|
|
|
|
 |
What is your current role and how long have you been working in it?
I have worked as a controller for over five years.
What qualifications or skills do you need to do the job?
Prior to this I was in the Sri Lankan Army for 15 years. I left as a Major. I have a Military Degree, and at the same time I have a lot of work experience for security work.
On an average day what do you do?
We work to a rota system, four days on and four days off and we have to do the night shifts as well. The different sites have different days.
What attracted you to the job in the first place?
I had military experience and so I chose security as it felt like the right field. There is a lot of health and safety work involved - not only the security but also the management. You need to be able to manage people. I don’t have an art background, but even yesterday I went round and had a good look at the work in the gallery.
Have you ever had to make an important or difficult decision in relation to your job or career?
Big and small decisions have to be taken all the time. If there is something missing, like an artwork, for example, we have to put shutdown into place immediately and you don’t have to wait for anyone to authorise that. As soon as you get a message from a gallery assistant then we have to shut the building - all the doors and fire exits are locked, no one can leave or enter the building and we have to make sure the artwork does not leave the building. We have had to do it a couple of times. When we do the drills we always find the work, but in real life that is not always the case.
What advice would you give to young people who are interested in your job?
First of all they need to be independent, in the security field everyone likes to interfere but you need to have a good strong backbone to stand the various pressures. And you need to use your own initiative and have previous working experience and always be straight, you cannot say yes for everything. And you shouldn’t do things just to satisfy your bosses, you have to always do what you trust to be right. I get satisfaction from the job, there is stress and pressures, but that encourages me.
When you get temporary exhibitions does that change things?
We get extra staff if there is a temporary exhibition or event. Working in a gallery is different from other places as there are so many visitors. Here we have to do the first aid for the visitors - whatever they ask we have to deal with. There are also sometimes bag thefts and then there is a lot of paperwork afterwards. In the daytime we have 18 security officers throughout the building. CCTV cameras are always on. We also do customer relations as well. We give maps to visitors and give directions.
Are there any places that young people could look at if they were interested in the job?
You need a license from the Security Industry Authority and be vetted
for the last ten years. Then you have to take an exam on contract management.
I am employed by a contractor, Contract Management, for the Tate.
www.the-sia.org.uk/home
www.prosecuritytalk.com
