Hints & Tips

So you want to become a Door Supervisor?

This is what you need to know:

The basics

• The security industry in England and Wales is regulated by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

• To work as a Door Supervisor you must have an SIA ‘Door Supervisor’ licence.

• To get an SIA licence you need to obtain a qualification called the ‘Level 2 – National Certificate for Door Supervisors’.

• To gain the National Certificate for Door Supervisors you will need to attend a four day course and pass two exams.

• Once you have passed the exams you can apply to the SIA for your licence. The cost is £245.00 and lasts for three years.

Some more facts

• If you get caught working without an SIA licence you may be fined up to £5000 and/or be imprisoned for up to 6 months. Even if you were only to receive a small fine, it is unlikely that you would be issued with an SIA licence in the future.

• In the qualification’s name, ‘Level 2’ refers to the National Curriculum. It does not mean that there is a Level 1 certificate for Door Supervisors.

• You will need to provide identification before taking your exams, and also when you apply to the SIA for your licence. Click on the following link to make sure that you have the correct documents: Documents Checker

• If you have lived overseas for six consecutive months or more within the last five years you will need to obtain a criminal record check from each relevant country. Click on the following link for information on how to obtain the correct paperwork:Obtain Correct Paperwork

• During the Unit 2 exam you will see four short video clips and will have to answer 10 questions about each clip. The videos are repeated three times, so there are plenty of opportunities to consider what the questions relate to.

• The licence fee is non refundable, so if the SIA decide not to issue a licence to you (eg. due to a relevant criminal record) you will lose the £245.00.

• As part of the application process the SIA will carry out a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. They have full access to public records, and will consider the relevance to the application of any criminal conviction, warning or caution. They will also take into account the seriousness of the offence and how long ago it was.
  
  However they will not tell you for certain whether an offence will prevent you from getting a licence until they have received your application. For an indication of how any offences you may have could affect your application, read more at the SIA website

• If you pay your own licence fee you will be able to claim tax relief against your taxable income. For example, if you pay the basic rate of tax the relief is worth £53.90. If you are an employer paying the licence fee on behalf of an employee there will be no tax or National Insurance liability.

• Holders of SIA ‘Door Supervisor’ licences may also work as Security Guards without the need to do any further training or obtain a ‘Security Guards’ licence.

How can DSTO help?

• We have been involved with the qualification from the start, and worked with the SIA on its development, delivering the very first pilot course in the country in May 2003. This means that we have a thorough understanding of the whole licensing process and benefit from a 96% pass rate due to our excellent instructors.

• Our trainers all come from within the industry and, as well as a wealth of experience, have a deep knowledge of all the practical issues needed to become a successful Door Supervisor. You will learn far more than just how to pass the exams.

• The process of getting an SIA licence can be lengthy, with the turnaround time for applications being typically in the region of six to eight weeks. However we always aim to get your results to you within 4 working days of completing the course. We also advise you of your Award Reference Number (ARN) at the same time. The ARN is the only evidence that you will need to provide on your SIA Application Form that you have passed the qualification.

• Another potential delay can be caused by waiting until after the course before requesting an Application Form from the SIA. We recommend getting one before the course starts. Requests can be made by phone (0844 892 1025)‚ although be warned‚ this line is extremely busy‚or on-line here

• Once you have received the application pack it is useful to be able to see how it should look when it has been completed. Just click on the following link http://www.the-sia.org.uk/home/licensing/app_form.htm to see an example.

• The SIA have a tracking system on their web site which allows you to check the progress of your application from the initial request for a pack through to the date that your licence was issued. This should save you lots of phone calls to the SIA!! To access the status checker click Status checker.

• We deliver courses across the south of England and are fully aware that cost is an issue to many people coming into the industry. For this reason we endeavour to charge less than £200 per course, although very occasionally this is not possible.

• The cost of your course includes: your training, 2 exam fees, 3 certificates, and VAT. There are no hidden extras, although in the unlikely event that you fail an exam, a resit fee of £47.00 is payable for each paper.

• If you have any problems with the course or licence application, we are here to help if we possibly can, so please feel free to call us for advice and guidance on 01202 299969.