Training and Skills You Need to Become a Bodyguard

by Kenneth Echie

The world we live in is becoming increasingly more dangerous by the day. The events of September 11, 2001 are perfect example. The resources and personnel of law enforcement agencies are stretched too thin. This has led individuals to look to bodyguards for security and protection. This need for bodyguards has resulted in career opportunities that are unheard of before. Many people are rushing to fill these career opportunities.

But, before you rush out and apply for the next bodyguard job, it is important you prepare yourself. You need to know the training and skills needed to become a bodyguard. In this article, I examine the training and skills you need to become a success as a bodyguard.

Bodyguard Training

The minimum educational requirement for a bodyguard is high school diploma. With this, you can attend schools that specialize in training bodyguards. After this training, you can then begin to apply for bodyguard jobs.

But, it must be pointed out that most bodyguards are ex law enforcement or military officers. This is not surprising. Ex law enforcement or military officers have the training and experience to do the job and do it very well. They have probably encountered most situations they will face in the job as bodyguards. In fact, they most likely have encountered more dangerous situations in their jobs as military or law enforcement officers.

Bodyguard Skills

It takes certain skills to become a bodyguard. It is important you know these skills before you start your career as a bodyguard. If you lack the skills, you will only end up doing a poor job. Doing a poor job is the last thing you need as a bodyguard. A poor job will give you a bad reputation in the business. Once you have this bad reputation, you are finished in the business. This is because the bad reputation will precede you on your next job interview.

Below are important skills I feel you need to become a successful bodyguard:

1. You must enjoy planning. Bodyguards have to plan out their clients’ movements.

Let’s take for example a bodyguard for a celebrity. A celebrity will normally attend a lot of events. The bodyguard must map out how the celebrity will arrive and leave events. He will find the best routes to follow. Along with this, is figuring out exit strategies in case of emergency.

2. You must have good people skills. The bodyguard job involves dealing with people. You need the skills to deal with people at different levels.

For example, you could be the bodyguard of a business executive. Your client will prefer you be able to hold intelligent conversation with his or her business partners and clients.