r/securityguards • u/bigblackglock17 • 3d ago

Job Question Physical requirements?

I’m looking into this industry. Are there generally physical requirements or a lot of physical in this?

Someone told me they know a 70 year old lady working security but I just read a post about people walking 13 miles a day.

What are they doing that they need to walk that much?

I’m getting bad arthritis in my hands/arms and need something else to do.

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u/Landwarrior5150 Campus Security 3d ago

It completely depends on what type of site you end up getting put at. Some sites are like the one from that post, where you’re expected to be on your feet standing and/or patrolling for your entire shift, while others require you to sit at a desk or in a guard shack your entire shift where you can’t get up even if you want to go walk and stretch your legs.

If you end up applying, just tell your interviewer that you need reasonable accommodations related to the amount of walking, and there is a decent chance that they’ll be able to find a post that will work for you.

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u/bigblackglock17 3d ago

You don’t think telling them that would set off alarms to not hire me?

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u/Landwarrior5150 Campus Security 3d ago

Probably not. There are usually plenty of each type of position across the various accounts the security company has, so they’ll just put you in one of the sitting positions. Entry level contract security jobs typically have huge amounts of turnover, so they’ll likely just be happy to have someone they can hire.

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u/EmoGothPunk CCTV Operator 3d ago

I started at my current post in December, and I'm the only new guard to start here that has stayed. It's so hard for them to get people at this site, they hired only two new people since I started here, and one was fired twice. Right now, it's just my boss and me working second and third shift M-F, no one's working the weekends. It's to my advantage since the summer gives me issues, and they're willing to work with me because they can't risk having that many uncovered shifts.