Do you want to dive headfirst into the fascinating world of EP? Are you a total beginner, and don’t even know where to start? If that’s the case, you’ve definitely come to the right place. We’ll help you find the absolute best executive protection training program for yourself. Not only that, but we’ll also tell you what to look for, and which pitfalls to avoid. Let’s get right into it.
How to Find the Best Executive Protection Training Program
Here’s the thing; In your quest to find the best training program, you’ll come across a lot of different options. Some will be legitimate programs, designed and led by some of the biggest industry pros who want to pass down their knowledge. But others, well, not so much.
That’s why you need to do some work beforehand, research the places you want to go, and see if they’re even worth your time. Here’s how you can do that.
Don’t Fall for Flashy Ads
One of the most common mistakes a lot of people make is falling for big ads and empty promises. Some companies will promise you the world but deliver absolutely nothing. Or as we say in the business All flash, no bang.
Here’s another thing that you should know: there is no universally-accepted EP certification or an EP certificate. So if a training program promises that, it’s not the real deal. You can absolutely get a certificate for that course, but it’s not like the Red Cross CPR certificate.
On the other hand, one thing that you need to be looking for in an executive program is networking potential. This industry is all about contacts, the people that you meet, and the colleagues you know. So ideally, you should find a course that’ll help you make a lot of contacts.
You can do that by checking out what others have said about the course before signing up. However, since ads can sometimes be deceiving, you might be better off finding well-established, household names in the EP world, and researching where they got their training.
Look for Someone With a Reputation
Since you definitely don’t want to waste your time or money on a phony school, you need to find someone who has a solid reputation in the industry. Word of mouth is a huge deal in this business, and you need to take it seriously.
Of course, there will always be some disgruntled trainees or employees that’ll have something bad to say. However, it’s your job to try and see if those claims really stand, or if they don’t add up. Make sure that the course you’re taking has overwhelmingly more good reviews than the bad ones.
Settle on the Best Location
Finding the best location seems kind of obvious, but we thought that we should include it, just in case. Depending on where you live, unless it’s a huge city, there probably won’t be a program right where you are.
So you’ll most likely have to go a bit out of your comfort zone to find the best executive protection training program for yourself.
With that said, before you make your final decision, have all your facts ready. How far is the school, what are the hours there, would you need to stay the night? All these things will directly affect your choice.
Review the Prices
Another thing that’ll make a huge difference in where you end up going is the price. Even though you should certainly try and find a good bargain, it’s still not as simple as it seems.
Once you have a few contenders for the best programs, you should start comparing their prices. See how many hours of coursework there are and if that’s reflected in the price.
You should also always review a school’s refund policy, and check out what kind of terms and conditions they have. In case something goes wrong, it’s always good to have that backup.
Checking the Coursework
The worst idea you could do is find a single training program, and just settle on that without doing any other research. You can’t trust a company that says that they’ll make you a certified EP agent in only 15 hours, it just doesn’t work that way.
So while you’re doing your research, check how many hours of coursework there are. Now, we would say, more is better, but that’s not really true. It’s always about quality over quantity.
Even if you find a school that has 100+ hours of coursework, it doesn’t mean that it’s all good. The lessons could be either way too much detail and go on for longer than they should, or they could be irrelevant to the industry.
But here’s what you need to remember; no matter how many hours of coursework there are, it’ll still take months for you to learn the basics of the EP industry. Once your course is done, you have to train and study every single day. Your education doesn’t end with a single training program, no matter how good it is.
What Can You Expect During the Training?
Depending on which course you end up choosing, there’ll be countless different things you can expect to learn there. It would be madness to try and list them all, but some of the basics everyone should cover are:
- Driving different types of vehicles
- Learning how monitoring and surveillance work
- Intervention and extraction strategies
- Basic medical and emergency training
Bottom Line
Unfortunately, we can’t really give you a definitive answer on what the best executive protection training is because it depends on so many things. How much experience do you already have, what are you looking to get out of the program, where you live, what your budget is, and so much more.
However, what we can tell you is that becoming an EP agent and an industry pro is no small feat. It’ll take months before you can go out into the field, and feel confident with the skills that you have. With that said, as long as you keep working, improving, and learning, you should be alright.
If you want to stay in the know, learn the secrets of the trade, and what it takes to make it in the business, sign up for our newsletter. We can help you keep one finger on the pulse of the industry while you keep climbing the ladder.
