Can you train for your SIA licence from your sofa? Not completely. No SIA licence-linked course can be completed entirely online, though some parts can be done from home.
Here’s what that means for each course, and how to spot an offer that won’t get you a licence.
Key Takeaways
- No SIA licence-linked qualification can be done 100% online.
- Providers can mix self-study, live virtual classes and classroom training, but only where their awarding organisation approves it.
- Door supervisor physical intervention practicals must be face-to-face, and security guard and door supervisor learners must do at least one physical search.
- Self-study cuts classroom time. Door supervisor training drops from 7 days to 6.
- Your SIA licence application is online. The training that qualifies you for it isn’t.
How SIA Training Can Be Delivered
The SIA allows licence-linked training to be delivered through a mix of:
- Self-study: reading or e-learning you complete in your own time
- Virtual classroom: live, scheduled lessons with a trainer over video
- Face-to-face: lessons and assessments at a training centre
A virtual classroom isn’t on-demand e-learning. It’s a live class with the same contact hours as the classroom version.
Training providers, including us, can’t decide this on their own. Their awarding organisation must approve any virtual learning and confirm which parts can be delivered that way. The provider must also notify the SIA 5 working days before the course starts.
What You Can Do Remotely, Course By Course
| Course | Can any of it be remote? | What must be in person |
|---|---|---|
| Door supervisor | Some content, if approved | Physical intervention practicals and at least one physical search |
| Security guard | Yes, as blended learning, never fully remote | At least one physical search |
| CCTV operator | Yes, as blended learning, never fully remote | Practical assessments and exams (day 3 of our Zoom course is in a classroom) |
| Close protection | The legislation content | Practical elements, including physical intervention and assessments |
| Refresher training | Some content | Physical intervention and searching practicals |
| Emergency First Aid at Work | Yes, as blended learning | Practical skills, which HSE strongly recommends are assessed by direct observation |
At Get Licensed, door supervisor, security guard and refresher courses run in a training centre. CCTV is the one course you can partly take from home.
Start your CCTV training from home. On our Zoom CCTV course, days 1 and 2 are live online classes. Day 3 is in a classroom for your practical assessments and exams.
What Self-Study Changes
Self-study doesn’t replace classroom time. It shortens it. The SIA sets course lengths with and without it:
| Course | With self-study | Without self-study |
|---|---|---|
| Door supervisor | 44 hours over 6 days | 52 hours over 7 days |
| Security guard | 30 hours over 4 days | 38 hours over 5 days |
| CCTV operator | 22 hours over 3 days | 30 hours over 4 days |
That’s why the same course can run for different lengths at different providers. For the full timeline from booking to badge, check out this article on how long it takes to get an SIA licence.
Where You Take Your Exams
Practical assessments are filmed. The SIA requires video recordings unless the learner is under 18. Exam arrangements follow your awarding organisation’s rules. On Get Licensed courses, you sit your exams at a training centre.
Exam security is also being looked at separately from the SIA’s 2026 consultation. The SIA says it is working with awarding organisations to make written exams less vulnerable to cheating and abuse.
You can still prepare from home with our free SIA mock exams.
Red Flags: “Fully Online SIA Licence” Offers
If a course says you can qualify for an SIA licence entirely online, it doesn’t meet SIA rules. A free online course “with certificate” can teach useful awareness, but it won’t let you apply for a licence.
Watch the course length too. A 2-day “guaranteed pass” course for a full licence is shorter than any course in the table above, and not to be trusted.
Before you book with any training provider, ask:
- Which awarding organisation certifies the qualification?
- Which parts are online, and which are in person?
- Where will you sit your exams?
Frequently Asked Questions
Not fully. Some content can be delivered virtually if the awarding organisation approves, but physical intervention must be taught face to face. Our door supervisor course runs in a training centre.
Partly. Our refresher courses include self-study you complete before the classroom day or days, but physical intervention and searching practicals must be face to face.
Not one that qualifies you for a licence. Funded places on full courses do exist, though. Here’s how to get free SIA training.
Not entirely. HSE accepts blended first aid training but strongly recommends practical skills are assessed by direct observation. You need a valid first aid qualification, such as Emergency First Aid at Work, before door supervisor, security guard or close protection training.
Yes. Once you’ve passed your training, you apply through your SIA online account. You may be asked to verify your identity at a Post Office.
Online Where You Can, In Person Where You Must
The short answer is that no SIA licence-linked course can be done entirely from home, but the right format can still fit around your life. Self-study shortens your classroom time, and on our CCTV course you can start online on Zoom before a final day in the classroom. For door supervisor, security guard and refresher training, you’ll attend a training centre.
Whichever route you choose, steer clear of any offer that promises a licence without classroom time. Genuine SIA training is certified by an awarding organisation, includes practical assessments, and runs at least as long as the courses in the tables above.
Ready to book? Compare dates and locations near you with our course finder and get started today.
