David Basterfield has a lot of experience, and it shows in his teaching methods. Because of that, the sessions were well-structured and effective. I was able to understand the material and actually... See more
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Get Licensed is the UK's most-reviewed SIA training provider, rated 4.8 out of 5 from over 33,000 verified Trustpilot reviews. Since 2007, we've helped more than 450,000 people get trained, licensed, and working in the security industry. We run SIA courses at 85+ training centres across the UK, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh, and Cardiff, covering Door Supervisor, Security Guard, CCTV Operator, and Close Protection qualifications. Our learners achieve a 95% first-time pass rate. That's not an accident. Our instructors are consistently the most praised part of the Get Licensed experience: real industry professionals who are rated five stars by name, review after review, for making training practical, clear, and genuinely engaging. Every course comes with free eLearning materials and mock exams to help you prepare before you arrive. Our Training Guarantee means free unlimited exam retakes, a price match promise, and a full refund if your course doesn't meet SIA compliance standards. After training, our GuardPass app connects you directly with security employers hiring across the UK, so you're not just licensed, you're working.
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North Studios, The Ridgeway, Millbrook Park, NW7 1RP, LONDON, United Kingdom

Replied to 93% of negative reviews
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I went to Get Licensed for my Door Supervisor SIA qualification and was really impressed both with the course materials (handbooks, videos, slides, and extensive e-learning resources) and the exceptional teaching from Alan and Brahima. Alan has a wealth of experience, knowledge, and stories and really brought the materials to life. I feel confident in my ability to perform effectively as a security officer following this course, to find employment, and to stay safe on the job. Genuinely well worth the money.
The course was very productive and effective. Alan Bayford and Brahima Konare were great course instuctors.
Alan Bayford was an excellent instructor. 110% I would recommend this course if anyone’s looking to get into security.
Alan and Brahima gave me great assistance throughout the course. i really enjoyed their teaching.
Zowie Jennings was an absolutely amazing teacher who made a lasting impact on everyone lucky enough to be in her class. Her passion for teaching was evident in everything she did, and she had a rare gift for making every student feel seen, supported, and inspired.
Amy Tarling was equally incredible — so helpful, dedicated, and always willing to go above and beyond. She had a wonderful ability to bring out the best in people and make learning something to genuinely look forward to.
Both Zowie and Amy are the kind of teachers who don't just teach a subject — they shape the people their students become. Truly amazing, and anyone who learned from them is better for it.
Alan bay ford and brahima konare amazing teachers helped me every step of the way
The experience I had with get licensed with Zowie and Amy exceeded my expectations Zowie got me out of my comfort zone and taught me a lot as she was very patient and understanding and made feel welcomed and comfortable
Great class instructor, patience of a saint at times and very clear communication. Great class and all-round enjoyable experience. Unfortunately the internet from hotel wasnt the best this week and signal wasnt the best but apps for class run smoothly and wrll layed out.
INSTRUCTOR - ZOWIE JENNINGS
2ND INSTRUCTOR - AMY TARLING
I recently completed the door supervisor practical and my instructor is zowie jennings she is amazing and she has an incredible ability to break down complex concepts into something understanding and she never rushed through topics and made sure everyone keeping up before moving forward.
and Another instructor her name is amy tarling and I did stairs with her and she was excellent
At first, I was very afraid of failing, but thanks to the teacher, I learned a lot from her. She was very good to all of us, and thanks to her, I learned many things. She made many things easier for me, encouraged me, and told me that I would succeed. I am truly very grateful to her.
The experience I had with get licensed with Amy and Zowie exceeded my expectations Zowie helped me tremendously when I doubted myself the most time and time again she helped which made me overcome my worries. Amy assisted me when I was rushing things at first and reassured to take my time which helped me a lot.
Zowie was very great at teaching and making sure we understood the topics she was teaching and that was very helpful for the practical assessment. I would definitely recommend Get licensed their teachers Zowie and Amy are great. Overall I am glad I chose to get wonderful experience with Get licensed.
I had the most amazing experience my teacher Zowie was so helpful I couldn’t ask for a better trainer
I think Zowie was amazing she was like a mother I really learned a lot and Amy was brilliant the both was really helpful and they explained everything it’s sad the course has ended now but now we can start out next step in life thank you to Zowie and Amy you guys was brilliant and using the smart class apps where really helpful
I’m giving this 3 stars because the course is effective if your only goal is to get your SIA license and learn the standard rules. The instructor knows the legal side and military-grade discipline very well. On a personal level, he’s a sound guy who can have a good laugh and lightens the mood with jokes during the long theory hours.
However, there are some logic leaks that made the experience frustrating for anyone who prefers to understand the "Why" behind the "How":
Rigid Instruction: The teaching style is very set in its ways. During physical drills and tactical movements, the default response to any variation or question is "you're not listening." It feels like being taught to be a robot gear in a machine rather than a professional who can think on their feet. There’s no room for analyzing why a technique works; You just have to follow the script exactly.
Textbook vs. Real-World Psychology: The customer service and de-escalation training felt very paper-based. While it covers the legal liability well, it lacks the real-world emotional intelligence needed to handle actual high-pressure, conflict management and intervention on the street. It teaches you to follow a manual, but not how to read people’s intentions.
System Over People: While the atmosphere is generally good, there’s a bit of pettiness regarding administrative rules. For example, even if the work is done, being slightly behind on a break is treated as "holding the class back." It feels more like a power move to maintain total control rather than actual efficiency.
Contractual Based Hours: This course lasted 6 days and was over 10 hours per day until Friday. It was very fast-paced not much room to study if you have a long way to travel and If you sleep on certain practical aspects you can miss the important parts to memorise.
The Verdict: Great for getting the badge and learning the basic scripted moves purely to tick boxes. But if you want to be a developer of your own security career and understand the deeper psychology of the job, the rigidness might hold you back.
Omar was excellent, very accommodating and he made learning very easy for me
Enjoyed the course greatly, Omar delivered subject with a lot of detail with the addition of lots of personal experience and a great sense of humour.
Excellent experience with a fantastic instructor. The booking method was straightforward forward and everything was well organised from start to finish. The instructor was great -really knowledgeable, patient and made everything easy to follow even for a beginner like me.
Enjoyed it and instructor was great but thought the day's were very long.
My experience overall during the course was amazing. I was quite nervous entering the class on Monday as I felt like there was a lot to learn in such a short space of time. I’m really happy with my performance throughout the course overall. A lot of credit goes down to my instructor Max power. He was amazing at teaching, guiding and assisting me at any point where I was struggling. He made the class very much enjoyable from his teaching style to his story telling everything was enjoyable. Please give max power a raise. He deserves it.
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