The Complete Guide On How To Become a Doorman
If you’ve ever walked into a club, music venue or bar and had someone at the door checking your ID, this was a doorman. They are in charge of making sure everyone who enters a premises is supposed to be there.
And there are going to be even more jobs for this type of security personnel as COVID restrictions change and morph to accommodate the opening of borders and the return to the new normal.
But how do you become a doorman? What exactly do they do? What do they have to study and how much money do they make?
We are going to answer all these questions and more below in our complete guide on how to become a doorman.
What is a Doorman?
A doorman also sometimes called a bouncer, is a security officer stationed at the entry of a facility. They are responsible for monitoring and policing who comes into that premises and confirming all entry procedures are followed and the person entering is allowed to be there.
What does a Doorman do?
Depending on where they work a doorman can be responsible for all kinds of tasks. For example, if they work at a club, they will be required to charge the cover charge, make a visual assessment on the appropriateness of a patron’s clothing, are they wearing the right kind of shoes to come into the club, are they wearing a collared shirt?
They might also be required to assess the sobriety of the patron looking to enter the club and their general demeanor; are they drunk, are they belligerent, will they cause trouble if they are let in?
As the rules around COVID change a doorman will have more responsibilities. They will need to check that the patron has checked in on the COVID Safe app and depending on the requirements they may also need to check the patron’s vaccination record.
Where do they work?
Doormen work in all different kinds of industries including hospitality and entertainment. As a doorman you could work at a club, at a bar or a pub. You could work as concierge at a hotel, or at a large venue like an entertainment center. There is a requirement for doormen in many different industries meaning there will be more opportunities for work in this field.
How much do they make?
Doormen are paid under the MA000016 Security Services Industry Award . This award varies from a pay rate of security officer level 1 to level 5. You could be paid at a level 1 or level 5 depending on where you work and what experience you have.
A security officer paid at a level 1 of this award on a full-time or permanent part-time basis makes $22.84 per hour on a weekday and up to $45.68 per hour on a Sunday. If you’re employed under a causal contract under the security officer level award, your rate starts at $28.55 per hour on a weekday and goes up to $51.39 per hour on Sunday.
What skills do they need?
A doorman has an important job. They ensure the smooth running of a venue, keeping patrons safe and balancing logistics to adhere to the rules and regulations of the industry. It’s not an easy job but there are a few skills that will help you to excel in this role.
Attention to detail
You will need excellent attention to detail to complete this role. It’s paramount to your position that you are able to scan and assess the patrons requesting entry to the premise. This means you’ll need to be able to quickly and accurately scan for signs of drunkenness, inappropriate attire or drug use.
Stickler for the rules
Working as a doorman you will need to be a real stickler for the rules. Your job is make sure all rules and regulations are adhered to for patrons entering the venue. You’ll need to keep track of all entrants, making sure they sign in on the COVID safe application, check that they have valid ID and they are appropriately dressed.
You will need to have an excellent understanding of the rules and regulations for this industry and the venue you work with in order to execute the rules appropriately.
Communication skills
To excel in this role as a doorman you will need to have excellent communication skills. It’s your job to communicate the rules, ensure they are followed and keep patrons calm and orderly as you guide them through the process for entry at a venue.
Patrons can become unruly or difficult when confronted with requests to fill in the COVID registration or show ID. So, it’s really important to have very clear and constructive communication skills to ensure you can complete your job and manage the patrons and customers and make sure all rules are adhered to and the process runs smoothly.
How do you become a Doorman?
In order to become a doorman, you’ll need to be a good fit for the role and possess the above skills. You’ll need to be physically fit and able-bodied because you will be on your feet for hours and have to do long shifts, you’ll need to be able to work late nights and you’ll need to complete some study.
What do you need to study?
In order to work as a doorman, the course you will need to complete is the Certificate II in Security Operations. The course is delivered through an eight day face-to-face workshop with some online study required before and after the course. However, if you are atttending one of our NSW courses, this will be ten days face to face with five days of online work prior to attending. The course covers everything you’ll need to know about working as a security guard.
In the course you will learn how to:
- Apply effective communication skills to maintain security
- Apply legal and procedural requirements to work effectively within a security team
- Apply WHS, emergency response and evacuation procedures to maintain security
- Apply risk assessment to select and carry out response to security risk situations
- Provide quality services to a range of security clients
- Protect self and others using basic defensive techniques
- Patrol premises to monitor property and maintain security
- Screen people, personal effects and items to maintain security
- Monitor and control access and exit of persons and vehicles from premises
- Apply security procedures to manage intoxicated persons
- Apply security procedures to remove persons from premises
- Escort and protect persons and valuables
- Provide first aid
You can learn more about the course here.
To be able to work as a doorman you will also need to complete the Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate. This certificate is completed in a half-day workshop, and it is a requirement for anyone working in a venue where alcohol is being served in QLD specifically. You can learn more about the RSA here.
How much does the security course cost?
The full fee for service cost of the course is $1500 but most people are able to get some funding for this course.
If you live in Queensland and you have not completed a certificate III or higher before you might be eligible for Certificate 3 Guarantee funding. If you are successful in gaining the funding it will bring the cost of your course down to $14 or $42 depending on if you have a current healthcare card. You can learn more about the funding here.
If you have already completed certificate III or higher but you are currently looking for work please get in touch with us here and we can guide you through your other options.
We also have access to funding under Smart and Skilled, Skilling for Recovery in NSW availble for eligible participants. Contact us to discuss if you live in NSW.
What licence do you need?
To be able to work as a doorman you’ll need to get your unrestricted security guard licence. In Queensland, this licence is administered by the Office of Fair Trading. For all other states and territoies, please view licensing requirements on this page here.
The process for application includes filling in your paperwork, providing your certificates and having your fingerprints taken. Once you have submitted your licence application, it can take from three weeks up to 8 weeks to receive your licence.
What’s next?
If you’re interested in beginning a career in security and becoming a doorman, the first step is to attend one of our free security career information sessions.
In these sessions our team will take you through everything you need to know; what’s involved in the training, how to apply for funding, the types of jobs on offer and more!
You can book in to attend one of our free online information sessions here, or contact us to discuss your options.