Some questions

[salkro]

Good, first apologize for if I make grammatical errors, English is not my native language. I am Spanish and security here is different from the rest of Europe for various reasons, including terrorism.
I have a few questions and I wish you give me a hand to resolve them.

First salary:
Our salary is around 1000 euros per month for 162 hours. From there we charge 8 euros per hour extra. 1 euro per night hour and 0.87 cents per holiday hours.

Base salary 897 euros
EUR 77.75 plus transport
EUR 77.09 plus costume
Plus 139 euros for hazard
36.23 extra for five years in business

Such as wages for your area? is something unified as in Spain and each state has different wages?

I read in this forum that your companies will charge for the uniform retail. Is true?

How cost to enter in this job? in Spain we have to take a course of 180 hours minimum (only Vigilant) and when you have the title should go to the national police to examine you physically and intellectually.

if you pass then you get the security guard titling. With that title you can take courses for the specialties.

Private Escort (60 hours)
Watcher of explosives (60 hours)
Safety Director (450 hours)
Head of security (which costs more and can be done without going to an academy)

When you have the title in the academy you have to examinate to the National Police. That titles are the basics after you have different specializations.
Vigilant with dogs
Private escort gender violence (battered women)
radioscopy
defense
psychology
Languages ​​(regional languages ​​such as Euskera, Catalan or English, French and German)
Informatics
laws
...

We have to do a refresher course of 20 hours per year minimum, which are paid by the company. You have something similar?

From here you can get the license C, used to carry arms. Only be obtained if the company supports you and sends to the exam. There are many services that require long gun. From private guard, watchman of explosives, transport of funds, nuclear power plants, trains to government facilities.

I have other questions but I will not abuse your kindness. From time to answer me if this is enough for me to be discussing with the other partners.

A greeting

Juan Carlos

[Curtis Baillie]

A euro is worth about $1.22.

[salkro]

Yes, 1,22 dolars. Sorry, i not thought to transform the currency.

[Condo Guard]

In the United States each state licenses contract guards under their own laws, so you have 50 different sets of rules. Depending upon what kind of security you are doing, you have different training requirements.

Wages in our country vary - you can search the forum (salaries are a topic that comes up frequently).

[PolarDeer]

Finland has a single system for the entire country.

Training consists of a 40-hour portion allowing one to work four months per each year (often just that is taken by summer employees, students etc.) and a subsequent 60-hour portion which you must complete if you want to work full-time. Also, there is a crowd controller/door supervisor course which takes about 32 hours for bar and event security and some security accounts such as malls and public transportation if you work as a "crowd control officer" (the Finnish term is järjestyksenvalvoja which roughly translates to "order supervisor" or something, ie. the role is exclipitly to maintain order within the area instead of guarding property or personnel) instead of a regular security guard. You need a clean criminal record and "suitability", which is more or less defined by the local police. Usually just the clean criminal record.

You need separate training courses to qualify on a telescopic baton, pepper spray (8 hours each), dog handling or a firearm. I don't remember the amount of training needed to be able to use a dog at work but the firearms one is 27 hours. Guns are pretty rare here in security, the only one's I've heard are using are guards in nuclear power plants, in some diplomatic accounts and close protection personnel.

Other than that you have assorted vocational certificates which are not obligatory but will probably help out in getting more challenging (and better paid) accounts.

Payment is collectively bargained between our union and the employer union. For instance, someone on paygrade two in the capital region without experience bonuses (grade two includes most regular guarding accounts) will earn 10,12e per hour. The evening bonus is 1e/h, night extra 1,82e/h, Saturday extra 2e/h and Sunday etc. pay is double. The full-time work amount is 120 hours in a period of three weeks, you get 50% overtime extra for the first 20 hours past that and 100% overtime extra after 20 hours of overtime.

I make about 2700e/month mostly in grade two accounts with regular night, weekend and overtime extras, I believe that the average pay of security guards is 1900e/month or something.

