Private security jobs p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

It seems an obvious fit on the route to civilian work. Switch uniforms and welcome to your new life in the field of private security.

But security jobs and pay can vary a lot. It depends how hard you want to work — and whether you’re willing to get shot at.

“The security industry is pretty vast. There are a lot of facets that you can get into,” said Ken Freeman, a Los Alamos-based general manager for security contractor SOC and the military liaison for ASIS International, the private security industry association.

Watch over a factory gate or a McDonald’s restaurant, and you’ll likely draw pay in the mid-teens to $20 an hour, Freeman said. On the upper end of the spectrum, salaries for high-end security work — often of the paramilitary variety, protecting nuclear facilities and oil wells, for example — can easily pay $30 to $50 an hour.

The bar is high for those seeking the upper-echelon jobs. For paramilitary work, “the physical requirements and the training regimen are going to be a lot higher,” Freeman said. “You may be handling heavy weaponry. There is an assumption that any adversary you face will be very well prepared.”

Suppose you want to go for the big bucks. Freeman says up front that there is no easy way in. This is a professional community that likes to keep to itself. Most jobs don’t get advertised. The best way in is to shake the tree among pals who’ve already made the jump.

Military contractors and those who secure high-end industrial facilities are looking for a mix of skills. Special Forces personnel certainly have an edge, both for their breadth of capabilities as well as their intensive training experiences. They often come into the industry as instructors and tactical solutions planners.

Military police work also helps, and security clearance is needed more often than not.

ASIS International puts assets on the table, too, with industry-recognized certifications and especially a job bank, which can be a key entry point.

“The reality is that these companies generally operate with clients who prefer a low-key kind of approach. They don’t want to appear on the radar screen,” Freeman said. “So the recruiting process is a lot quieter and a lot less public.”

— By Adam Stone