becoming certified/licensed as a locksmith in NYC

[firescuems]

Hi all, just joined.

I'm an EMT/Firefighter in Brooklyn NY. I'm interested in getting certified/licensed as a locksmith in NYC for several reasons:

1) it would help me at work (gaining access to people locked in apts, kids in cars, etc. without having to take the door down or smash a window, etc.).

2) I need a second job. This field has always fascinated me, and with my schedule I think it would be an ideal line of work to enter without a huge investment financially, etc.

I've looked over the NYC Dept. of Consumer Affairs website which lists the requirements. As I don't know any licensed locksmiths or have a contact w/the local union, my next best bet is completion of a locksmithing course from a school licensed by the state of new york. So, here are my questions:

1) Does anyone know of any NYS Dept. of Ed. licensed schools in NYC that offer a locksmithing course?

2) Does anyone know of any correspondence courses that are licensed by NYS?

3) Any other ideas of how I could get licensed in NYC?

Thanx in advance!

Adam

[sevenply]

I also live in NYC and thought it would be nice to be licensed. I came across the same site as you and realized my only option was to complete a class licensed by the state. So far the only locksmith school in the area I have found is Charles Stuart.
www.charlesstuartschool.com

I am not sure if they are licensed by the state. I havn't looked into it much yet. If you find any other schools in the area please post.

[pointofview]

firescuems, if I can totally break topic for a sec, I just want to tell you that there's nobody that I respect more than members of FDNY... comments are totally out of place, but just thought I'd share

[firescuems]

I also live in NYC and thought it would be nice to be licensed. I came across the same site as you and realized my only option was to complete a class licensed by the state. So far the only locksmith school in the area I have found is Charles Stuart.
www.charlesstuartschool.com


I am not sure if they are licensed by the state. I havn't looked into it much yet. If you find any other schools in the area please post.

Yeah, I've been looking. Navigating the NYS Ed dept website is a horrendous nightmare; I think I'll be giving them a call on Tuesday or Wednesday. If I get anywhere, I'll definitely post what I find.

I found the Charles Stuart school as well. It looks like a pretty comprehensive program, way more than I need at the moment (time committment and cost-wise). But I'll probably give them a call anyway....

[firescuems]

firescuems, if I can totally break topic for a sec, I just want to tell you that there's nobody that I respect more than members of FDNY... comments are totally out of place, but just thought I'd share

Thanx for the respect. If only we were paid appropriately and reasonably for the work we (and pretty much every fire/ems agency) do, I wouldn't be in the position of looking for a 2nd job. Prior to working for FDNY, I was a grant/report writer for a non-profit (also known for not paying well). I took a $7,000 pay cut to start at the fire dept. Some entry level secretaries at businesses in NYC make more than the $28,900 salary that we make to start.

Anyway, enough of the rant. I was considering one of the correspondence/video courses to get started. Anyone have any experience with Locksmith Video School or any of the others? Any recommendations for a "less than $300" investment in a course and lock picking tools? Just to get started, that is.....

[Eyes_Only]

LocksmithVideoSchool.com looks like a really good course along with FB. I would stay away from PCDI or Assured Locksmithing. They dont offer enough instruction and provide pretty crappy tools and learning material. www.Locksmithbiz.com is another good course but its mostly about how to handle lockout situations and entry techniques into buildings.

[firescuems]

LocksmithVideoSchool.com looks like a really good course along with FB. I would stay away from PCDI or Assured Locksmithing. They dont offer enough instruction and provide pretty crappy tools and learning material. www.Locksmithbiz.com is another good course but its mostly about how to handle lockout situations and entry techniques into buildings.

LocksmithVideoSchool.com has a lock picking course on CD that includes a pick set and practice cylinder for around $70. Seems like a good way to get started.

I also found a distance learning program from a company called Education Direct

http://www.educationdirect.com/locksmith/

As to the quality, I can't say for sure. I did contact the New York State Education Dept. and confirmed that they are an accredited school by NYSED. They are also accredited by several other regional and national accrediting boards. Talked to someone at the school and although they say you can do the program in as little as 9 months, he said you could probably do it in 6 months or maybe less, depending on how fast a learner you are. Costs around $830-880, depending on how you pay.

BTW, I spoke w/Charles Stuart @ the Charles Stuart School. Their program is a M-F, 5 hours/day course that lasts 9 months. It's very hands on, small class size, you work on their equipment/tools, etc. They also cover electronic security systems, safes, etc. Much more than just a lock picking class. A comprehensive locksmithing/security systems program. It's probably the best way to go if you're a "hands-on" learner and want an instructor at your fingertips. And if you have about $10,000 to spend on tuition, tho' he said financial aid is available

I'll probably start with the $70 locksmithvideoschool program and then check out the education direct program.....

[firescuems]

LocksmithVideoSchool.com looks like a really good course along with FB. I would stay away from PCDI or Assured Locksmithing. They dont offer enough instruction and provide pretty crappy tools and learning material. www.Locksmithbiz.com is another good course but its mostly about how to handle lockout situations and entry techniques into buildings.

LocksmithVideoSchool.com has a lock picking course on CD that includes a pick set and practice cylinder for around $70. Seems like a good way to get started.

I also found a distance learning program from a company called Education Direct

http://www.educationdirect.com/locksmith/

As to the quality, I can't say for sure. I did contact the New York State Education Dept. and confirmed that they are an accredited school by NYSED. They are also accredited by several other regional and national accrediting boards. Talked to someone at the school and although they say you can do the program in as little as 9 months, he said you could probably do it in 6 months or maybe less, depending on how fast a learner you are. Costs around $830-880, depending on how you pay.

