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Leisure

Door supervisor

Door supervisors guard licensed premises like pubs, bars and nightclubs against damage, theft, unauthorised access or disorderly behaviour.

Annual Salary

£17,000 to £28,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

33 to 35 variable

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

0.3%
Future employment

There will be 0.3% more Door supervisor jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

In your day-to-day duties you may:

  • manage crowds and queues
  • make sure people keep to the dress code
  • check tickets
  • patrol inside and outside the venue
  • watch people's behaviour and deal with conflict
  • physically intervene and escort people out of the venue, if necessary
  • deal with emergencies
  • co-operate with police, first aiders and management

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work in a pub or bar, at events, at a sports arena or at a music venue.

Your working environment may be crowded, noisy and outdoors in all weathers.

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • a specialist training course
Apprenticeship

You can apply for a Professional Security Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship to get into this role.

This takes a minimum of one year to complete.

Other routes

To work as a door supervisor you will need a front line licence issued by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

To apply for a front line licence you must have completed an SIA 'licence-linked' qualification. Currently this is the Level 2 Award for Working as a Door Supervisor in the Private Security Industry.

Before you take your licence-linked qualification you must also do an Emergency First Aid at Work or equivalent course.

Some training providers offer courses that combine the first aid and the level 2 door supervisor award. For others you may need evidence that you have completed the first aid course before you start your licence-linked training.

You can search for approved training providers that offer training leading to licence-linked qualifications.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

More information

Career tips

Your SIA licence is valid for 3 years after which you will need to renew it.

You may need to do 'top-up' training before your licence is renewed. This depends on the date you did your original door supervisor course and what the course covered.

You can check if you will need to do top-up training.

If it has been longer than 3 years since you last held a door supervisor licence, you will also need to complete recognised first aid training before your licence can be renewed.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the International Professional Security Association for professional recognition, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.

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With experience, you could progress to team leader or area supervisor.

As a door supervisor you can also work in non-licensed venues as a security guard, for example in an office building or shopping mall or on CCTV surveillance.

You could also go on to set up your own private security agency.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • knowledge of public safety and security
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • concentration skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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