Locksmith course

[stevep80]

Hello
Can anybody help. I am very eager to find out about locksmith course, I have just been reading about the courses on this website www.uklocksmithsassociation.co.uk.
It would be a great help if someone can tell me if they have been on this course and how good it is because by reading about the courses it sounds very good.
I know nothing about locksmithing but it is something i am very interested in maybe getting into as i am being made redundent in the new year and i would like to try something totaly different to what i am doing at the moment.
Thanks
Steve

[NickBristol]

There's lots of information in the Locksmith Business Information section on here, both about the best courses and the realities of starting up and maintaining a career as a locksmith in the UK.

Have you really looked at the realistic market share you might get as a new locksmith in an over-crowded market? Can you afford to live on almost nothing as you get established? A lot of courses promise £1000 a week minimum once you start up but it doesn't work like that with so many locksmiths trading.

There is only one organisation that comes close to true recognition and that is the MLA. The ICL are relatively new but up-and-coming and actually work according to the organisation's principles - some other 'associations' only pay lip service to being an honest locksmith.

[toomush2drink]

Forget it unless you have a sound business plan, no course on lockpicking tells you how to run business. Unless you have done your research you will struggle as the market is flooded with so many new "locksmiths" Every weekend many do what you intend to do and have been for the last 3 years. At present there are over 70 "training Schools" all turning out more and more wannabes. If they all train 4 each weekend thats another 280 entering the trade after one weekend.Now add the week long courses and over a month you have at least 2240 a month entering the trade thats over 26000 people a year "giving it a go".

Most dont survive as subbing for the nationals are the only way they can get work.This normally only pays 40% of the job price.

I personally spend over 15k a year on marketing to get work and im a small fish in a big pond.

That is the reality im afraid

4 years ago i would have said go for it but not now. Most of my work is contract work ,lock outs are few and far between, the very work most new locksmiths go for. At present im finding domestic customers are becoming more price sensitive due to lack of money with redundancies,higher mortgage rates and credit card debts.The days of charging a fortune to slip a latch are gone.

Do your homework before doing any course, all this blurb about low overheads on the site you mentioned is tosh, you need a van with lots of stock and tools or you will just lose money having to keep going back to complete jobs.Also you lose customers doing this as you may be going back to a job when a lockout may come in.

Do your homework before spending a penny my friend.

[stevep80]

Thanks alot for your advice.
Maybe i should try a new path. Like i say it was something i was thinking quite seriously about as a new line of work.
Back to the drawing board and i will have to think of something else.
Once again thanks for the reply.

Steve