So You want to be a Bodyguard?
Then let me start by helping out. The politically correct phrase these days is not "bodyguard" but personal protection specialist, executive protection specialist or close protection operative, depending on your place of training and other preferences. There can be no better time than this, if you want to excel in this charismatic business. Almost all the elite soldiers that crowded the trade just a few years back, has gone to Afghanistan or Iraq, providing personal protection for major corporations or the governments in the same countries. The ones that are not working there, used to, and are trying to recuperate. Actually, YOU might have a chance down there as well. The security companies prefer former Elite soldiers, but some of them are so short on staff, that they'll take whoever can handle a gun safely and stay alive in these hostile areas. If you fancy getting some training first, take care. The many so-called schools will promise you the world just to get your money. Don't rely on one training form alone. Take two or more courses from two to three different schools. Read a lot and don't just stick to the hand-outs and bodyguard manuals the schools provide. Read up on terrorism, criminology, psychology, Risk/threat analysis, ballistics, social etiquette, advanced driving, first aid/medicine and improvised explosive devices. You have to be physically fit. Both fast and strong. When not reading, get some serious training from a martial arts school. Preferably a school with a hands-on approach. Krav Maga, Thai boxing and Wing Tsun are popular with many personal protection specialists. Weapons handling- and recognition is also important. Get some practice on a shooting range. Combat shooting should be the preferred training method. After you've graduated from a Personal protection school, take some classes in business administration and sales. What good is all the above knowledge, if you cannot get a contract or maintain a good sound business? Remember that a positive attitude is the key to all success! No one ever succeeded by saying: I can't! ? The same goes for this profession ? a "can do" approach will get the job done, and the clients know this. This is also true when it comes to staying alive in general. If you should fail the first objective of a personal protection specialist: to avoid a confrontation with an adversary, fight to win! ? don't stop to think about it, just fight fiercely. Before you go ahead and start your glorious career you'd better clear things with your family. They'll see you a lot lesser than they ever did. Even the training is probably far away and so hard that you'll have no energy left to call home. But it's an exiting job. One day you may be driving around with a CEO, making sure that none of he's former employees attack him. The day after you'll have to go to Aruba while protecting some actor and after a week of sun you are back in your home city protecting a battered woman testifying against her psychotic ex-spouse. Or you could join the crew in the Middle East protecting corporate executives against mujahedeen or Taliban. There are so many possibilities. That is IF you can stay focused and keep training/learning while looking for contracts. You can spend an easy $ 2500 on bodyguard training, $ 500 on first aid and IED courses and another $ 500 on firearms training. It's an expensive career to start in, so you have to be TOP MOTIVATED. Oh, by the way; when you have done all of the above, mail me your resume! Henrik Bramsborg is the managing director of Bramsborg Security & safety, a security company based in Denmark. Henrik is a stalking - and surveillance detection specialist and the author of several Danish books on security. Henrik is also an experienced instructor in personal protection, having trained NATO S-FOR forces, police officers, correctional facility officers and private bodyguards. He holds a management degree and is furthermore a certified motivation instructor. Bramsborg Security & Safety, http://www.bramsborg.com, have been quoted or profiled in several Danish media as the "Danish stalking experts". | | | | RELATED ARTICLES Before You Begin, Know What To Expect - How You Can Make a Living Proof Reading From Home Proof reading from home is an excellent way to make money, right? How hard and challenging can it be to do some editing after all? Dissatisfied With Your job? Stop Trying To Go It Alone! Being dissatisfied with your job is a cycle, a very long and undesirable cycle. Here's how it goes: A Career With The FBI Do you have what it takes to become an FBI special agent? Do you have a sincere desire to enforce federal laws and investigate crimes? Dont Quit Your Day Job! Convincing Your Boss To Let You Telecommute (Part 2 of 2) Ok, so you've determined that you have the right skills and qualities todo your job effectively from home. You're sure that your job is wellsuited to telecommuting. Now you just need your boss to agree that thisis a great idea, but how? Take Charge of Your Job Search: 12 Steps to