[Jaeger]

You need separate training courses to qualify on a telescopic baton, pepper spray (8 hours each), dog handling or a firearm. I don't remember the amount of training needed to be able to use a dog at work

I believe the combo of "a man and a dog out guarding" in the case of this country is a dying breed. Using dogs in private security was apparently alot more common in the 1970's and 1980's, but died out and continues to do so today.

the firearms one is 27 hours. Guns are pretty rare here in security, the only one's I've heard are using are guards in nuclear power plants, in some diplomatic accounts and close protection personnel.

One colleague I know of who carried a firearm and thus had naturally completed the course for it did close protection "gigs" for the lack of a better term.

And as said the Securitas nuclear power plant accounts at Olkiluoto and Loviisa are bound to have armed security officers stationed there.

Apparently security officers had alot more guns carried with them "unofficially" in the older days about 20 years ago, but from what I've heard things were pretty wild back then anyways regarding almost anything.

Other than that you have assorted vocational certificates which are not obligatory but will probably help out in getting more challenging (and better paid) accounts.

In practise completing these vocational certificates may or may not help you in your career. Chances are that you have to switch between companies alot in order to attain better paid accounts. The smaller companies are also a dead end, since there are no "better positions" to fill most of the time.

Payment is collectively bargained between our union and the employer union.

There's also a considerable amount of officers not belonging to the union..

For instance, someone on paygrade two in the capital region without experience bonuses (grade two includes most regular guarding accounts) will earn 10,12e per hour.

Grade three which I've been on since the beginning includes receptions, corporate sites and a few regular sites to it as well in the case of this company.

Currently I get paid 10,68€ an hour without any service time bonuses.

I make about 2700e/month mostly in grade two accounts with regular night, weekend and overtime extras,

WOW, is that before or after taxes?

I do overtime, weekends and evenings regularly. Overtime work builds up now and then.

Even then the pay after taxes is about 1600-1800€ a month with my tax percent.

I would say that the amount of hours you put into this job and the amount of money you receive are not really in balance.

[PolarDeer]

I believe the combo of "a man and a dog out guarding" in the case of this country is a dying breed. Using dogs in private security was apparently alot more common in the 1970's and 1980's, but died out and continues to do so today.

Yep, I believe that the number of dogs in actual guarding use is very small. I know one guy who got his German Shepherd certified as a guarding dog and he doesn't actually use it at work (he's a shift supervisor), it was apparently just because he's a dog hobbyist. At one time I heard an estimate that there'd be like five guarding dogs in use in the entire capital region, seen one Securitas van with a dog cage in the back compartment (the guy driving it told me that the other guy in that patrol area uses a dog) but never seen one live.

Apparently security officers had alot more guns carried with them "unofficially" in the older days about 20 years ago, but from what I've heard things were pretty wild back then anyways regarding almost anything.

I believe that back then they were actually licensed and the requirements for gun carry only went up in the 90s. Older workmates of mine have told a lot of stuff about regularly carrying guns in patrol etc.

In practise completing these vocational certificates may or may not help you in your career. Chances are that you have to switch between companies alot in order to attain better paid accounts. The smaller companies are also a dead end, since there are no "better positions" to fill most of the time.

Well, they are a practical requirement for supervisor roles unless you have a ridiculous amount of experience or other compensating certificates but naturally being on right terms with the right people is always a factor. In regular positions also proving oneself as a reliable employee and whatnot. Hell, I've had to do ridiculous amounts of work to move up into more challenging and thus interesting sites and I'm not even in the "better paid" category yet.

There's also a considerable amount of officers not belonging to the union

Yeah, but the collectively bargained work conditions agreements are valid and enforceable even if the employee was not an union member.

WOW, is that before or after taxes?

Before taxes. As said, overtime pay included. I'm looking to transfer into grade three (mall accounts) by the end of the year, though that depends on the amount of shifts we have available at such sites.

[flashlightcop509]

I believe the combo of "a man and a dog out guarding" in the case of this country is a dying breed. Using dogs in private security was apparently alot more common in the 1970's and 1980's, but died out and continues to do so today.

These are me, St. Francis hospital, Hartford, CT 1985...