So, you are thinking about getting into the security industry, right? Well, the first thing you will want to consider is the wage rate. After all, a job needs to pay. It’s the opportunity cost of your free time that you sell to an employer for a fee. And that’s your wage. But obviously, everyone wants to get as much as possible as they can.
If you are business savvy, you couldn’t start as a security guard, learn a lot, make some good connections, work and save hard – and you just might become a millionaire if you started your own security firm.
How much can I earn as a door supervisor or security guard?
You can expect to get around £10.64 per hour in England as a door supervisor and £9.47 per hour as a security guard as detailed by the job site Indeed. The Security Industry Authority has no influence in setting these wages as that’s just not the way things work these days.
Jump back to the 1970s in the UK, and the country was in a whole heap of trouble. Trade unions attempted to set wages and force firms to pay their workers a certain amount. Famously Maggie Thatcher set about breaking the trade unions and, in particular, the miner’s strike.
Wages are set in a capitalist society according to the supply and demand of people who have the skills to do that job and are also prepared to do it. As much as we might like to pay some people more, things just don’t work that way.
However, over recent years in an attempt to make “work pay”, the minimum wage has been introduced and has gradually been increased year upon year in line with inflation.
The minimum wage has stubbornly fallen around 50 pence short of the amount calculated by the government as the minimum amount required for a person to live on. The good news is that since the introduction of the national living wage in 2016, from 2021 if you are 23 or over, you will now qualify for at least the national living wage.
National Minimum Wage Rates from 2021
| National Living Wage | £8.91 |
| National Minimum Wage Age 23 and over | £8.91 |
| National Minimum Wage Age 21 and 22 | £8.36 |
| National Minimum Wage Age 18-20 | £6.56 |
Of course, at the SIA, they would love for people in the security industry to earn more. However, the average rates are above the national living wage, so if you are currently struggling on a job that is only paying you that – the great news – it will only take you a week to get yourself into the industry and start earning. Over one month, that could be over £300 more in your pocket. And if you are currently on the bare minimum you need, that’s sure to make a big difference to your standard of living. And if you are aged 18-20 and only getting £6.56 per hour, you’ll be able to benefit even more by a wage increase.
The great thing is you only need to spend around £180 on a course, and it only takes a week. Very few jobs have such a low barrier to entry and have such a big wage jump, all for the sake of a very short and easy to pass the course.
Take more courses and earn more
That’s not the end, though; there are plenty of ways to make very good money in the security industry by taking more courses. Check out this video with celeb bodyguard Olu Johnson. He jacked in a promising law career to work in this jet-setting industry for music industry stars such as the late Prince and supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.
The door supervisor course is a great way to join the security industry and earn extra money, perhaps on top of another full-time job you have during the week. With courses available to take all over the country or virtually from the comfort of your own home, we believe the SIA door supervisor is perfect for many people. Join this exciting industry and boost your career prospects by booking your place free of charge today.
Looking for jobs?
To find the latest security jobs, check out our Jobs Board, which has 1,000+ jobs from the UK’s best security companies.
If you’re on the hunt for a security job on the go, download the GuardPass app for all the latest jobs and more. The GuardPass App is available for download on the Apple App Store or on the Google Play Store.
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