Armoured car guard to bodyguard
An armoured car guard already meets 33% of what the bodyguard role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.5/ 100
1 How much of what a bodyguard is expected to do is already part of an armoured car guard’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the bodyguard role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A bodyguard role treats 8 of its required skills as things an armoured car guard already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with the principles of self-defence
- liaise with security authorities
- manage major incidents
- practice vigilance
- provide first aid
- react calmly in stressful situations
What stands in the way is 16 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A bodyguard role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an armoured car guard background worth leading with.
- already held provide secured transportation assisting and caring
- already held legal requirements related to ammunition business, administration and law
- already held comply with the principles of self-defence assisting and caring
- already held deal with aggressive behaviour assisting and caring
- already held restrain individuals assisting and caring
- already held security threats services
All 15 carried skills, including the 8 the bodyguard role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn execute inspection walkway required
- still to learn control crowd required
- still to learn detain offenders required
- still to learn identify security threats required
- still to learn identify suspicious behaviour required
- still to learn perform body searches required
- still to learn perform security checks required
- still to learn protect important clients required
- optional, not held identify surveillance devices optional
- optional, not held provide protective escort optional
- optional, not held check official documents optional
- optional, not held patrol areas optional
- still to learn adapt to changing situations required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn stay alert required
- still to learn work in shifts required
- optional, not held assist emergency services optional
- optional, not held assist police investigations optional
- optional, not held interrogate individuals optional
- still to learn secure premises required
- still to learn check subjects required
- optional, not held search for explosive devices optional
- optional, not held identify terrorism threats optional
- still to learn body language required
- still to learn check methods required
- optional, not held European firearms-control legislation optional
- optional, not held legal use-of-force optional
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a bodyguard role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 secure premises practise this
- 02 execute inspection walkway practise this
- 03 adapt to changing situations practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held comply with the principles of self-defence skill
- already held liaise with security authorities skill
- already held manage major incidents skill
- already held practice vigilance skill
- already held provide first aid skill
- already held react calmly in stressful situations skill
- already held restrain individuals skill
- already held security threats knowledge
- already held deal with aggressive behaviour skill
- already held drive vehicles skill
- already held ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- already held legal requirements related to ammunition knowledge
- already held operate radio equipment skill
- already held provide secured transportation skill
- already held surveillance methods knowledge
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held monitor surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held first response optional
- optional, not held coordinate patrols optional
- optional, not held apply advanced driving techniques optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held identify surveillance devices optional
- optional, not held provide protective escort optional
- optional, not held search for explosive devices optional
- optional, not held European firearms-control legislation optional
- optional, not held apply advanced driving techniques optional
- optional, not held assist emergency services optional
- optional, not held first response optional
- optional, not held assist police investigations optional
- optional, not held check official documents optional
- optional, not held coordinate patrols optional
- optional, not held identify terrorism threats optional
- optional, not held interrogate individuals optional
- optional, not held legal use-of-force optional
- optional, not held monitor surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held patrol areas optional
14 held skills the bodyguard role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role acquire licences for the use of weapons skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate transportation skill
- not needed by the target role develop contingency plans for emergencies skill
- not needed by the target role ensure regulatory compliance concerning distribution activities skill
- not needed by the target role handle delivered packages skill
- not needed by the target role handle surveillance equipment skill
- not needed by the target role load cargo skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vehicle delivery documentation skill
- not needed by the target role manage cash transportation skill
- not needed by the target role manage theft prevention skill
- not needed by the target role monitor security measures skill
- not needed by the target role prepare transportation routes skill
- not needed by the target role unload cargo skill
- not needed by the target role use modern electronic navigational aids skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn body language required
- still to learn check methods required
- optional, not held European firearms-control legislation optional
- optional, not held first response optional
- optional, not held legal use-of-force optional
Common questions about this move
Can an armoured car guard become a bodyguard?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An armoured car guard already covers 33% of what a bodyguard is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 8 of which the bodyguard role treats as required.
What skills does an armoured car guard need to become a bodyguard?
16 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is secure premises.
How hard is the move from armoured car guard to bodyguard?
Its learning distance is 70.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.