The Truth About Executive Protection Schools
What you should know about executive protection schools. Some years back, I was between flights at Dulles Airport when I couldn't help but notice a professionally dressed woman looking in a meaningful expression that I immediately recognized as one of familiarity.
What interested me was that she wasn’t so much looking at me as much as she was looking at the way I moved, what type of body language I presented, basically profiling me as a threat or not.
Among US elite federal agencies there are only a few command schools that really matter, The FBI Academy, CIA, and DSS. If you were lucky to attend one of those three schools, you have met the first several key requirements for any command level executive protection role.
To be a special agent in one of these agencies program will not just help you make a career in a leadership position but also help you later on in your career at the private sector.
What are the values coming from joining these special agents' programs?
The most important in my opinion is developing skills and abilities that could really positively affect your personal growth. To be among the elite during the selection process, training and service will make you better. You will develop abilities in a much greater way then you imagine. To belong to the elite unit makes you in many ways elite.
For me joining and serving in the Shin-Bet (Israeli Secret Service) and Israel Army Special Forces as a soldier, agent and officer made all the difference in the world.
To belong to an organization with elite people around you, all together pushing every day to serve a bigger mission than ourselves.
The greater good mission in the Israeli Secret Service is the fight against terror activities domestically and internationally. To be an agent and operator inside an Intelligence agency as sophisticated and effective as the Shin Bet opened my eyes and change my perspectives about life, community, people, organization structure, decision making and built my maturity and humbled me. You understand the importance of teamwork, collaboration with others beside the obvious like discipline, be reliable and transparent.
Since, I managed to serve as a captain in commanding combat roles, I also developed my abilities as a manager, I learned the importance of leading by example and the understanding how to drive your team towards the goal of being an effective war machine that every part is critical for the system to work properly.
After this intro you understand I'm not a big believer in short cuts, therefore when a prospect student ask me:
" Why not simply join a bodyguard school and work myself up in the industry?"
Meaning without the hassle of joining and serving in the army special forces and studying for an academic degree to get eventually a job as a special agent or other core operation roles of these organizations.
The answer is simple, the majority of the schools of bodyguards out there focus on their bottom line THE PROFIT, the drive to increase your skills is secondary.
Therefore, you will spend the majority of your time Infront of a powerpoint slideshow. Some of the schools spend more than 50% sitting in a classroom in a lecture about a bunch of theoretical info. The real training, meaning hands-on training like muscle memory development for hand-to-hand combat, pistol / rifle, CQB room clearing, shooting from a vehicle, avoid being tracked and conducting counter surveillance street exercises all of these topics are limited to the minimum because of one good reason - hands-on training cost too much and hurt their bottom line.
Especially, the long courses of 30 days and up spend many days (could get to 15 days of training in the classroom.
You actually pay more and get much less than you would get if you do the short courses of 9 -15 days.
Especially the Gi Bill students' veterans that take these long classes with the hope to get a job after the course.
Make sure what exactly the job they offer!
In most cases, it's an estate security job from the lowest level as a doorman.
These jobs are low wage jobs simply not justify the investment of $15,000 or more in education.
In the longer courses, you pay more for less and usually don't get to promise land of finding a job to return on your Invesment.
As I told you I don't believe in short cuts, but if decide to take a course and be a bodyguard at least make sure you spend money and your time wisely.
For the same amount of budget, I recommend taking a course that can really prepare you for a real job like overseas contracting job or high-end protection jobs that need good, vetted skilled people not a slide show diploma from a Uber driver + "operator".
A course with ZERO classroom time and focus especially on real life applications like combat live fire CQB with room clearing, vehicles, hand to hand combat, teamwork live fire and counter surveillance etc.
These courses like our 9 or 15 days courses, increases your chance to shine in the job interview and get a real bodyguard position and most importantly real life skills.
HERE - see video of the training experience
If you want to talk directly with the school leadership, contact us here
Tomer Israeli
Head of school
tel: 202-674-7255
email: tomer@israelitactical.com
