How much you willing to spend?

[sunray71]

This industry is full of catch 22 s if you dont do the training you havent the qualifications, if you do the training its proberly still not good enougth to get you the job you want, so we spend more money on courses and training to tip the scales in our favour. Thing being it still proberly not good enough plus now you will have to renew the training in three years time which is more exspence to you due to course costs and having time off to do them. This adds up if you have done cp, medical,firearms and Surveillance you seem to be training more than working, then end up doing a job for 10 ph which you could have done without half the training!

[Project 4 Solutions]

I have to agree with you jsider on this. With more and more people coming into the industry the onus is on the individual to keep on top of their game with their training in whichever field they wish to specialise. As we all know this industry is alot of jobbing from thing to thing, one week you're on a CP task, the next 2 a Surveillance gig, then you land a cheeky little maritime number followed by a couple of months on the doors. I think what we all have to remember is you have to try and keep one step ahead of each other, Training is very expensive and from what i make of it, you do this course or that course, then you need to advance your skill to the next level. Meantime something else you have qualified in is up for renewal. It is as you say a catch 22 and to be honest in all the money we do invest in our personal development, on alot of the jobs, we are being taken for a ride by the employers.

Some may say the only real money being made is by the trainers

It will be an interesting time coming into 09/10 when most operators will require, CP, Private Investigation/Surveillance, CCTV, Security Consultancy and maybe even CVIT licencing from tha sia just to stay in constant employment.

Maybe i've just got short arms and long pockets.

[Nomad]

Well to start off you are not doing it for the money especially in my situation in NZ. It has cost me probably $10k to fly to the UK and for a CP course for a net return for average event security of $16-20p/hr and not much chance of CP work in this territory. When you consider that in my other contract work I can earn $40p/hr plus, financially it is not a great move.

It was quoted on a UK careers site a year ago an average first years earnings was around £18k. I was earning £22k with a company car and pension fixing vending machines! Unless you are going high risk or lucky enough to pick up a good contract early on there are other careers that can pay more for less hours.

My conclusion is that most are not really doing it for the money, if they were they would have spent the money training in a different arena to gain a better first year return especially if you are not interested in HE work. Its the variety and challenge of the work that probably attracts people to the industry as well as that pot of gold contract that will set them on the road to a far more interesting life.

[fbg]

As a Surveillance trainer can I just say that the basic course teaches you just that the basics then as you get work you will learn more and more from the old sweats. Now to get the work is the thing, it really is a case of who you know not what you know in this industry.
I never promise students work but I do use the good ones or pass their details on to others in the industry if I am asked.
Some times surv work goes mad and you can be screaming for people, last summer I was desperate for bodies to put on the ground, but so was a lot of other people. Here we are in Feb and its relatively quiet with only work about for the old sweats. Hang on in there and you will get your turn.
FBG

[Bradburys]

Until people get known on the curcuit then it really is a challenge to get a 'foot in the door' & alot of it does come down to 'who you know' not 'what you know' as FBG says, but this isn't great for people starting out in the industry that may struggle with networking initially, this is why many people (especially new starters in the industry) look to gain formal qualifications to stand a better chance of gaining employment or contracts from clients, but to gain a good amount of knowledge from training courses can be costly with different courses around covering different aspects of Surveillance (rural, driving, foot, ECS, etc,etc) & then improved courses being made available thereafter, & then you may gain employment somewhere down the line after but alot of companies that employ their own staff full time only tend to pay £10-£15phr at the most & after all the money that may have been spent on training you may want a better return for your time spent. It really is a difficult one.

I personally think that the 'real experience' is gained out on the ground working alongside other good officers/operatives who have the experience & can show you the ropes, this experience really does put formal qualifications in it's place as there really is no substitute for 'real life experience'.

[medlina]

In discussions held with the industry, before the Act came into force, the politicians stated that the sia would be self-financing, mainly through licensing fees.
That's why they continue to flood all sectors with endless numbers of newly trained people.Training and licensing newbys is their financial bread and butter.So much for raising standards and improving rates/conditions.I now earn less than I did in the 1980's.