The Bodyguard

A bodyguard (also called a close protection officer, security officer, or personal security) is a trained professional whose duty is to accompany and protect a high profile individual such as a celebrity, corporate executive, a political office holder, and a professional sportsman.

Being a bodyguard is more professional and tactical than what we see in movies. The job entails much more than having huge muscles and merely following your client closely.

If you are someone who loves to grab every opportunity to help others, then working as a bodyguard will give you some sense of fulfillment. Why not, when someone else has entrusted you with the safety of his or her life and property? In years to come, if you look back on your life so far, you would be happy with yourself for having protected lives and property.

Working as a bodyguard requires you to think very fast and make vital decisions based on intelligent conclusions. Even this mental workload could have a negative impact on you psychologically. So, if you are not someone with an impeccable ability to quickly link events mentally and handle several mentally demanding tasks at once, you may have a hard time coping with a bodyguard job.

You must have detailed knowledge of the profession

Before proceeding any further, you must ensure that the field of protection is suitable for you. Keep in mind that you will have very little time for yourself, family, and other commitments, as you will be in company of your client most of the time. Also, keep in mind that working as a bodyguard entails lots of traveling and engaging in other endeavors for your client. Finally, remember that bodyguarding is a very risky profession. (I’m sure you understand what I mean.)

You must possess other security based skills

Even if you have had some military experience or have undergone training elsewhere, remember that you won’t need your defensive skills most of the time. Military is a different profession. Other skills you must have (and that you need more often) include effective communication and good human relation skills. You should be able to communicate effectively with your clients both verbally and by way of gesture. You should also have solid writing skills. Good human relation skills are also important because most guests would get to meet you first before gaining access to your client, and how you respond to guests can make or mar your client’s reputation.

You must be licensed to be a bodyguard

The requirements for bodyguard licensing vary depending on your state or country’s laws. Before applying for a license, find out about the requirements and ensure that you have met them. In some countries, you must have had some military experience or professional training at a reputable agency before you will be issued a bodyguard license. However, in many other countries, no such requirements are required.

You must be Intelligent

Most of the time, your client will expect you to act without supervision. So, your ability to handle assignments independently is very important. This, of course, requires you to be very intelligent. In addition, you must be able to draw helpful conclusions and hints from both related and unrelated events. This will help you act in the right way and at the right time. Again, a high level of intelligence is required for this because misjudgment or wrong observation of situations usually lead to terrible consequences. You must study the theory first before any training.

Trustworthiness and integrity

These two qualities are also very important because keeping information about your client confidential is necessary. This is because discussing your client’s lifestyle and practices may lead to personal damage and may put your client’s life at risk. This will also affect your reputation negatively. So, you must be very good at concealing secrets and trustworthy enough to conceal vital secrets even when tempted to divulge them.