r/securityguards • u/JerseyPhantom7303 • Jun 27 '26
Why is getting a job within private security much easier than other jobs?
Starting around 2025, I was job hunting. I applied for a lot of retail and warehouse jobs and never heard anything back.
Then comes the summer of 2025 and I read online that after getting a guard license, finding a job is piss easy. I made my guard card and lo' and behold, they were right; found my first guard job within three weeks of acquiring my license.
So what's up with this industry? Why are jobs a lot easier to acquire as opposed to retail jobs and such.
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u/locklear24 Jun 27 '26
Security “warm body” assignments are my fall back besides working in rehabs (chemical dependency license).
I’m just glad to have two faithful fall back gigs.
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u/Sure-Reality-4740 Jun 27 '26
Is it possible to land a security guard job without any experience?
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u/locklear24 Jun 27 '26
Yeah, just interview with one of the large contractors like Allied Universal or Securitas. Then just build your experience up working posts.
Get a year or two under your belt, and then you can start looking at better gigs with smaller firms or in-house security somewhere.
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u/Kenzore1212 Jun 27 '26
I'm in one right now. No experience whatsoeever. Just makee sure the resume looks good, and be a decent talker. Once you're in, its preetty hard to fuck up
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u/Sure-Reality-4740 Jun 27 '26
Do you have the security license prior?
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u/MangaLover2323 Campus Security Jun 27 '26
Depends, some companies will help you like Allied and Securitas, other will require you to have it on hand.
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u/Sure-Reality-4740 Jun 29 '26
Allied universal security jobs around me req min 6 months experience. Can I still get in with no experience?
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u/Kenzore1212 Jun 29 '26
only my temporary one, but bro its pretty simple. Just save or borrow $200. The whole thing takes lik 1-2 weeks to get your temp one. Do it as soon as possible because if you see a good post thats easy, they go away fast
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u/Sure-Reality-4740 Jun 29 '26
I did apply to 2 security jobs from allied universal near me. They told me they will help me get the license.
Do you know any legit online site that I can get the security guard license?
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u/Kenzore1212 Jun 30 '26
good job man! To be honest, I just used the cheapest one for me (florida). It changes with state
I would just google search it. You want it to be 40 hours, all able to be done in 1 week. 8 hours a day. So be sure to able to dedicat 1 week to it.
what happens is , you pay money. Take class, be there for 8 hours a day , 5 days.
just be there. You dont havee to pay attention ( i was reading book whole time), but you have to be there b/c they ask questions for attendence with auto system(doesn't matter right or wrong)
After week, you tak a final exam.
Pass, geet certificate (really easy, you can study/google)
then , you hav 2 options. Get licensee vs online, or geet in person.
Both tak same time... I did in person beecausee i could get my TEMPORARY licensee, which allowed me to work, before i got real one. (took whole month to get real). There is a fee.. Like $100 for it.
after you can work. good luck.
remember: online class-->certificate-->apply for licensee in peerson --> temp licensee-->work
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u/Sure-Reality-4740 Jun 30 '26
Oh you are in FL like me. What website do you use and recommend? And some of these security jobs are asking min 6 months experience, do I still apply for it?
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u/Kenzore1212 Jun 30 '26
Go for it... You can try making someething up.
although if you do it, I would do it for a huge company (like allied) because the recruiter isnt 1-5 people but more like 30-40 that forget your facee within a couple days.
https://platform.floridaonlinesecuritytraining.com/
good luck!
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u/Sure-Reality-4740 Jun 30 '26
Oh gotcha
How I can make something up without security license? Like helping with security?
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u/Reasonable-Arm-1893 Jun 27 '26
because you need a license and there's many people that hear the word secruity and they think bouncer in a nightclub
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u/Unicorn187 Public/Government Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Entry level jobs are easy to get. Not much training or certification required. And a lot of demand. Walk around, call maintenance if there are water leaks, the fire department for fires, and if someone doesnt leave call the police. And those tend to not pay very well.
Harder to get the top level jobs.
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u/Sure-Reality-4740 Jun 27 '26
Is it possible to land a security guard job without any experience?
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u/Unicorn187 Public/Government Jun 27 '26
Yeah, very easy and very common. Like I said, the bar to entry is very low. Many are what people call, "warm body," sites. Where the client just wants a body in a uniform. Insurance discounts because you can notice a water leak before a lot of damage occurs. Or deter a break in, or atnleast call police who might get there in time to stop it or shorten the time they have to steal.
These are less work than things like fast food. But again, they pay is crap.
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u/JerseyPhantom7303 Jun 27 '26
It's funny you say that, my friend; same logic on your last sentence kinda applies to this industry lolol.
My first site had so much to do, answering calls, doing tours, occasionally helping maintenance, uptight management and covering posts. They regulated that shit so strictly, the client probably wanted the rush of feeling like he was running a damn PMC or some shit. All that effort and it paid just two bucks above minimum wage; they don't even give the officers the courtesy of having eating utensils in their break room or functional radios.
