close protection courses

[Dmal]

Has anyone had any experience with John Sextons training course? Does anyone know how recognized his training is amongst hiring companies. He seems very on point and I'm sure his course is top notch but when choosing a school to train with other schools like EPI and Oatman get most of the required credit in the U.S.

[Local Talent]

He's known. I've read a few articles from him, if I'm not mistaken. That's unfortunately about all I can say.

You're right about the two schools you mention. If you want instant recognition, there are others, but they're hard to beat.

[Dmal]

Lt,
From your experience which of the names do you think a hiring company would have more interest in? Their all very impressive but which is best to an employer? Just respecting your opinion. thanks

[Local Talent]

Thanks for the endorsement, but the following is just one man's opinion, so please keep that in mind! I hope that more members will chime in because we have some in hiring positions, which has never been my place (although I have interviewed and worked with many, many guys).

Ideally, the candidate would have gone through a full-blown EP training program covering all the aspects of the job. ESI really comes to my mind for that, but there's a few others. Our sponsor BTI offers a very extensive package too, and he's local to us. Otherwise, most schools offer courses that focus on one aspect of the job and it's up to the students to go to as many as possible to end up well rounded and up-to-date enough.

Now IME, most guys I've seen have not been fully, formally trained (cost is in the thousands as you know). They usually have experience in a related field (LE, military, or private security, typically), and the serious ones build on this with various courses in what interests them or what they feel they need (tactical firearms training, martial arts, counter surveillance, advance, defensive driving, etc.). I know that's what I did.

This is to say I have never seen a guy get a job over another because the name on his diplomas was bigger. Again, IME, the ones that are available, look and act the part, seem like they'd fit into the detail or be liked by the client, and have the required licenses usually get hired. We've said it somewhere else: people hire people. EP training is fantastic but not such a sine qua non condition, it's more like icing on the cake.

The more serious details will often have in-house ways to keep you or bring you up to speed, BTW. That tells me that either they don't entirely trust the schools, or the guys to stay sharp after graduation... so that we're back to square one. And several companies claim to "train" their agents, but their one-week courses are really only primers (this is marketing to impress clients who don't know any better). It takes a much longer time to "make" an EP agent, and it's a combination of personality, physical abilities, and experience... training coming only on top of it all in my view. And then it's an ongoing pursuit.

So what I'm trying to say (and keep in mind that I don't know anything about you) is: don't expect that there is ONE school out there whose diploma guarantees you a job. If you've read this forum, you've noticed at least an ESI graduate who can't seem to get hired...
If you have the money and time to dedicate to it, go with one of the handful of big names (ESI, Oatman, Vance, EPI... you can't go wrong), but there are a lot more things to consider (see elsewhere on this forum for discussions on size, physical conditioning, dress and grooming, attitude, familiarity with firearms, etc.).

If you have your sights on really high level stuff - corporate jobs, VVIP protective details and the like, it would be a good idea to go through a "nationally recognized" school as that will come up all the time. But in the mean time, I'd get some training locally to get a clear idea about what the job is (in case you don't; I'm just giving generic advice here) and show a minimum of proficiency to potential employers, then try and get all the mileage I can.
After some time on the job, you'll figure out what schools guys in your area go to, or what particular skills and knowledge you want to develop for yourself.

Also, and that's another nod to BTI, while no school guarantees work, if you stick to local, you will be in a better position to network with students or get referrals from instructors. It will be more likely that the persons interviewing you (or detail leader) will either be graduates of the same program or familiar with the instructors.

And I want to conclude on this, that you've probably seen mentioned in other discussions (on firearms, in particular): there is no best. "Best" is a marketing word, like "perfection". Any EP guy who's been around the block will have sampled several schools and taken something different away from each. It's not like you can pick one and be done with it.

[Dmal]

Perfect explanation Lt. Thanks best advice I've gotten in a while.

[Local Talent]

Oh, great! And anytime brother, that's what the forum is for.

[Lone Wolf]

The best from what I have heard is ESI.. Then Oatman.. I recently watched oatman on a you tube video and was very impressed with the way he handled the client and the activity that they were involved in... I just looked for it but was unable to find it I think it was listed under like worlds craziest drivers or something like that..

[Bedouin]

Hi all, Saw the post on ESI and other training sites. I'm currently enrolled in ESI's distance learning program and i'm planning on hitting the resident training end of Aug. Very in depth with the school work up till now. If anyone wants info feel free to hit me up. I'll help as much as i can.

[Brian1944]

I am new to the profession but having said that... I have been through countless schools with the police department. SWAT had a school for everything...they had some great schools and great instructors. They also had some ok schools and instructors.

I dont always hold a mans name (such as an individual) to making it a great school. Now thats not saying it cant be Im just saying that I went to a SWAT school by a guy who is a SWAT legend and didnt really learn as much as I thought I would. I went to USAbodyguards school not knowing WHAT to expect. I thought that the instructors...who hardly come off that way (very friendly and knowledgable)...were excellent and offered a wide spectrum of experience on both sides of protection work. They were entertaining and kept it intresting. There have been many school I have attended where I dreamed about slowly pulling my gun out and shooting myself just for something to do.

Dont place all the value on a mans name for a school. Its not the name of the school that matters its what you take away from the school. You can go to a high profile guys school but that isnt going to give you the experience of the guy who owns/teaches it. It s what you retain from whatever school you attend. You could go to ESI but not retain everything as you may from another instructor you might connect with more. Just something to think about.

[Local Talent]

There have been many school I have attended where I dreamed about slowly pulling my gun out and shooting myself just for something to do.
:eek: Been there... :)
Otherwise, it's a good point that the value of a given training is different for each of us. It depends on a lot of things. Schools are like restaurants: you want to sample as many as possible, and that little joint around the block may surprise you more than the big Rodeo Drive name you could hardly get into. And those who eat at McDonald's every day are bound to think that it's all there is to food.

This being said, I suspect that a lot of people (not speaking for the OP, there, not knowing him) ask for the best school because:

1. They are starting out and don't have enough money to spare to go out and sample themselves,
2. They are looking for the most impressive and recognizable name to put on a resume,
3. They are lazy and would rather trust someone else than do the proper homework themselves.

It is annoying when people ask where you trained and go, "Never heard of 'em. Any good?"... If they're not aware of ESI or Oatman, you know that they're full of it or too lame to work for.

[Local Talent]

Here's a Sexton class: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/sec/1925313565.html

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[Naomi]

Hey!!!
I read your post and I don't think that protection courses must be closed. These courses help to develop the feeling for self protection and hence reduce social issues.