Being a locksmith can be a very rewarding career, if you decide to go independent then you are of course your own boss and the earnings can be very good if you are willing and able to put in the hours required.
Many locksmiths speak of the joy they get by simply helping someone out of a tight spot, someone locked out of their home, office or vehicle for example. Of course a career as a locksmith isn't for everyone and to be able to compete with other local locksmiths you must make yourself available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and with a majority of locksmith callouts in the evenings or during the night you must be willing to work unsociable hours too.
If this hasn't put you off a career in the locksmith industry and you are still reading then you may have just found the career for you.
Being a locksmith requires unique skills, skills that you simply cannot learn as you go as you would do if you simply started a new office, retail or warehouse job and were unfamiliar with how things worked in the company, unsure about company procedures or how to work certain equipment and machinery.
Unlike many other businesses and trades a locksmith must learn his or her skills before starting work and visiting their first customer, for this you need training and the correct equipment.
Are Online Courses Any Good?
There are many skills, industries and trades where online course do in fact work and the student does learn the skills he or she has set out to learn, computer skills is a popular online course where you can learn the skills needed to gain employment in a industry where basic I.T. skills are a requirement but online courses simple don't work for the locksmith industry even through there are online locksmith courses being advertised - The people running these online course are more than happy to take your money knowing very well that you won't learn the skills required - For the locksmith industry where skills such as lock picking and gaining entry through locked doors are basic requirement you need a physical tutor to teach you the correct techniques, you'll also need to work on a range of different locks which simply isn't possible via a computer screen or booklet.
Which Locksmith Training Courses Are The Best?
As mentioned above; the best locksmith training course is the course where you physically attend and get real, hands on experience although the physical training courses also vary in quality and you need to pick the correct course and the correct company.
The college type courses - where tutors simply hire classrooms and the building or college runs a number of different courses on different days/nights from a range of different industries are sometimes the cheapest but unfortunately are not the best and most are designed to simply meet certain criteria so that you can be awarded a certificate. These course tend to run over a number of weeks and you attend 1 day or 1 evening each week until the course is finished, again these courses are great for learning basic skills such as cookery, languages or computers but simple don't cut it in the locksmith industry.
The best type of locksmith training course is the course run by a professional dedicated locksmith training centre where the tutors are locksmiths themselves with 10, 15, sometimes 20 years plus experience in the industry.
The most popular and recognised locksmith training college in the UK is Train Locksmiths near Manchester and if you can get to Manchester it really is worth the money. There are a number of other locksmith training colleges around the UK if Manchester is a little too far, some good, some not so good so vetting is essential.
These courses generally run for 5 or 7 consecutive days and involve hands on experience picking locks, changing locks, diagnosing faults, gaining non destructive access and more. So if you are considering a new career as a locksmith then these are the courses you should attend.
2020 Update
In October 2019 government regulation of the locksmith industry began with 2 new official OfQual diplomas being launched.. For those of you who don’t know, The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (OFQUAL) is a non-ministerial government department; which regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England
Recognised OfQual qualifications
If you are offered a course and it's not one these then it is NOT official or recognised and when regulation is finalised in a year or two you will NOT be qualified and will not be able to legally work as a locksmith... During the current transition period many companies are advertising cheap non OfQual courses online and trying to cash in before people are fully aware of the changes..
Beware of companies like MLA and MPL currently offering cut price 3 days courses ( the official course take 6 months to complete) knowing that they'll be worthless in a couple of years, these are 2 companies who are presently resisting the changes and giving their clients a lot of misinformation to assist in selling their out of dates courses ... The best thing to do is to contact Train Locksmiths on 0800 458 5117 for the latest updates..
As qualified locksmiths and teachers Train Locksmiths designed the new course with OfQaul and Highfield qualifications over a 6 month period in 2019 and are currently bringing a number of locksmith colleges across the UK in line with the new standards which will allow them to eventually run the official courses as will an number of colleges and universities, with Manchester University already officially on board , this can take time as the new OfQual course needs to be taught be locksmith who also have teaching credentials.
