Choosing A Close Protection Course Without Wasting Money

Close protection courses are expensive, and the marketing around them is often loud. Photos of armoured vehicles and promises of international contracts sell places. What actually matters is quieter: who is teaching, what you practise, and whether the course is honest about what happens next.

The core qualification

In the UK the starting point is the Level 3 close protection qualification that leads to an SIA Close Protection licence. It covers threat assessment, planning, operating as a team, vehicle movements, venue security and conflict management, along with a recognised first aid qualification at a higher level than door work.

Questions to ask before paying

• Who are the instructors and what have they actually done in the last few years?
• How much of the course is practical, and how much is sitting in a classroom?
• Is the medical training a serious trauma course or a tick-box certificate?
• What does the price include — exams, accommodation, first aid, the licence fee?
• Do they claim to guarantee work? If so, walk away.

After the course

The honest truth is that a new licence holder with no background finds the first contract hard to land. Most people build up through residential security, event work or corporate roles before regular protection work comes in. Those with military, police or specialist backgrounds usually move faster.

Once you have the licence, put your experience in front of employers in a way that shows what you have actually done, not just what you trained for.