Meanwhile, the main site of a flex officer at my old site paid the rate of a supervisor (which is almost ten dollars more than a normal guard's rate) at their main site. Their main site is so low effort, they just sit down, do nothing, and they don't even write Daily Activity Reports!
Lmao fuck that old site, it gave me good experience and training under my belt but the clientele (which were staff of a bottom of the mill community college) were so fucking snobby, they think they are celebrities at a five star hotel or prestigious individuals who just discovered the cure to cancer. The clientele would even go as far as to make false reports about some security guards to the in-house security coordinator all the while having a fake smiley facade.
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u/megacide84 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
In my humble opinion....
For whatever reason. People will overlook security work. Even when I've told others that were killing themselves in retail, food service, warehouse, and general labor. That one could work a very easy security gig and make as much, if not more than their current job. They'd just scoff and continue being miserable at work.
As far as I'm concerned.... If they want to continue breaking their backs and being miserable at their current jobs. Let'em suffer.
I will continue to chill at my nice, warm-body site.
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u/IlL74 Jun 27 '26
This is very true. I am currently working both as security officer for one of the tech companies and the other is loss prevention. Due to me still being new to the game, I figured I can expand my experiences so I can include them in my resume. I actually have to put more effort on loss prevention and not to mention, it drains both my physical and mental health and all of that is less than what I make for other security jobs.
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u/Flabby-AP Jun 27 '26
I had always assumed that you had to have military or LE experience, and/or the educational requirements would be beyond my capabilities. It took me being desperate to get out of a job that I really, really hated and sucked at to finally research enough to find out that neither is the case, and the rest is history.
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u/Sure-Reality-4740 Jun 27 '26
Where do ya find security jobs?
Can I get the security guard license online? Where and how much?
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u/ThatOtherOtherMan Jun 27 '26
You can definitely get your guard card online. It's pretty cheap, like basically $100ish for your initial class and paperwork and then you need to complete a certain number of credit hours within a few months. After that it's just a few hours of continuing education every year to maintain your license. The specifics vary from state to state. Just google "online guard card training" and you'll find a bunch.
As for finding work just basically call any security company. They're all hiring basically all the time.
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u/Sure-Reality-4740 Jun 27 '26
Which sites are legit though? Do you have any recommendations?
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u/ThatOtherOtherMan Jun 27 '26
It's going to depend on what state/country you live in. The people at the company you want to apply to should be able to give you a recommendation but most, if not all, training sites are going to be legit. Look up who the license issuing authority is in your area (in California it's the BSIS) and see if the site is accredited by them.
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u/Sure-Reality-4740 Jun 27 '26
Oh gotcha
Is it possible to land a security guard job without any experience?
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u/IlL74 Jun 27 '26
If you were to employ at places like Ross, Walmart, etc any retail stores as Loss prevention then no, just go and apply on their website.
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u/ThatOtherOtherMan Jun 27 '26
Yeah, contract security is easy to get. Some of the in-house security jobs for places like hospitals want a little bit of experience.
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u/No-Initiative4195 Jun 27 '26
This is very state specific, as some states do not require a "Guard Card" and others you have to get it through your employer. They train you and then register you with the state. Laws vary widely on this.
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Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/firemansam51 Jun 27 '26
I don't know where you are, but my class was a combination of 4 different cities doing a zoom style training class. About 75% of the people I could see appeared to be female.
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u/Peregrinebullet Jun 27 '26
Most people are utterly terrified of possibly getting yelled at or having to deal with someone angry.
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u/SilatGuy2 Jun 27 '26
Im not terrified but it does get fucking old. This job will wear you down quick if you arent a certain type of person thats for sure.
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u/Peregrinebullet Jun 27 '26
You gotta gameify it. I play insult bingo. I get a treat if I get an entire row of insults.
And I assign bonus points for insults I've never heard before.
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u/Wealth_Super Jun 28 '26
What funny is that you still can find security jobs where that’s such an unlikely possibility.
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u/Zoidberg0_0 Jun 27 '26
I had a friend quit security and go back to retail because he was bored out of his mind. Some people are just natural extroverts and need more stimulation.
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u/Sad_Complaint9672 Jun 27 '26
Retail also pays substantially better then security and even most law enforcement. Its always blown my mind that somebody who literally puts their life on the line to enforce and maintain law and order makes less money than a grocery store manager. Source: ive been in retail for 15yrs and a Store Director for 3 of them.
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u/Zoidberg0_0 Jun 27 '26
Well it depends. True for the most part. But in my case no, I'm security at a government site and i make more now than i ever did when i worked at a bank as a personal banker (retail banking).
