Some people probably aren’t aware that there are rules and licenses and regulations that have to be met for anyone to work as a security guard in the state of California. Unarmed security guards are no exception to this despite being the cheapest and most readily available type of security guard on the market. There are rules and regulatory bodies that are in charge of making sure that people working in security have their licenses and that everything is up to date.
So what kind of training do these people undertake in order to pursue these careers? Well, unarmed security guards are the most basic type of security guard. Their training often only includes that which is required by the state and some additional training that may be provided by the company that hires them. It all starts with getting a background check as there are requirements that must be met for you to be in security.
The next step is to enroll in a course. There are a lot of courses that you can enroll in, usually for a fee. These courses are long and at least the first 8 hours are required in order to even start working. The rest can be done while you work for a private security company. the long and short of the whole thing is that you’re required to do 40 hours of training in order to get your Guard Card. This is essentially your license to be a security guard in the state of California.
So you not only have to attend these courses (some of which are available online) but you also have to pass any of the associated examines, which there are many. You not only have to pass these exams but you have to do so with a perfect score. There’s no way around this so if you’re considering getting your guard card you had better study up. Everyone else working in security has done this so you can too.
Once you do your first 8 hours (assuming you were hired by a private security company) you can start working. This doesn’t mean you can shirk your responsibilities that you have to get your guard card. Instead, you’ll then have another 6 months to complete the remaining 32 hours of training. However, an unarmed guard can get additional training if they want also become a mobile patrol security guard.
There are a few other minor things you’ll have to like getting fingerprinted but none of that is left up to your ability. It’s just something that you have to do. If a guard were to want additional training in order to carry a weapon (gun, pepper spray, baton, etc) then they will need additional courses depending on what kind of weapon they want to carry.
Beyond the basic, for unarmed guards, others that are looking to work in specialty division like a bodyguard or firewatch will most likely receive additional training from the company overseeing them. all of this though is often left to the company that oversees the specific guards and each company is quite different.
