People Will Always Need Locks - Is This The Career For You?
A locksmith is a role that carries huge responsibility. It is also a trade in which reliable practitioners will always have plenty of work.
Staying safe and secure is a basic human need, and is something that has ever-more attention in the modern world. Industries have been built up around internet security, and cars now have systems that can tell owners where their vehicle is and that even give you the ability to disable the engine remotely if it falls into the wrong hands.
Yet the most important type of security is around the home. The saying that an Englishman’s home is his castle might sound old fashioned, but despite the slightly archaic wording, the basic message holds true and applies to both sexes and all nationalities. Burglary is one of the most emotionally damaging crimes, and the feeling of violation can stay with the victim long after the event.
The role of the locksmith, then, should not be underestimated. The job can be complex and fiddly, and carries the responsibility of protecting members of the public and their property. For these reasons, it can also be hugely rewarding, particularly when you can look back on a job well done and families sleeping securely in their homes thanks to your work.
Skills Needed
This is a job in which practical skills are important, but soft skills are also essential. Of course, you need to be good with your hands, patient, methodical and comfortable working with both hand tools and power tools. If you have a little experience in carpentry or some area of engineering, these will definitely put you in good stead, but are by no means prerequisites.
But you also need excellent people skills. Sometimes you will be working with those who have recently been victims of crime, or you might face an emergency call out where a member of the public has lost their keys and needs to access a home with children or pets locked inside. The locksmith needs to be someone who can keep his or her head while all about are losing theirs, working calmly, quickly and accurately to solve the problem.
Qualifications
There are no set academic requirements for a career as a locksmith, but it is always useful to have some solid GCSEs behind you, especially in English and maths, to demonstrate that you have the ability to study and learn.
There are, however, some professional qualifications that you can attain, and these are highly beneficial if you want to make a real career out of being a locksmith. The Master Locksmiths Association (MLA) provides a number of training courses, but you do not necessarily have to dive into these on your own.
Many locksmiths start from the bottom as apprentices, and this is a perfect way to learn the trade from an expert – you will also get the opportunity to study for those all-important qualifications at the same time as you learn on the job.
What do locksmiths earn?
If you take the apprentice route, be prepared for the fact that you will not be earning much initially. The government has set a minimum pay rate for apprentices at £3.30 per hour. However, stick with it, gain your qualifications, and the salary will soon increase to around £20,000 per year, with master locksmiths able to earn £30,000 or even more.