There are two types of doormen in the UK. Some consider themselves free agents who fill in door supervisor openings when they arise. Others prefer steady jobs as doormen and seek out permanent employment at clubs, hotels, and office buildings. For the former of these, agencies exist in the UK that target companies and buildings who need professional, qualified doormen.
Should you join a door supervisor (or security) agency, you can expect to work for a series of customers. But is this necessarily a benefit? Let’s look at how joining one of these agencies can help or hinder your career success.
The pros
It’s a great way to start off your career
For doormen who have little to no experience, joining an agency is a great way to get headway in your career without actually investing yourself too much into one company.
It’s perfect for freelance door supervisors
This direction in your career means that you will always be somewhat of a drifter. If freelancing is your idea of having more control over your hours and your career in general, then joining a door supervisor agency may be perfect for you.
Regular clients may request you regularly
If you do a great job, regular clients will begin to grow accustomed to your efficiency and request you again in the future. It’s awesome building up great relationships with clients—even though you will never work for them on a full-time basis.
It saves you a lot of time on job searching
If you are signed up with an agency, they will do the job searching for you. This comes at a fee of course, but ultimately you can spend more time working and less time searching for available jobs out there.
There’s a certain level of worker’s protection
In a sense, your best interests are guarded by the agency you belong to. If there are any labour issues, legal problems, or disagreements of any kind, your agency will act as a go-between for you and the company involved.
The cons
You may end up getting paid slightly less
Because there’s a fee charged by the agency to the clients that hire you, you may end up getting slightly lower rates than you’d get if you worked full-time. This is for the time and effort agencies invest in finding decent positions for you, so it’s up to you whether you feel the sacrifice is worth it or not.
There’s very little opportunity for growth
You’ll never be able to stay long enough in one place to be promoted in any sense. Although this does not matter to some door supervisors, others may see this as a serious hindrance to their career goals.
Your vast experience won’t count in your favour
As a freelancer you’ll be spending a lot of time working for different companies. This will give you loads of experience. But most of this experience may end up being wasted, since you’ll never be able to develop your skills in one setting.
You will never really feel settled
Now depending on your personality, you may not see this as a drawback to freelancing as a door supervisor. There many door supervisors in the UK who prefer to move on from one job to the next; as and when a company needs them. But for most, job consistency is a far more appealing prospect. If this is you, then permanent employment may be a better option for you.
It really comes down to what kind of a career you see for yourself as a doorman. If it’s the drifter type of career you’re after, there are many good reasons to join a door supervisor agency. However, if you’re looking for a bit more stability, you may want to contact an employment agency instead
How to work in the security sector
If you are interested in working in the security sector, whether it be as a Door Supervisor, Security Guard or CCTV Operative, you will need to obtain a SIA Licence.
To obtain a SIA Licence, you will need to complete a course. Once you have completed the course, will you then be able to apply for an SIA Licence and work in the security sector.
