You’ve heard it before. Maybe from a mate. Maybe from a trainer on your last course. “You should think about teaching this stuff.”
You nodded. Said, “Yeah, maybe one day.”
Here’s the number that turns “maybe one day” into “actually, why not.”
£47,000+ a Year — That’s the Gap
Most security work in the UK pays £13 to £15 an hour. Full-time, that’s £25k–£31k before tax.
If you’re getting consistent hours.
Qualified SIA trainers? They make up to £47,000+ a year. That’s the published rate Get Licensed pays its training partners, and it’s not a stretch; it’s what working trainers in our network are earning right now.
That’s £15k–£20k more for the same industry, the same knowledge base, half the wear on your body.
The reason is simple. There are tens of thousands of people qualified to work in security. Far fewer are qualified to teach it. Scarcity sets the rate.
Same Industry, Different Seat
Becoming a trainer doesn’t mean leaving security. You’re still in it. You’re still working with the same kind of people. And, you’re still using everything you’ve learned over the years.
What changes is the room you’re standing in.
A classroom instead of a venue. Teaching days instead of twelve-hour shifts. Prep time built into your week instead of overtime tacked onto it.
And here’s the bit nobody mentions: this work doesn’t dry up when you hit forty-five or fifty. Experience makes you more valuable, not less.
You Could Be Earning Trainer Money by Autumn
Read that again. Two to three months from starting the course to working as a trainer.
The barriers are lower than you’d think:
→ Two years of frontline experience. If you’re reading this, you’ve got it.
→ A three-week masterclass to add the teaching qualification.
→ 2–3 months total from day one of the course to your first paid teaching day.
That’s it. No degree. No years of evening study.
The only thing standing between most experienced operators and a £47k career is a course they didn’t realise they qualified for.
“But I’m Not a Teacher”
This is the bit that stops most people. “I’m not the type to stand in front of a classroom.”
Honest answer? Most of our trainers thought the same thing before they did it.
Here’s what they actually do all day: they tell stories from the door. They explain how they handled a kick-off in 2019. They walk a room of new starters through what to do when someone’s drunk and aggressive.
If you’ve ever broken something complicated down for a new colleague — that’s the job.
It’s not lecturing. It’s passing on what you already know.
“Trainer” Isn’t the Ceiling, It’s the Door
Picture yourself five years from now.
You’re not on the door anymore. You’re running courses three days a week. The other two you’re consulting for a venue that wants their team trained properly. Your old gaffer phones you to bring his new starters through their DS course.
You set your own week. You earn double what you used to. You wake up without your knees hurting.
That’s not just aspiration talking. The masterclass is just the door at the bottom of the staircase, and completing it allows you to climb that career ladder. Senior trainer, IQA, course developer, your own training centre — every rung is real, and the people on them all started exactly where you are now.
So You’ve Just Done Your Refresher. What Now?
Renewing your licence keeps you working. Becoming a trainer moves you forward.
Here’s something many security officers don’t realise: the SIA licence is the floor of your career, not the ceiling.
This is what you do on top of staying licensed. Same knowledge. Bigger pay. More autonomy. A real path for the next ten years.
Hear It From an SIA Trainer
Stop Nodding, Start Moving
If you’ve ever walked a new starter through something and thought, “I’m actually pretty good at this” — that’s your sign to seriously consider teaching aspiring security workers.
Three weeks of training. £47,000+ on the other side. The next intake is taking bookings now.
Got questions about being an educator in the security industry? See what becoming a security trainer with Get Licensed looks like, end to end.
You’ve read this far. You’ve thought about this longer than you’d admit. Your next licence renewal is almost three years away. Where do you want to be when it comes around?
