Door supervisors guard licensed premises like pubs, bars and nightclubs against damage, theft, unauthorised access or disorderly behaviour.


Typical Salary

£17,000 – £28,000

per year

Working Hours

33–35

hours per week

Career Area

Security guards and related occupations

View related courses

Day-to-day tasks

In your day-to-day duties you may:

  • manage crowds and queues
  •  make sure people keep to the dress code
  •  check tickets
  •  patrol inside and outside the venue
  •  watch people's behaviour and deal with conflict
  •  physically intervene and escort people out of the venue, if necessary
  •  deal with emergencies
  •  co-operate with police, first aiders and management

Skills needed

  • knowledge of public safety and security 
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • concentration skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Entry requirements

SIA will make identity and criminal record checks to decide if you're a suitable person to hold a licence.

Read SIA information on applying for a licence when you have a criminal record.

How to get into this role

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • a specialist training course

Career progression

With experience, you could progress to team leader or area supervisor.

As a door supervisor you can also work in non-licensed venues as a security guard, for example in an office building or shopping mall or on CCTV surveillance.

You could also go on to set up your own private security agency.