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What is a protective officer and how to become one
Protective officers implement project design, management, and implementation of field-based protection programs.
They may at least need an undergraduate degree and to understand further human rights, international law, refugee law, and humanitarian principles and enforce them when possible. They may apply for a law degree (LLB, LLM, JD) or post-graduate degree in international law, human rights, social sciences, or a related field. As this job may require arbitration, they may benefit from psychology classes or training.
Protective officers may expect to earn an average salary of $35,758 per year or $17.19 per hour. If they get a job in United Nations Organizations (UNO), they may earn substantially more money. If they have military training in peacekeeping, they will make a lot more.
What general advice would you give to a protective officer?
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Avg. Salary $40,529
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 3%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.60%
Asian 5.60%
Black or African American 14.48%
Hispanic or Latino 19.56%
Unknown 5.33%
White 53.43%
Genderfemale 18.99%
male 81.01%
Age - 43American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 43Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is intermediate
7 - challenging
Work life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
Protective officer career paths
Key steps to become a protective officer
Explore protective officer education requirements
Start to develop specific protective officer skills
Skills Percentages Customer Service 13.12% Emergency Situations 6.77% Patrol 6.44% CCTV 6.22% Security Systems 6.19% Complete relevant protective officer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New protective officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a protective officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real protective officer resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed protective officer usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you don't need to pass an exam to become a licensed protective officer in most of states. 30 states require protective officers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.State Education Exam License url Alabama - - Licensed Personal Security Officer Maryland - - GUARDS Alaska Specific course required - Security Guard Arkansas Specific course required State exam required Private Security Officer (PSO) California Specific course required State exam required Security Guard Registration Research protective officer duties and responsibilities
- Arm weapons for PSO, baton, OC .. and PSO skills if need ..
- Assist in basic operations during EMT emergencies.
- Collaborate with and build relationships across CPO team.
- Work independently to check alertness and compliance of public order.
Prepare your protective officer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your protective officer resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a protective officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable protective officer resume templates
Build a professional protective officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your protective officer resume.
Apply for protective officer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a protective officer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first protective officer job
Are you a protective officer?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average protective officer salary
The average protective officer salary in the United States is $40,529 per year or $19 per hour. Protective officer salaries range between $28,000 and $58,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do protective officers rate their job?
Protective officer reviews
The pay is not worth what you have to do sometimes
Meeting a lot of different people have helped people in this job
Protecting people and the property where I’m sign at.
There’s nothing about the officer that I don’t like
Yes because is a job that deal with helping people that your help and there's a wonderful happiness while working properly and helping people at the sometime.
One sometimes people will not like you but they need a help from you but to me a don't call it anything now because I know the status of the job even in a building I have work in that area as a security guard department with my license from United Arab Emirates.
Updated January 8, 2025
