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You may be curious about what it is really like being a locksmith and maybe you already have a perception of what it is like. This article covers some of the aspects you may not know or had not considered. It could be that you are even thinking about becoming a locksmith yourself in which case this article will uncover some of the main things that you may not be told by your potential locksmith employer or by the training & certification provider.
The article is written in the perspective of a professional locksmith focusing on the residential/domestic side of locksmithing.
The work of a locksmith is largely reactionary. People will contact you when they have a problem. That means there is an unpredictable workload. Some days are busy and others are not. You may have to work unsociable hours and respond to calls and enquiries at any time – even on holiday. Consequently, it can be hard to manage your work-life balance effectively.
If you like routine and a predictable flow of work – do not become a locksmith!
When most people think of a locksmith, they think of helping people being locked out. Whilst this is an important aspect of the job, it is not the main reason why you will get called. Based on direct experience, people being locked out typically represents about only 10-20% of jobs.
Going in to people’s homes means that you have to deal with their pets and that means mostly dogs. If you like dogs, then greeting, stroking and/or playing with dogs can be a pleasure and an added bonus when doing a job. Most dogs are very friendly, but some are not and you have to be prepared to put up with some annoying ones.
Another myth is that locksmiths regularly use lock picking as a method of gaining entry. However, the truth is that there is almost always another way of gaining entry and you do not need to be an expert lock picker to be a locksmith. It is still an important skill for some jobs – but is not regularly used and you can start to be a locksmith without being able to pick locks
A locksmith effectively drives for a living. Over time, driving can become a frustration – although that may largely depend on the area being covered. Driving is dead time, so a locksmith can grow to dislike it. Every locksmith is likely to moan about various parking woes, bad drivers, inefficient routes criss-crossing to different customers, the plethora of seemingly endless roadworks and potholes and of course the cost of fuel.
Dealing with locks on people’s homes means a locksmith will inevitably be dragged into some difficult situations. Whether it is people being evicted or due to relationship breakdowns, a locksmith may find themselves stuck in the middle of a highly emotional encounter. Sometimes a locksmith has to be a bit of a mediator and try to de-escalate tension. As a locksmith, you may have to put up with a bit of abuse in these tricky situations.
For those locksmith’s running their own business, you obviously have to market your business so people are aware of you. That means there is an endless stream of companies wanting to sell you their services either by cold calls or emails. The main providers to put up with are website development, search engine optimisation (SEO), credit card machines and mobile phone contract companies.
Hopefully this article has helped you to gain a better insight into some of the lesser known aspects and what it is really like being a locksmith. It hopefully covered some of the things you had not previously considered.
If you want any other information, please contact Lock Guy.
Got a question about a lock issue you may have? Why not have a look at the FAQ page or one of the helpful advice videos on the Media page.