's fundamentally wrong with this government when things like this happen.

Have remaining service personnel thought about new bombing missions yet???

May I suggest a terrace property in Downing Street!!!

[devonutopia]

Being near a marine commando centre, my work has the odd personal security client on their accounts books who have been there. They appear to make good money - typically I think I've seen daily rates for "maritime security" (above mentioned pirate target practice) of £500+.

Can't go into any kind of detail at all due to obvious reasons.

[Harry1212]

Hi people got made redundant from the armed forces yesterday and looking into getting into the security sector. Anyone on here in that game? Anything I should know before training?

Came as a bit of a shock so any help would be great, thanks.

I work in security, i've done nearly all types from door work, retail to static guarding (offices, building sites, etc). It took me just under 3 years to work my way up into a decent position, it's only worth getting into if you're serious about it

Doors - good fun, plenty of eye candy but difficult to find full time work. Most guys usually work 2 or 3 nights (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) but have day jobs during the week. The shifts are usually short, roughly 7-8 hours. Most firms used to pay £12-£13ph around the time i did it about 3 years ago but now it's closer to £10, some even pay as low as £8!. Question to ask yourself is, do you want to risk your life for that sort of money??

Retail - You have to pup with abuse and rude customers all day. Occasionly wrestle with drug addicts, get bitten by a 22 stone drug addict and spend a day in hospital receiving jabs (yep, that was me). Listen to sob stories and put up with supermarket managers in there early 20's who think they know it all. Could be good fun next year as Romania and Lithuania are joining the EU and they are the main offenders.

Most of the time it is fairly boring but can be enjoyable if you work as part of a team in places like large supermarkets or large department stores. The wges are fairly low but some places can pay up to £8. It's fairly easy to find work at places like Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco and i would suggest avoiding the smaller supermarkets because the smaller ones usually expect you to stand next to an entrance for 10 hours, larger ones have CCTV, multiple guards and you can relax a bit.

Static guarding - It's mainly night shifts, very long hours (average around 60 hours a per week), you're on your own for up to 14 hours at a time driving yourself crazy. You develop a weird fetish for torches and start collecting the brightest and most expensive ones on the market. Most guys just bring laptops and relax watching films or browsing the internet in between patrols.

It depends all on the site though, construction sites are the worst because you're usualy in a little cabin, it's freezing during the winter, scary noises outside making you jump every 2 minutes, you have to bring your own kettle, tea bags, spoons and anything else you require at most places.

Construction sites also pay the lowest, bang on minimum wage, £6.50 if you're luck, but there's plenty of hours so kind of makes up for it. Some sites can be quite risky due to metal theives and people trying to steal diggers that they can use to drive through the side of a bank.

But on the other hand, you could be working in a luxury office building, sitting at the reception desk watching TV, computer in front of you with Briskoda.net open, free hot drinks machine 10 meters away, heating/AC on, it's nice and secure, not much to worry about.

Festivals/events - I've only ever worked one but it's not something that many people including myself would recommend to anybody above the age of 20. The event that i worked was a Marathon in Birmingham and we got there the night before because they closed loads of roads to set up barriers and all that. I was basically stood on a street corner all night lol, i started at 10pm and was supposed to finish just before the marathon started at 11am, by then the next group of stewards were supposed to turn up. 11am came and only half of the guys turned up, so half of us were asked to stay and cover there shifts. In total, i was there for roughly 21 hours and i told myself "never again", think i slept for about 16 hours after that shift.

Being honest with you though, you would most likely have to start at the bottom and slowly build up the expierence, so be prepared for construction sites and crap retail stores where you are paid to stand next to an entrance.

Once you build up the expierence, it can turn into a decent career, CCTV operators, cash in transit and those type of roles pay quite well but you will need a few years under your belt before you go for those jobs.

[smithy961]

Interesting, thanks guys. I've got a wedge to spend on courses so there's a lot to think about. I've got my C+E and hazmat so could always fall back on some trucking but fancy something a little more challenging. I'd rather stay away from the static guard stuff ie building sites, tescos etc. I remember when I was a kid terrorising the guards on the local site just for laughs so not sure I'd fancy a bit of my own medicine

Funny thing is, a lot of the younger lads were all for the Tories a few years ago when they said about doubling the op tour bonus. I'm slightly older and remember the days of the Iron Lady so took it all with a pinch of salt. Turns out, yes they did double the bonus and give us some great kit but no good to you when they say, thanks but you won't be needing it anymore!!! The biggest kick in the teeth is the constant army recruiting ads on tv. God help anyone joining up now!!!

[domhnall]

We can still afford new missile subs for the navy

:(

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[smithy961]

I'm sure they'll come in very handy in the middle east!

[domhnall]

The Americans wouldn't let us nuke the middle east, if we did the nuclear winter that would result would destroy life in earth anyway.

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