Being a bodyguard can be one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, even more dangerous than law enforcement sometimes. A bodyguard or sometimes referred to as a close protection officer/operative is a security guard who protects a person or a group of people. These folks are often known as the “VIP” or “VIPs”. Most people think of bodyguards protecting government officials such as leaders, ministers, ambassadors but also athletes and celebrities often hire bodyguards.
Obviously, the level of danger will change with the type of client you’ll be protecting. For example, protecting a celebrity in Hollywood is going to be a lot safer than protecting a head of state in the Middle East. It’s also important to know that bodyguards don’t just guard a person, there is a lot more to the job than that.
Bodyguards are expected to always been planning where the VIP is going to be and then identify threats based off that. They are often responsible for coming up with a plan to a location, a route back and alternative routes should a threat occur. In a majority of cases the bodyguard will also be the driver.
If it’s still something you’d like to consider you should know that bodyguards need to have several key skills and traits. Much like law enforcement you should be in good physical health with some strength to you. You should be a team player who is detail-oriented and high adaptable to the situation. Bodyguards also need to have good communication skills and excellent situational awareness.
If this is still something that interests you than you should consider getting formal security training. There are many agencies and colleges that offer training programs which will offer at least some training and accreditation to get you into the field. You should also consider additional training for various aspects of the job such as firearms training and martial arts training.
From there you can apply for basic bodyguard or security jobs, most will be entry level at the start. From there you can start to gain trust of employers and be referred to other jobs. Alternatively, getting into law enforcement or military will help build connections in the industry that can be used to expand out into bodyguard work.
Ben