How Much Do Security Guards Make?

Written by Holly Savage

19th May 2021

Many people decide to become security guards, but how much do security guards get paid? And is security good money in the UK? We’ll be discussing this and more, such as what is a security guard salary and finding out what are the best-paying security jobs within the UK.

What Affects A Guard’s Salary?

There are many factors that can affect a security guard salary, such as their experience and what location they are working in. The location of the role is extremely important as those in large expensive cities such as London, for example, tend to be paid more to compensate for their higher living expenses.

Another factor that impacts how much a security guard gets paid is experience and qualifications. Generally, the more experience or training that you have received the higher the salary per year will be. The higher up in the security industry that you go, the more money you will make.

How Much Do Security Guards Make An Hour?

The average salary of a security guard in the UK is £10.95 per hour. However, how much a security officer earns per hour will often depend on the location where they are working. Busier cities will often pay their guards more to help cover the cost of living.

According to job searching site Indeed.com, guards who work in places like Manchester earn up to £10.76 on average per hour while security personnel who work in Cambridge may earn up to £11.52 per hour.

How Much Do Security Guards Make Per Week In The UK?

According to Indeed.com, the average salary each week for guards is £374. However, this again will vary as guards who work in Liverpool may earn only £362 per week, while security officers who work in London will earn up to £383 per week.

how much do security guards get paid

How Much Security Guards Make A Month

According to Indeed.com, UK security guards earn on average £1,446 per month. Some of the highest-paying cities are:

 

  • Cambridge – £1,522 per month
  • London – £1,482 per month
  • Middlesbrough – £1,588 per month

How Much Do Security Guards Make A Year?

Indeed reports that security guards typically earn up to £20,421 a year. But how much they earn often depends on their experience and the area they are working in. One of the highest-paying cities for security jobs is Middlesbrough. Middlesbrough security guards earn on average £22,435 a year.

What Are The Best Paying Security Jobs?

There are many jobs within the security industry from guards to close protection officers, but which security job pays the best? We’ve taken a look online on websites like Indeed, Talent, and Adzuna, and compiled a short list of some of the highest-paying security jobs within the UK.

How Much Do Security Guards Make?

Security officers, like guards, will often be hired to provide protection to a building or business. Security officers will work in a variety of different job sectors ranging from construction sites to retail stores.

According to Indeed, a security officer’s salary on average is nearly £26,002 per year. This salary will vary depending on the amount of experience that a security officer has.

security guard salary

How Much Does A CCTV Operator Get Paid?

A CCTV operator’s job is based around maintaining and operating CCTV and surveillance equipment. The operators watch live video footage, keeping an eye out for suspicious behaviour and pass the information on to the authorities or to an on-call security guard.

According to Adzuna, CCTV operators earn around £30,310 on average, however, this differs depending on the role, and the location that a CCTV operator is working in.

cctv operator salary

How Much Do Bodyguards Get Paid In UK?

Bodyguards are often hired to protect high-profile people like politicians and celebrities. According to the job website Talent, the average annual salary for a bodyguard in the UK is £39,000 per year.

bodyguard salary

How Much Does A Security Supervisor Make A Year?

Security supervisors are a higher position within the security industry and like security guards they work in many job sectors. Security services will often be responsible for managing a security team. According to Indeed, security supervisors have a national average of £43,037 a year.

security supervisor salary

What Security Guard Job Pays The Most?

The best-paying security guard job within the security industry is a bodyguard. And bodyguards often earn more due to the clients they protect and because of the different tasks they perform.

Bodyguards are trained to identify potential risks, and they often need to have a lot of experience and training as there is a higher level of responsibility. Some bodyguards may even need to wear body armour to protect themselves. As those with large amounts of money often employ close protection officers, their pay reflects this.

Low-risk operations within the UK can pay up to £300 to £400 per day, while overseas medium-risk operations can earn you between £400-500 per day. Higher-risk operations are paid accordingly, at around £1000-£1500 per day. Working these operations, however, does require extensive training and hours of experience.

How Much Do Celebrity Security Guards Make?

Security guards will protect businesses and some may be expected to protect high-profile people like celebrities. If you’re interested in knowing which celebrities pay the most for their security personnel, why not check out our short video where we count down the top ten celebrities who spend the most on security?

What Benefits Do Security Guards Get?

Being a security guard comes with many benefits, from job satisfaction to financial rewards. As a security guard, you can learn a number of transferable skills and can undertake official training to gain even more experience.

Many security companies pay their guards extra if they work overtime, meaning that their monthly wages can increase. Security companies can also make pension contributions for their employees which will benefit them in their retirement.

Do Security Guards Make Good Money?

So, do security guards get paid well? Yes, there is good money within security. A security officer job is currently one of the best-paying jobs within the security industry. And security guarding is an extremely rewarding job, that has many financial benefits.

While the salary of a security guard may vary depending on many of the factors that we have discussed above, it is important to note that the average security guard salary will rise every year.

what is a security guard salary

So, How Much Does A Security Guard Make?

So now you know what the salary of a security guard is. If you would like to stay updated with all the latest security guard news, head over to our blog where you can find articles about the process for hiring security and about what’s it like being a security guard.

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