BTW, I spoke w/Charles Stuart @ the Charles Stuart School. Their program is a M-F, 5 hours/day course that lasts 9 months. It's very hands on, small class size, you work on their equipment/tools, etc. They also cover electronic security systems, safes, etc. Much more than just a lock picking class. A comprehensive locksmithing/security systems program. It's probably the best way to go if you're a "hands-on" learner and want an instructor at your fingertips. And if you have about $10,000 to spend on tuition, tho' he said financial aid is available

I'll probably start with the $70 locksmithvideoschool program and then check out the education direct program.....

oops, forgot to mention that Charles Stuart is also licensed by the state as an accredited school and they help you out with the bureacracy/logistics of getting licensed by the city, job placement, etc.

[sevenply]

Education Direct sounds perfect. The price is affordable and can be done at our convenience. Charles Stuart is expensive and 5 hours every day even at night is tough to do while working another job. If I was out of high school and knew I wanted to be a locksmith that sounds like it would be an excellent school. I am still contemplating purchasing locks, safes, and security. I want to have a pretty good knowledge of locksmithing going into this. Looks like licensing won't be too tough after all with Education Direct.

[firescuems]

Education Direct sounds perfect. The price is affordable and can be done at our convenience. Charles Stuart is expensive and 5 hours every day even at night is tough to do while working another job. If I was out of high school and knew I wanted to be a locksmith that sounds like it would be an excellent school. I am still contemplating purchasing locks, safes, and security. I want to have a pretty good knowledge of locksmithing going into this. Looks like licensing won't be too tough after all with Education Direct.

I figure I'll start off with lockouts, then move to installations, etc.. I work a crazy schedule, mostly 4-midnite, but occasionally I do 16 hour shifts if FDNY needs me to. I figure maybe set up a partnership with someone else who is also on a weird schedule, then we could cover for each other when we were unavailable.

A funny story: One of my coworkers locked himself out of his Yukon. Luckily he has OnStar. Unfortunately OnStar couldn't get a signal to the vehicle to unlock it, so they had to send a lockout specialist to open the SUV up. It took almost 3 hours for someone to get there. When he arrived, all the guy did to open the truck up was use a blood pressure cuff bladder and bulb and a long angled rod. He inserted the bp cuff into the door, pumped it up enough to make a space b/w the door and the frame, and inserted the rod in to trigger the door lock button. That isn't the funny part. The funny part is that literally less than 10 seconds after the lockout guy pulled away and drove down the street, my friend locked himself out of his Yukon again! All I could think was, I wish I had a pick set and knew how to open the door......

[sevenply]

I just ordered the basic package from locksmithbiz.com. I tried to make picks from the cheap $3 embrellas you find all over the city when it rains. I'm not having any luck using them on a masterlock #1. This package includes picks and a practice lock which hopefully with be helpfull. I will see how complete this course is and either get some more books on the subject or go straight for Education Direct once completed.

[Chucklz]

firescuems

Don't forget to spend some time learning some good carpentry. When I think of how emergency services enter in an emergency, I usually think of a "destructive" opening, and I understand the rational for its use. But, you could advertise yourself as the guy who repairs these emergency openings.

[firescuems]

firescuems

Don't forget to spend some time learning some good carpentry. When I think of how emergency services enter in an emergency, I usually think of a "destructive" opening, and I understand the rational for its use. But, you could advertise yourself as the guy who repairs these emergency openings.

Yeah, I've got a background in general contracting as well (electrical, carpentry, elevator repair, landscaping, demolition, although I pretty much leave plumbing alone LOL!). Man, if it wasn't a conflict of interest in the City's eyes, I could make a killing just in lock repair/replacement alone! But unfortunately (or fortunately in many ways), we have a pretty strict policy in the Fire Department regarding conflicts of interest.....

I'm hoping that if I get my lockpicking skills down, that I might be more "useful" in the eyes of the dept, and get assigned to more interesting calls.....

[firescuems]

I just ordered the basic package from locksmithbiz.com. I tried to make picks from the cheap $3 embrellas you find all over the city when it rains. I'm not having any luck using them on a masterlock #1. This package includes picks and a practice lock which hopefully with be helpfull. I will see how complete this course is and either get some more books on the subject or go straight for Education Direct once completed.

cool! Let me know how it is when you get it. Watching the sample video from the website, the CD looks pretty good, and they explain things in a straightforward, easy to pick up the first time you hear it - type way.

[awacs]

I also found a distance learning program from a company called Education Direct

http://www.educationdirect.com/locksmith/

As to the quality, I can't say for sure. I did contact the New York State Education Dept. and confirmed that they are an accredited school by NYSED. They are also accredited by several other regional and national accrediting boards.

Sure about that, fire? I wrote NYSED BPSS (Bureau of of Proprietary School Supervision) wrote me that they are not licensed by them.

We (=me) may be confusing "licensed" with "accredited". But see:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/html/062.html

which indicates that the school (not the program) must be licensed by NYSED.

I emailed the school about this, and of course, they punted:

"We are an Educational Institution. Please understand that we have 78 career programs for careers that may or may not be licensed by 50 state governments, over 3000 county governments, and perhaps 50,000 city and town governments, in the U.S. alone. If we tried to keep track of changes in government licensing requirements or industry group certification on a daily basis, we would have to substantially increase tuition's costs. That is why it is very important that the potential student check directly with their government licensing agencies or industry certifying groups for their current requirements."

Hate to spend all of that money/time to find out that it was no good ...