apprenticeship question

[oi_punk]

sorry for posting this twice but i guess this where i should of posted it first

i want to turn my hobby in to a profession. how would one go about getting an apprenticeship, be sides bugging a lock smith to be there lockie apprentice. what knowledge do i need if any? or should i get a online course and start my own business my cite gots some thing like 25 locksmith companies. what should i do?

[zeke79]

sorry for posting this twice but i guess this where i should of posted it first

what knowledge do i need if any? or should i get a online course and start my own business my cite gots some thing like 25 locksmith companies. what should i do?

If you are asking the first question above then you are in no way ready to start your own business. Lockpicking is such a small part of the business that simply knowing how to do it does not even come close to allowing one to call themselves a locksmith.

Do a search in this same forum you made this post. I know I have made some posts that cover some of your question as have others. Put the information available together to get an idea of just what knowledge you need.

[oi_punk]

i know it take a lot more then just picking locks. its the hole aspect of the bissnes i like, i dont wana get rich off it. "i have ben reading up on it thru this forum. not to shound like a jerck off". i do got a good nolegd of locks. i gess what i shoud of askd. is should i take a inter net cours or try to get an appreniceship to get my foot in the lockd door? but let me gess thats here in the Locksmith Business paret of this forum to?


P.S. and thanks zeke79 i will keep looking

[zeke79]

Actually, yes the answer to that question is in here too.

[MBI]

oi_pink, be glad zeke answered your question. You received a much more direct and helpful answer from him than you would have received from many others here. It's not that we don't like answering questions, because we're fine with that, it's just that we get tired of answering the same questions repeatedly.

If you use IRC, come to #lp101 on slashnet, you'll find all your answers there, and more!

[zeke79]

i know it take a lot more then just picking locks. its the hole aspect of the bissnes i like, i dont wana get rich off it. "i have ben reading up on it thru this forum. not to shound like a jerck off". i do got a good nolegd of locks. i gess what i shoud of askd. is should i take a inter net cours or try to get an appreniceship to get my foot in the lockd door? but let me gess thats here in the Locksmith Business paret of this forum to?


P.S. and thanks zeke79 i will keep looking

I know it takes a lot more than just picking locks. It's the whole aspect of the business I like. I don't want to get rich from it. "I have been reading up on it through this forum not to sound like a jerk off". I do have a good knowledge of locks. I guess what I should have asked is should I take an internet course or try to get an apprenticeship to get my foot in the locked door? Let me guess, that's here in the Locksmith Business part of this forum too.

The above was posted so others could make some sense of the post since there are so many spelling errors in the original post I quoted. By doing this you may get more help than what is already posted.

[tacedeous]

we have an irc room? how did i not notice this?

/logs on to slashnet

[oi_punk]

i have looked through all apprenticeship post.i decided i will just get an apprenticeship and do a online coures. that way i can get the most out of it.

thanks guys for the advice

[zeke79]

No problem. To be honest you made the best choice. One thing that might help you land an apprenticeship is to go ahead and take the foley belsaw course before going out to look for an apprenticeship. That will let the locksmiths know that you are serious as you have invested several hundred of your hard earned dollars to pursue the career already. Some things to work on that will make you valuable as an apprentice is to learn all of the lock finish codes and get familiar with identifying key blanks as a start. A big plus is to be very proficient in impressioning.

Those are just a few things to study up on. With the posts you have read, you have probably already come across this information. I know I have posted a much more comprehensive list of things to work on that will make you more valuable to a locksmith.

Good luck on your search. Look into the foley belsaw course as I said. Don't pay full price though. You might talk to them over the phone to "get more information". They will want to sell you the course and will offer a discount to begin with but if you leave your contact info and tell them you will think about it they will usually get back with you and offer a larger discount. I know others have bought the course in the $525 or so amount.

If you have more questions that you cannot find an answer to on the forums don't hesitate to ask.

[cledry]

Most locksmiths in my area would rather take on someone green than someone who had taken the Foley Belsaw course. You just have to be persistent and ask around. My advice would be try to look presentable because you will be viewed by the public and this is a reflection on whomever hires you. Lastly try to learn to spell, writing quotes and invoices is part of the business too.

[oi_punk]

I can right proper when i need to. I don't re reed what I tipe, when I'm in a hery. Where about do you live cledry? I live in Washington state.

[globallockytoo]

Most locksmiths in my area would rather take on someone green than someone who had taken the Foley Belsaw course. You just have to be persistent and ask around. My advice would be try to look presentable because you will be viewed by the public and this is a reflection on whomever hires you. Lastly try to learn to spell, writing quotes and invoices is part of the business too.

I have nothing against FB as a course, however I would be hesitant to employ someone who has done it.

I would prefer to teach someone who knows bugger all. Then I could train them similar to the way I learned. I am not the best in the business but I have many years experience and have taught and trained in past locksmith jobs.

FB is designed to give you the basics for building your own locksmith business. There are many success stories but just as many failures.
Why failures? because these folks dont learn that true locksmiths are always learning new techniques and always boning up on skills. Too many FB graduates work for a few years....do a little business...but never intended to make it a lifetime career....it seems like some of them look at it as a way to delay retirement.

[locfoc]

I have nothing against FB as a course, however I would be hesitant to employ someone who has done it.

I would prefer to teach someone who knows bugger all. Then I could train them similar to the way I learned. I am not the best in the business but I have many years experience and have taught and trained in past locksmith jobs.

FB is designed to give you the basics for building your own locksmith business. There are many success stories but just as many failures.
Why failures? because these folks dont learn that true locksmiths are always learning new techniques and always boning up on skills. Too many FB graduates work for a few years....do a little business...but never intended to make it a lifetime career....it seems like some of them look at it as a way to delay retirement.

Awe man no way, I would higher an apprentice that has taken a course so he knows the basics of locksmithing, and I'm talking the foundation bottom line basics like what foley-belsaw teaches. from pinning cylinders, master pinning, impressioning locks, picking lever locks, reading wafers, picking 5 pin cylinders. Honestly I'd rather have somebody with that small amount of knowledge ask me to work in my company so I can take that founding knowledge and mold it into something great.

- locfoc

[oi_punk]

So as long as i learn the basics, I will be more likely to get a JOB? So should i start the course, then try to get a apprenticeship, or do the hole course the go out an get a apprenticeship? that way I will get twice the experiences while doing the job and/or have what i need then gane more afterwerds?

[locfoc]

I went and found a locksmith shop and told them I was interested in becoming a locksmith many years ago and I told the manager that I was thinking to take a locksmith course. The manager told me - When you finish the course come back and I will give you a job as an apprentice.

It doesn't hurt to go talk to a few shops in person and see what they say, instead of asking us what we think. Because what we think doesn't really matter we can only describe our experiences.

I did take the Foley Belsaw course, I tore through it so fast and Passed, and i got the job. Since then I have trained 3 full apprentices into journeyman and today I run my own locksmith company and I'm a certified mul-t-lock dealer, which is a very big deal to provide real high security key control and locks. So the moral of the story is there is a stepping stone for everybody to start somewhere. I don't think it really matters where you start because if you have the drive and motivation to learn, you will subscribe to the locksmith ledger or national locksmith magazines, you'll join aloa and get their keynotes, and you'll take their courses, and you will read information online about locks and products. Basically if you are made to do it, you will.