Pros
The pay is decent- better than most uniformed armed security jobs. The starting pay is what you would make as a supervisor for a uniformed company, but with added overtime due to the 12 hour shifts. The base pay is the same, but the fact that you're getting overtime by virtue of the 12 hour shifts and/or 48 hour work week (depending on the state you're in. For CA anything over 8 hours on any given day is OT) bumps up your pay. The pay would be more impressive if it were a typical 40 hour week but when you see that it's based on a 48 hour week and experience the schedule, you start to understand why people complain about it. The 401K is also very decent. Medical and dental are OK, but you'll rarely have time to use it. The monthly gym stipend, data stipend, and travel expenses are also very helpful. Finally, some of the people you will work with are truly awesome. Most are veterans but i have also come across former pro athletes, firefighters, and police officers. Occasionally there are less desirable agents to work with. The other pro is that it can be very interesting work, and you'll have the opportunity to see celebrities and events that most people only dream of seeing, while acting completely nonchalant and professional about it. A lot of this is client specific but if you're in the LA area there are lots of opportunities for field details and events, and the company seems to look highly on guys who build up their reputation and experience through that.
Cons
Where to begin? Like I said in the "pros" section, while the pay looks decent on paper, it really isn't when you see what kind of hours you work to earn it. The scheduling can be downright atrocious. As a starting protector you will work a 48 hour week via 12 hour night shifts. 4 on, 3 off sounds pretty good until you realize that there is never any consistency or reliability with the scheduling. Every week is different, which prevents you from being able to plan anything past the posted schedule - which btw also frequently changes during the week. Your 3 nights off are almost never in a row, and often times due to staffing needs you will work extra nights or have only 1 night off between another string of shifts. You'll barely have time to get in a decent work out, get good sleep, do groceries or any of the basic necessities that most people take for granted. Even in the Marines i had more essential free time (aside from field training) than i ever did with GDBA. I've worked as many as 8 straight nights before simply becuase of staffing needs due to the turnover rate. Every couple months guys will either leave the company completely or transfer to another site. Or someone will have field detail obligations or EPS instructor obligations which also causes schedule strain. And then occasionally you might be put on day shifts, which sounds nice until you realize that your body clock is completely adjusted for night shifts. Even though they give you 2 nights off before a day shift, it is still very hard to adjust when you've been on nights for several weeks/months. It takes a lot more than just 2 days to change your circadian clock. You'll find yourself showing up to work in the morning for a day shift feeling like you need to go to bed. And day shifts actually tend to be busier due to the clients having more going on around the property and offsite. Be ready to drive a lot while sleep deprived. Have a 5 hour energy handy and don't drink too much fluids becuase going to the bathroom while out with a client is virtually impossible. Unless you have a very high profile client, the work will feel more like that of a driver/butler/estage manager/personal assistant more than a bodyguard. And most of the more publicly recognized clients will only be covered by senior guys in the company. You'll be expected to answer the client's requests and be at their beck and call basically. Many of their requests will have nothing to do with security, such as picking up food, items from the store, or even picking up their meds. At many sites the Senior Team Leader is essentially the estate manager, with the rest of the team assisting with property management duties. You will have to know that clients property inside and out, and be prepared to operate and/or troubleshoot equipment ranging from Pool covers, home theater projectors, outdoor heating and lighting, etc. And nightly duties will often involve menial tasks like covering outdoor furniture and vehicles. But you'll still also be monitoring cameras all night, doing reports, locking/arming up the residence, and taking care of the clients vehicles, pets, and other random requests. A lot of your experience will be site specific, with some sites being much more enjoyable to work with than others. The client and the detail itself can make or break your experience much like your immediate team and leadership. Another recurring problem with the company is that too many of the regional directors will armchair quarterback your every move but have no accountability over their own actions. They will take all the credit if you do something good, but will harshly criticize you if you do anything wrong. There are some good leaders in the company but most of them are in advisement and educational positions. Most of the team leaders and senior team leaders are good, but are unfortunately under a lot of pressure from the regional directors. If you can get into a site outside of LA then you might feel a little more autonomy and less company bureaucracy and micromanagement but the trade-off is that staffing will be even harder to maintain, and last minute travel details will be more of a reality. You do not get sick days, just PTO that acquires very slowly, and that you have to request several weeks in advance. If you have a good senior team leader then they will most likely work with you on day off requests as long as you're reasonable with them and not too needy.