Success Despite what many people may say, a job search does not have to be an unpleasant experience. There are those people who choose to take charge of the process, who actually find the process to be very rewarding and stimulating. Conducting a job search is in many ways a self discovery process and an opportunity to put your true endurance and attitude skills to the test. History Reports: When Your Resume Equals, I Did This, I Did This, I Did This Do these sound familiar? Inside Sales Jobs: A Job Worth Seeking? Are you interested in inside sales as a career? Inside sales can be a very rewarding job if you so choose. What is the difference between inside and outside sales positions? If you think the difference is staying out of the sun, read on and discover if or why an inside sales job could be for you. Searching for Employment Searching for a job can be a daunting and confusing task for anyone, whether he or she is just entering the job market, looking for a better job or find him or herself without a job after several years with one employer. A job search can be successful when the person looking for a job knows exactly what they should and should not do when looking for a new job. Once a person has located a job that they desire, the applicant needs to get their resume ready and avoid the most common mistakes that job seekers make while looking for a job. Considering a Career Change? Are you thinking about a career change? Many people do this because of specific problems or difficulties. Others want to make such a change because of some growing, generalized dissatisfaction. A career change is becoming more common. A few decades ago this kind of change was considered inappropriate. People were thought to be "job-hoppers" when they moved from job to job. People with this behavior were thought to be unstable and without loyalty. But now, changing your job or changing your career is generally considered to be a normal way to advance in work. Taking a Survival Type Job Is Good For You. Ugh! Arg! How can a survivor type job be good for me?I'm barely hanging on to what I found and at minimumwage. (I have been promised a ten cent an hour increasein one month). Your Goals Must Be Within Your Reach  Overcoming the 7 Roadblocks Women with Families Face Making Career Changes Family is the driving force of our lives. You need family to support you and in most homes you need money to support your family. You work to support your family but you usually end up spending little time with them because of your 9-5 job. According to a Gallop poll 70% of Americans hate their jobs. Recruiters for MSN or Data Miners? Is Kenexa recruiting for Microsoft or just mining for data? Outsmart Other Job Seekers by Showing These 5 Key Strengths Getting an appointment for an interview these days is an accomplishment. It indicates that you have a good resume, and/or that networking has paid off. Bravo. Now for the all-important in-person phase of the process. The Executive Resume - Moving Beyond Accomplishments There is a major difference between conventional resumes and executive resumes. Accomplishments are usually the center point of a conventional resume (i.e., indicating how much money was saved, how sales increased, what processes were proposed, planned, initiated, implemented, or streamlined). The executive resume, on the other hand, has more than one focus. It alludes to the executive's ability to drive profits (accomplishments) and the capacity to lead (that is, to blend various "soft" skills) an organization. Telecommuting Website (Part Two) Last article I discussed why a telecommuter would benefit from starting a website, and what you should include on the website. This article, I'm going to cover how to market the website and the basics of getting one set up. Don?t Discount the Temporary Position Interview If you think, 'it's just an interview for a temp job -- no big deal,' that's where you're mistaken. Some wonderful opportunities, networking connections and careers have resulted from temporary positions. Interview Tips - Ten Top Dos & Donts for Winning Interviews In this day and age it can become increasingly difficult to even get your foot in the door and get an interview; once you've accomplished that you will want to make sure you continue to put your best foot forward and nail the interview as well. Unfortunately, as great as their skills, experience and education are; the interview is where many people lose a job opportunity to their competition. Understanding what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in an interview are critical to receiving a job offer. What Me? Lie On My Resume? Who Will Know? The temptation to lie on a resume is great! How can it hurt if I stretchthe truth a bit? Employers see lots of resumes. How are they going toknow who lies and who doesn't? Resume Formats ... The Hidden Pitfalls Deciding on a resume format is the first major decision to be made when creating your resume. The overall look of your resume depends on the resume format, font and outline you choose.
|