Before you book your SIA training it is a good precaution to check out the provider.
There are still rogues within the industry who will take your money and not provide results or certificates, so personal recommendation is always a good starting point.
If this is not possible you should try to find out which awarding body issues the exam papers and give them a call to make sure that you are dealing with a genuine licence training provider.
Once you have booked and paid for the training it confirms your place and companies should usually send you a joining pack. (The information in the joining pack will include: when and where the course is taking place, a map, start and finish times, I.D requirements and terms & conditions).
At the end of all SIA courses you will have to pass multiple choice exams (as well as a practical assessment on both the Physical Intervention module of the Door Supervisor course and on the practical operation of CCTV equipment for the CCTV course) to gain the relevant qualification.
Before you will be allowed to take the exams you must provide 2 colour passport sized photographs and a minimum of 2 identification documents. (You will also need an additional photograph and the same identification documents when you send off your licence application).
Depending on which awarding body your training provider uses will determine the length of time you will have to wait for your results. Most awarding bodies take between 10 – 14 working days to mark the papers.
You cannot apply for your licence until you can confirm that you have passed your qualification.
In the event that you fail part of the course, you only need to come back and re-sit either the exam(s) or the practical assessment, not the whole course.
As soon as you have received confirmation of passing the qualification you can apply for your SIA licence. You don’t have to wait until you receive your certificates.
In order to apply for an licence you need to get an application form from the SIA. You should be offered one by the training provider you book with. Alternatively you can get one of these by visiting the SIA website and submitting your details online. Completing this form can be tricky so should you need some help completing it, ask your training provider for some assistance. The SIA have also published a book which gives guidance notes on how to complete the application.
After filling out your application you are required to add a counter-signed photo. Additionally you will need the counter-signatory to fill-in the correct section within the form. For anyone over 18 (who isn`t related) holding a United Kingdom passport will be able to do this.
Now you can send out the submitted application towards the Security Industry Authority. You need to incorporate payments of £245 (postal order, cheques and credit cards all are supported) and also the same exact form of identity paperwork you generated for your examination. The licence remains to be susceptible to any criminal history plus a 5 year address back ground check. We recommend that you send out the application via Special Recorded Mail.
Generally inside a 1 week to 10 days the Security Industry Authority will provide the identity paperwork along with a notice informing that the request is now being dealt with. That letter will also have your specific tracker code upon it which is useful as you can use it to login via the SIA site and check the stage your application is currently at. Also you can check by using your date-of-birth and full name.
The SIA Licence will ideally take amongst four to six weeks to get released so long as there aren’t any difficulties.
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