Not just a door supervisor....

[80085]

Thought this might give people a rough insight .....

Firstly you need to get training, quick two day course - which is the very basic you need to get DS licence. Some role play, if your lucky some restraint training, you get to watch a video answer multiple choice questions, bobs your uncle youv'e passed and sia application in post. Three months later if your lucky, your licence arrives, by that time you have had no further experience other than the course you have been on, by which probably some of it you cant remember....

So here goes...

Finish day job, get home scoff, shower get changed drive an hour back to work.
Usually its a 20:00 start. Get to venue, check out fire exits make sure staff not blocked them with bins, rubbish etc no sleeping tramps thinking the fire exit is a good B & B! Get rigged up with raidos etc sort our duties.

Doors open, first customers, a friendly welcome, some already drunk... Ask for ID, (they look about 12 with heels, belts and make up) Refused entry no ID, "I am over 18 honest",
No ID no entry sorry folks. Torrent of abuse foul language, to follow you know the sort ppl.

First flow of smokers come out, you have to keep them away from blocking the entrance and stop them from sneaking their pints and bottles out onto street... and trust me they will try their hardest to take their drink out and give you the most bizzare excuses...oh and then you get asked to babysit the drink - definately noo..

Steady stream of customers, shout over comms, two lads squaring up to each other. Run up stairs to assist, restrain and remove from building. 20 minutes later they come back, "err is it ok to come in again mate" Politely refuse then spend 10 minutes politely explaining why....eventually they walk away fall over down the kirb in the process.

In between, doing toilet checks looking and listening out for anything suspicous, checking toilet, and out of the one cubicles stroll three ladies - ask them to stop whilst I check systern lid and toilet seat, then ask them to accompany me down stairs for them to volunteer to empty pockets to find one little bag of white stuff...

Politely ask them to leave, and not return. Fill out paper work and put in collection box...

People on the street walking by asking directions to other venues, and numbers for taxis. Politely point in correct direction of taxi rank 100 yrds down the road... (one venue where I work, I will actually telephone taxis for customers)

By now your feet are prob aching, your cold and you wished you had stayed in or gone out on lash yourself, only another 4 hours to go...


A few more refusels, too intoxicated - (yes it is in fact illegal to let a drunk person buy alchohol or gain entry into a venue that has a licence to sell alchohol) So in fact by stopping them from paying to get in you are loosing the venue money...

Rest of the evening goes without any trouble. Last orders are called... kicking out time. its 03:10 hrs and still a few stragglers, not wanting to leave the comfort of the venue or the last dripps of whatever it is in the bottom of their glass... trying to prise them out. Last sweep of venue, toilet check - make sure no one is asleep collapsed in cubicle or has head down the pan...

All clear 03:30hrs, time for home...

That being quite a quiet evening, sometimes it can be worse. A few months ago a girl had an arguement with her boyfriend and decided to use her keys to slice her wrists, out side the venue.

You are there for other peoples safety, to make sure that those having a good time do so, and is not spoilt by other peoples ignorance and drunkeness. Anyone can be a door supervisor, It takes many qualities to make a good one. Its not just braun, you need understanding, tact and the ability to communicate...Sometimes your expected to be a mindreader... You are the first and last point of contact. The first person they will come to if they have lost their keys and wallet. The person whose shoulder to cry on with their drunken troubles, and the last person to see them leave in rather drunken state...

Are You still interested in being a Door Supervisor...

[sam827]

ermmmmmmm yes

[mally]

thanks for the insight, a good read!

[silent]

A good in depth report on 'a day in the life of......'. Nice one lildev!! You forgot the part where the door supervisor then chats up the barstaff, the really drunk punter, the local bobby, the ambulance staff etc etc etc lol but then perks are perks.
I know what you are saying though....... good doorstaff are a must! Under-rated by the public and not appreciated by the site managers or the police.
Good post!

[Nomad]

Excellently written

[littlewoman]

Its a four day course though. 2 days legal stuff, drugs awareness etc. 2 days role play. Just to be clear, control and restraint is not part of the standard course, so if you do it on the course you are lucky.

Also, there is a vast difference in venues. This account is typical of many venues, but some venues don't have radios, some you will have no experienced people and no-one who can handle themselves in a fight. Some managers want you to let everyone in as long as they can pay and they will get you the sack if you don't let in people that are drunk, under age etc. Some venues will not ban troublemakers. Some are vastly understaffed.
So the job itself is incredibly varied depending on the venue your at and the team (or lack of) that you work with.

[80085]

When I did my course it was only two days, back in 2004 - so its probably changed since then. It was only an account of what one evening of many could be like, obivously it will be diifferent at each venue, as will the people who go there, work in it and manage it.

I have also worked in venues where there no radios available, the management difficult and other members of the team darn right useless, and have no right being there - let alone hold a door supervisors licence.

As I said previously if you get restraint training you are lucky, I choose to undertake extra training at my expense. Which I attend There is no requirement for anyone to do so.

The job is very varried and you can only give a basic job description, you would be writing forever an essay accounting for different scenarios. I thought it wold just give a basic account of what it might be like.
Regards

[littlewoman]

sia course is 4 days, if you got your license on a 2 day course then you would have been accredited with previous training. This was done in the early days of licensing when people had done local authority courses but I don't think it happens now.

I wasn't being critical of your account by saying how much the job varied, just trying to let others know how varied it is. I've seen many people on another forum criticise others because they don't realise that some venues don't have radio's, head door person etc. Doorwork is as varied as working in a shop, there's everything to the small corner store to the big venues, well run places, badly run places, places that get respectable clients (that aren't so respectable when they've been drinking) to ones that cater for scrotes.

[80085]

Yes totally agree with you, some people go in blind and blinkered.

[Hawk]

Hm, 2 day course?
We have 2 weeks...
And sometimes you will feel like youre brain *censored**censored**censored**censored*d!
Another downside is the court hearings, and the private life..!!!
Everyone else is drunk getting laid and you are in constant battle with ongoing arguments, and all thease retards where do they come from, and why is the fullmoon the worst night ever to work in?
Well some huge questions to think of hehe....

hawk