U.S. Only (sorry) - Average pay per hour

[Engineer]

I just came across this page, but on the right is a calculator for how much pay you can expect per hour from different professions. I'm sorry, but it only covers the U.S.A.

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-best_kept_secret_careers-811

I spent some while playing with it just for "locksmith" and seeing how much typically you can expect to earn depending where your business is based. I found it quite fascinating and might actually help some in deciding where to start up a business, or your next business if you already have one - Slip down the road into another ZIP code and you could make a lot more - or less. It has certainly made me think a bit.

[MacGnG1]

wow pretty cool.... i shoulda been paid more, working at the grocery store! but i already knew that

[Eyes_Only]

I'm supposed to be paid $17.00 an hour?

[Lostreb]

I can make almost as much flippin' burgers?????

[ElAbogado]

I just came across this page, but on the right is a calculator for how much pay you can expect per hour from different professions. I'm sorry, but it only covers the U.S.A.

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-best_kept_secret_careers-811

I spent some while playing with it just for "locksmith" and seeing how much typically you can expect to earn depending where your business is based. I found it quite fascinating and might actually help some in deciding where to start up a business, or your next business if you already have one - Slip down the road into another ZIP code and you could make a lot more - or less. It has certainly made me think a bit.

The sad reality is that locksmithing is a trade that requires a great deal of expensive machinery and stock, a varied education, honesty and a desire to help people, but pays very badly. This was the reality I faced when I closed my shop and went to law school 26 years ago. Nothing has changed much, other than the trade has become more specialized, especially in the auto area, and the competition is worse, more "mobile" guys working for almost nothing. Here in my town in Northern California, there are mobile guys who will rekey your house for $40.00 including service call and all materials. You can't make money charging those rates, but as soon as the mobile guy learns that, another one takes his place.

I think the secret is to find a niche within the trade that you do well and stick to that. Personally, I don't like auto work, but once at someone's business, I can almost always sell them high security cylinders which net a handsome profit and be tied in for all subsequent service of those cylinders and duplicate keys.

Safe opening is another area where you can make good money and work for other locksmiths as well.

The only really good jobs as a locksmith are with government. VA Facilities, school districts, prisons etc.

El Abogado

[Eyes_Only]

At the peak of my employment I was making only $10 an hour even though I was placed as assistant manager and was responsible for training everyone else with most new stuff and anything high security related.

But often I would end up having to work anywhere from 10 to 16 hours a day so I still made bank!

[Tyler J. Thomas]

$10 an hour in California and you were an assistant manager? That's doesn't sound right.

[Eyes_Only]

Yup. I had two (three if your count the person who did most of the clerical work) people over me but they put me over two of my co-workers when my superiors weren't around, which was often. The money wasn't bad though, I was able to afford all the tools that everyone else at the shop envied.

But it doesn't matter if the pay was right or wrong, I quit that place a few months ago. I can look for something better now.

[SALocksmith]

I think 8-10$ an hour is pretty standard for Apprentice level shop help, or ride-along help. In the locksmith industry the real money is in owning/operating your own business. Not working for others, and the most valuable asset is Knowledge, once you have that, the truck and equipment and everything else just falls into place. There is obviously business/advertisment and other related cost, but with no middle man, you don't exactly have to have an insane amount of work to make a living. It should not be difficult to make 250-500$ a day.

[nostromo]

Every great once in awhile a Lockie job opens up at a federal facility, tho the positions tend to be wage-grade or contract. Compensation, depending on experience, seems to be around $20/hr. And relocation is at your own expense.

The openings happen so rarely you probably don;t want to plan on getting into it as a career, but that's probably why the openings are so rare. Once people get into them they tend to stay.

[allamericanlock]

I was ride along help when i first started and i had to do it for free. The price for being trained.

[SoMotivated10]

From reading the conversation of this post, it sounds like being a Locksmith (outside of owning your own business) has a very grim look on financial potential. . With some looking around on the web, I see that most average salaries are less then 50,000 a year. .

It seems that it is also a trade that is not easy to get in to in terms of learning enough to be valuable. Example: Someone learning HVAC at some tech school will be more valuable then someone taking courses from FB or other schoolings. Even if you learn HVAC online, the knowledge you gain is valuable for on hand use. Locksmith knowlege through course only allows you to understand the blueprints if you will of the devices you work with. Its all about mechanical parts and how things work, but can not teach you how to use tools correctly or give you real life situations such as a troubleshooting section.

Right now, for me personally, I have yet made up my mind if I'd like to pursue locksmithing, but from what I have just read it seems like a lot of sacrificing and scuffling is to be made to learn the trade and at the end of the road, it is unlikley that you will get in to something stable with a comfortable living without sacrificing more. . Such as working for someone lets say in a big company. . Seems like the only way you really profit, is if you market yourself well, have years under your belt and then finally have your own business. .

I hope to see more opinions and such on this site. .

[Tyler J. Thomas]

From reading the conversation of this post, it sounds like being a Locksmith (outside of owning your own business) has a very grim look on financial potential. . With some looking around on the web, I see that most average salaries are less then 50,000 a year. .

It seems that it is also a trade that is not easy to get in to in terms of learning enough to be valuable. Example: Someone learning HVAC at some tech school will be more valuable then someone taking courses from FB or other schoolings. Even if you learn HVAC online, the knowledge you gain is valuable for on hand use. Locksmith knowlege through course only allows you to understand the blueprints if you will of the devices you work with. Its all about mechanical parts and how things work, but can not teach you how to use tools correctly or give you real life situations such as a troubleshooting section.

Right now, for me personally, I have yet made up my mind if I'd like to pursue locksmithing, but from what I have just read it seems like a lot of sacrificing and scuffling is to be made to learn the trade and at the end of the road, it is unlikley that you will get in to something stable with a comfortable living without sacrificing more. . Such as working for someone lets say in a big company. . Seems like the only way you really profit, is if you market yourself well, have years under your belt and then finally have your own business. .

I hope to see more opinions and such on this site. .

You're right in thinking that the only way to break the typical $50k ceiling is through a large company OR your own company OR hitting a niche like forensic locksmiths, which fetch well over $50k. The CIA was hiring safe/locksmiths a while back under their "Technical Security Officer" job title (hehe, I'm sure other locksmiths remember the CIA job postings in Keynotes/SAVTA magazines). Starting salary for that job was nearly $60k.

You're going to have to pay your dues just starting out so don't expect anything stellar in your first 5 years. After that, it's all about timing and luck. You can get on with a larger company or find one of those niche jobs and you'll be fine financially. You've got to get the experience under your belt before you can expect to realistically have a chance at one of those jobs - they're very sought after.

Regardless, business is rarely ever slow in this field so you can always be assured of food on the table. That's one thing I'm most thankful for - having a job no matter where I go.

Good luck. I hope you find what you're looking for.