At first I was embarrassed when I went out wearing this uniform, because I felt everybody was watching me. But I don't feel that way any more, not only because the public view of what we do has changed, but also because I see a future for this service and for myself.
When I was in the military police I was earning more than NT$20,000 [US$740] a month. After being discharged, I tried a few jobs—real estate salesman, life insurance broker. But I'm not good at communicating with customers, so before long I quit. Then I found a job at a shipping forwarder. But I didn't take it, because they wanted to give me NT$16,000 [US$590] a month just for sending out shipping documents. I'd been working for a collection agency while I was at school. What I couldn't take was that I made less after I graduated. The salary matters, of course, but the job has to suit my temperament, too. I studied automobile mechanics at school, but that takes a lot of time to master, and the pay's bad.
Then I found I could be a security guard. It suits me. I've been working here for four years now. The number-one requirement for getting into this kind of work is that you haven't got a criminal record. Then you have to register with the police for further inquiries to be made. Oh, and you should also have a driver's license good for both motorcycles and cars.
We have to take a one-month training course after joining the company. Basically it deals with this business, its operation, and its future prospects. But more importantly, it gets newcomers following their seniors in regular patrolling and checking on irregularities, because those are their main duties when they start out. We also have annual training over three to seven days. This is to improve our physical strength and to familiarize us with new equipment.
To keep us up to date and qualified, our company conducts a written test as well as a practical exercise twice a year. When we've passed both of them, the company issues us a qualification certificate. Those who fail have to improve themselves and take the exam again. Because salary raises depend on the tests, everybody wants to pass. The salary increase is added onto the annual adjustment that comes around every March [after the Chinese New Year].
At first, I worked as a security guard doing patrolling and checking, as well as maintenance of the surveillance systems. I don't consider the job dangerous, because we have enough things to protect us: helmets and bulletproof vests, as well as electric batons. It is true that we're not as well protected as the real cops, but that's because checking out suspicious circumstances isn't as dangerous. Besides, we always inform the police when something happens. Even so, our company has fixed us up with group insurance. And my wife thinks my job is dangerous, so she's bought extra insurance coverage for me.
The job does require physical strength, because we have to ride or drive and we have to handle individual cases as they come up. You do need to concentrate on whatever you're doing. We work long hours. Twelve hours a shift. After a night shift, we rest for thirty-six hours. We're all young, less than thirty, so we can take it. You know, nobody over thirty can work as a security guard any more because of natural physical decline. Fortunately, our company has other types of work for people like that. And me—I’ve been transferred here to watch the monitors. [His job has changed from a mobile one at a station to a desk one at headquarters.] Both types of work require physical strength as well as mental concentration, in slightly different proportions. I've been doing this for less than a year. It's good, doing both kinds of job, because it gives me a fuller understanding of the company's operations and helps me plan my future.
I get a sense of accomplishment after I've handled a case successfully. This helps me create a good impression of the company with customers. My most memorable experience? I once caught a thief who had a gun. When I got there I found the building's outer locks had been damaged, so I asked the doorman to call the police. Then I went into the apartment. He [the thief] was still there, pointing his gun at me and ordering me to let him leave. I was quite nervous, but I walked forward to grab the gun. That's when I found out the gun was a fake. After I'd caught the thief, the police came and took over the case. The client was very happy, because it showed that his security guards were of some use. Although there weren't many valuables in his house, he was pleased to know I'd done my best.
Another thing I like about this company is that everyone gets along well. Maybe because we're all in the same age group, so our ways of thinking are similar. As for communication with superiors, that's good too, because we can express our opinions anytime we like or in a monthly meeting. They [the superiors] will either help us out right away, explain things, or report our concerns higher up. Our company also gives us a certain amount of money every year toward a foreign trip. I've not met any security guards outside of Taiwan. Anyway, I travel for fun and to relax, not for business. As for my regular days off, I usually go picnicking or bowling.
I think this business has changed a lot since I joined. The competition has become very tough. It's easy to get eliminated if you don't have a good product and good service, because there are a lot of other companies. And the customers are different. In the past, their willingness to cooperate was higher. But now some customers seem to think that they're the boss just because they pay. We're happy to take the responsibility as long as the client does his bit by turning the surveillance system on whenever he needs us; otherwise, how are we supposed to know our services are needed, or if there's anything wrong?
My manager thinks the business has changed too. He says that when they started the business, their main job was to catch thieves, because nobody understood what being a security guard was all about. Most people thought of security guards as private cops, doing the same kind of work cops did. Now the nature of the business is just to keep losses down. Prevention rather than cure.
The real problem in this business, in my opinion, lies in the lack of newcomers. People starting off in this line of work have to be able to adjust. Otherwise they're going to leave the profession, sooner or later. It isn't really difficult to be a security guard, but you have to learn a lot in a short period of time. You have to learn how to talk with the customers and how to use the equipment, not to mention maintaining mental concentration and keeping up your physical strength. The pressure is quite high, because it takes at least half a year to get familiar with everything. Overwork is only part of it. Nowadays most young people want a job where they can earn more but do less. They want to dress well and work in a nice clean office. Perhaps that's the real problem of today.