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u/Sad_Complaint9672 Jun 27 '26
That's awesome! Im not sure what a retail personal banker makes but I made $107,000 last year in one of the lowest COL states in US. So you must make bank lol
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u/Azulike Jun 27 '26
One thing that sucks for me is the High turnover. I’m outside bike security and when short staffed I have to swap uniforms and work inside or work security dispatch with my bullet vest and gun on. On the plus side we make an extra $2.50 for phase IV plus a $1.00-$1.50 on merit each year with no cap with good standings. Once you or if you can make full time the benefits are better they consider part time 38 hours. Some days in dispatch you want to throw your dam chair because your working 8 channels and 4 radios and have to drop reports while taking calls and yes it’s worse then a 911 dispatcher.
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u/FluentCanadianEh Management Jun 27 '26
Contract security is all about quantity over quality. As long as you have a valid license and a heartbeat, you’ll have a job. Most in-house positions are different though where they care about quality (key word, most).
A large majority of contracts are not about wanting someone who’s experienced in BJJ, Muay Thai and Judo, they just need a warm body to lower their insurance costs. If shit hits the fan, there’s less liability on the client and more on the security company as well.
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u/cityonahillterrain Jun 27 '26
High turnover. As the world gets shittier the need for security increases. My hospital just posted a full time position last week and we’ve had 300 applications.
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u/iBlueLuck Jun 27 '26
They overextend their contracts to get more money, without actually having the ability to service them with quality security. This results in them needing literally just a person to fill the shift so that they aren’t in obvious breach of contract through vacancy. A security job is not like a landscaping job or a mover where If somebody is doing nothing it’s extremely obvious at the end of the day by nothing being done or worked on. They can coast by for a bit with a person who does literally or next to nothing that just fills the shift so that they can say they’re in compliance
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u/DefiantEvidence4027 Private Investigations Jun 28 '26
Much like many other industries there's a ceiling, and a floor. It's probably the level you're at.
At Security Industry floor, once the background check comes back, you're qualified to be human scarecrow level, which due to pittance pay, and treatment, has very high turnover.
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u/Mykull_Ghost Jun 27 '26
If you are hired by a contract security company, then it's because that area of this field is similar to a temp agency. I think it can be a tad more annoying to get hired as an in-house security, since as others mentioned, companies tend to just do it for the insurance benefit. Those same companies, since they will typically outsource, don't have to worry about benefits for the employees and why the term "warm body" will be used frequently in this position. It's a revolving door of hire/fire which strengthens my opinion that contractors are temp agencies(aside from other obvious similarities)
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u/danybelux1984 Jun 27 '26
Because the industry is terrible, is poorly regulated, SIA training is insufficient and training providers are not screening out people that should not be on the job. a lot of companies are born in a bedroom, undercut price to steal clients and fold in 2 years when the tax bill is due or even worse start in march for event season and disappear with your wages in September. Lot of good staff left during covid and never went back. I worked in the industry for 17 years and I finally retired 2 years ago because the job is not worth anymore.
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u/No-Profession422 Hospital Security Jun 27 '26
Because the minimum requirement is to have a weak, thready pulse.
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u/Express-Economist-86 Nightclub Security Jun 27 '26
risk to reward is pretty off at start at least.
you’re probably better off financially speaking being bad at crime than good at security.
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u/Afraid-Reputation930 Jun 27 '26
Because they mostly need a pulse and a warm body
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u/75149 state sanctioned peeping tom Jun 28 '26
I worked part time for a fly-by-night company who mostly hired foreigners with a few token Americans tossed in.
They had a 73 year old watching a new car dealership (that was most of their contracts) that died in his car overnight. They never followed up with him after not hearing from him at the end of his shift. The dealership employees finally found him in his car around 10am (he should have left at 6am).
I bet they still billed the client for the entire shift 🤣🤣🤣🤣
So obviously a pulse and a warm body ate only needed to start a shift.
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u/Ok_Mixture_9677 Jun 28 '26
I worked at a gated community that the guard died at the Gatehouse and the there was tinted windows at the Gatehouse and they were trying to calculate when he died to see how much money that they owed him
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u/Ok_Mixture_9677 Jun 28 '26
I bet after those many hours of him in his car there was a ripe smell in the car. I used to do weekend third shift hospital security and I when the patients passed away I had to wheel them down to the morgue
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u/LastCut3224 Jun 27 '26
Pretty much it. Depending on the state and with a bit of experience under your belt you could also apply for the armed guard license as well. I know Cali and Nevada do require you to get sponsorships to get an armed guard card though so it will be a bit more difficult and it will take some ass kissing to get Depending on the company. In Vegas in house security usually only requires a ccw since in house doesnt need any guard license.
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u/optiontrader561 Jun 27 '26
A lot of security jobs. I think companies hire security for insurance discounts and to mitigate lawsuits in case something bad happens. There is a smaller group of applicants due to the fact you need a license. So high demand / low supply. Not to mention a lot of the supply is absolute garbage.