Bodyguards
bodyguard
Bodyguards lead very exciting lives don’t they? We’ve all seen them on the TV, protecting the rich and famous from the “paps” and deranged,uncontrollable fans, mixing with the world’s most beautiful and powerful people. Yes please, I’ll have a large portion of that, getting paid for swanning around the world keeping photographers at bay!
There’s no denying that being a bodyguard is appealing to many, but the above is rather a popular misconception of the role of a real bodyguard, thanks largely to the highly dramatized action movies which have been made about the profession. In reality, a large portion of the bodyguards working day is taken up with much more mundane matters; planning routes, pre-searching any rooms or buildings where their client will be visiting, looking into the background of the people whom their clients will have contact with and searching vehicles, as well as escorting their client during their day to day activities. Alright, alright, but how can you get to be a bodyguard?
Bodyguard Job Requirements
Bodyguards work long hours, that’s the first thing to remember, it ain’t no “9 to 5″ number, the people which need to be protected by bodyguards need protection 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so long shifts are often required including evenings, weekend and holidays. They might also need to move around a lot, depending on the type of client the bodyguard is working for. They do often need to follow their clients throughout their daily activities which means that they may have to travel between places of work, indoor office meetings, rallies, social events, concerts etc. Bodyguards may have to travel around by car, train, motorcycle, airplane, international travel is often required so it’s important that they have the relevant travel documents.
Bodyguards are needed in many different walks of life;
- Politicians
- Heads of state
- Military officials
- Celebrities, actors, singers, musicians
- Sports stars
- Business people
Bodyguards very often have a military background, coming from the armed forces, security services or the police. In some countries the bodyguards working for the head of state must be trained in their own military bodyguard training programs. What other qualities must a bodyguard have?
- Physically fit
- Good eyesight
- Good hearing
- Be observant – on constant lookout and aware of everything going on around them
- Look presentable
- Drivers license is often a pre-requisite, then the bodyguard can double up as the driver
- Background and criminal record checks
- Discreet – bodyguards often escort their clients throughout the day, and are sometimes privy to the private life of their client, as well as to the public life. Discretion, trust and maintaining confidentiality are a vital bodyguard trait.
- License or certification is required in some countries
Bodyguard Training
Bodyguards need to be able to work alone, as well as part of a bodyguard team. They need to be trained in;
- Firearms
- Unarmed combat
- First aid
- Tactical driving
- Protective escort
- Crowd control
- Searching for electronic devices (bugs) and explosives
- Conduct risk assessment
- Analyze potential weaknesses in security
They do say that a bodyguard needs to be willing to take a bullet for their client . . . does it still sound quite so appealing?
That didn’t look very glamorous, I’m sure we can do better than that . . .
That’s more like it!