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Protective Service Associate Professionals

Job holders in this unit group inspect goods to ensure compliance with regulations concerning payment of duty, establish that persons entering and leaving the UK have necessary authorisation for crossing national borders, monitor maritime conditions, undertake search and rescue operations, plan and coordinate services of private detective agencies and security measures for individuals, establishments or organisations, investigates activities such as fraud and other crimes, and perform other security and protective service occupations.

Wages

New workers
AVERAGE
Experienced
£26,788
£38,638
£50,186

New workers start around £26,788. Normal pay is £38,638 per year.
Highly experienced workers can earn up to £50,186.

Available jobs

In the past year there were 63,861 vacancies for this type of job

5.09%

Projected job growth over the next 8 years

Related courses

People work towards these careers by taking these courses at college and uni.

What they do most days?

  • Investigates crimes, including fraud, trading practices and the private affairs of individuals.

  • Supervises and assigns duties to security and detection staff.

  • Analyses security requirements, advises clients, and develops, monitors and improves security measures.

  • Photographs, fingerprints and undertakes other forms of forensic examination at the scene of a crime.

  • Receives distress messages, alerts other appropriate rescue services and participates in search and rescue operations.

  • Broadcasts information on weather and maritime conditions, monitors shipping and provides instruction to navigators.

  • Visits racecourses, greyhound stadiums and betting shops to ensure compliance with legal requirements.

  • Maintains revenue control at breweries, tobacco factories and other premises where dutiable goods are manufactured, processed or stored.

  • Examines passports, visas, work permits and other immigration documents, and allows or refuses entry into the UK.

  • Examines, weighs and counts goods imported by ship or aircraft, ensures that the declared value of goods is satisfactory, and that duties and taxes have been paid.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are specific, learnable, measurable, often industry or occupation-specific abilities related to a position.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Loss Prevention

  • Auditing

  • Conflict Resolution

  • Risk Analysis

  • Data Analysis

  • Information Privacy

  • Law Enforcement

  • Social Work

  • Risk Management

  • Vulnerability

Soft Skills

Soft skills can be self-taught and usually do not necessitate a certain completed level of education.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Communication

  • Management

  • Investigation

  • Customer Service

  • Resilience

  • Self-Motivation

  • Detail Oriented

  • Operations

  • Planning

  • Leadership

How do I get a job like this?

People in these types of job started their career paths after studying courses like the ones below.

Routes to this career

See all

Criminology

Buckinghamshire New University

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · High Wycombe · 09/2025

Tariff points: 88/112

International Relations

University of Portsmouth

BA (Hons) · 4 Years · Sandwich · Portsmouth · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: 104/112

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Birkbeck, University of London

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · London · 10/2025

Tariff points: 112/112

Professional Policing

Liverpool John Moores University

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Liverpool · 09/2025

Tariff points: 104/120

Criminology

University of Salford

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Salford · 09/2025

Tariff points: 112/112

Criminology

Teesside University

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Middlesbrough · 15/09/2025

Tariff points: 80/104

Criminology

Richmond American University London

BA (Hons) · 4 Years · Full-time · London · 09/2025

Tariff points: 120/120

Criminology

University of Westminster, London

BA (Hons) · 5 Years · Part-time day · Westminster · 15/09/2025

Tariff points: 104/104

Criminology

De Montfort University

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Leicester · 09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

International Relations

University of Birmingham

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Birmingham · 29/09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Criminology

Nottingham College

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Nottingham · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: 64/64

Criminology

Middlesex University

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · London · 09/2025

Tariff points: 96/96

Criminology

Bournemouth University

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Poole · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: 104/120

Criminology with Psychology

University Centre Bishop Burton

FdA · 4 Years · Part-time · Beverley · 15/09/2025

Tariff points: 72/72

Criminology

University Centre Peterborough

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Peterborough · 09/2025

Tariff points: 88/88

Criminology

Plymouth Marjon University

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Plymouth · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: 96/96

Criminology

University of Suffolk

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Ipswich · 09/2025

Tariff points: 112/112

Related careers

NCOs and Other Ranks

Police Officers (Sergeant and Below)

Fire Service Officers (Watch Manager and Below)

Prison Service Officers (Below Principal Officer)

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