Updated March 2020.

How to become a locksmith

How to become a locksmith

So, what is the definition of a locksmith? What do they do? And where should you go to get trained as a locksmith? We will be covering all of this in this blog post.
Let’s get you started in your career as a locksmith.
First of all, the definitions of a locksmith are those individuals who have superb skills and talent in breaking and making locks, as well as in designing keys. These professionals can render locks and keys for almost all kinds of access points, from doors, to windows, garden sheds to cars.
Locksmiths in UK perform various kinds of tasks such as, but not limited to:

  • Key cutting
  • Replacing lost keys
  • Creating copies and duplicates of keys
  • Change old locks and fit brand new ones
  • Fixing lock mechanisms that are already old or those that need to be repaired
  • Opening non-functional padlocks and safes

Giving services especially during emergency situations, like accidental locked out, or if the keys are left inside the car

In Africa, locksmiths aren’t exactly popular. But, there is a massive opportunity in the UK to make a serious income by not working many hours.
The locksmiths in United Kingdom are regulated by the Master Locksmiths Association. This is the body that sets the requisites for aspiring and expert locksmiths in United Kingdom. This body also ensures that all locksmiths in United Kingdom adhere to the required training and code of conducts for locksmiths.

Other than MLA, the British Locksmiths Institute also governs the locksmiths in UK. The primary function of BLI is to provide different courses to individuals who are interested of working as locksmiths in UK.

The Requisites to become a Certified UK Locksmith

In order to be recognized by the Master Locksmiths Association, aspiring locksmiths in United Kingdom need to meet certain requisites. The initial stage towards becoming a locksmith in UK is taking courses that are offered by the British Locksmiths Association. Among the courses offered by BLI are:
Safe Course
Auto locksmithing course
Locksmith opening course
UPVC Course
Course on Electrical Access Control
General Locksmithing Course

Aside from the mentioned courses, BLI has other locksmith training and courses for prospective locksmiths in United Kingdom. According to MAL and BLI, in order for individual to be a professional locksmith in United Kingdom, he should boast above average manual dexterity. High interest in both mechanical and electrical gadgetry is also a must.
Aspiring locksmiths in United Kingdom should also possess outstanding communication and practical skills. They’re also expected to have excellent public relations skills and patience. Those who want to be professional locksmiths should be able to pay keen attention to detail and should possess astonishing problem solving skills. Basic knowledge and skills in carpentry is a big plus.

So, after completing one of these locksmith courses, the next step is to start getting clients. Since most people go straight to Google or any similar search engine when they are locked out of their homes, it makes sense to ensure your locksmith business appears there.

In order to do this, you need to have a website created and optimized for you. There are two main ways to drive visitors to your locksmith site.

You can either choose to use SEO techniques to ensure your site appears highly in the search engines naturally. Alternatively, you can also use Google AdWords and pay for clicks to your site. Both ways work well, and the locksmiths that do the best actually use a combination of both strategies.

are a couple of examples of sites that are created and run by a Locksmith

called Kirk over in the UK:
Locksmith Bristol
Locksmith bath
These sites use a combination of SEO and Google Adwords to drive visitors to the site, and earn the locksmith roughly £100 a day for working 2-3 hours a day.

Locksmiths: Beneficial Locksmithing Services

There are various kinds of experts, and when it comes to locks and security systems, locksmiths are the right people to contact. An efficient and reliable locksmith is someone or a firm that can render a vast range of services. Therefore, an excellent locksmith can render residential, emergency, commercial, and automobile services.

Below are interesting details about locksmiths that consumers can consider when searching for locksmithing services in their area.

  • Residential Locksmithing Services

Locksmiths that offer residential services can enhance home security. Among the most common cases that residential locksmiths handle is when the person has been locked out of his own home. Residential locksmiths can also fix security breach related dilemmas. They can as well change inefficient security systems. Most of the locksmiths that offer residential services are available 24 hours every day, including weekends.

  • Commercial Locksmithing Services

Same with residential locksmiths, commercial locksmiths can also render efficient security related work. They usually work with retail establishments, companies, office buildings, government institutions, financial institutions, and even schools. Suffice to say, locksmiths that offer commercial services typically manage or deal with larger-sized security systems.

These locksmiths are capable of fixing issues concerning multiple access points. Even though the services of these locksmiths are more expensive compared to residential locksmiths, customers can ensure the security of their establishments, particularly of their most valuable files and documents.

  • Emergency Locksmithing Services

Emergency locksmiths are also referred to as on-the-go locksmiths, since they can be contacted anytime of the day, no matter how late it is. Most residential locksmiths also render emergency services, and majority of emergency locksmiths can be hired even during weekends.

  • Vehicular or Automobile Locksmithing Services

It is not rare to see cases whereby the car owner left the car keys inside the car, and accidentally shut the door. As a matter of fact, it happens when the person is in a hurry or is too tired after a long day at work. Automobile locksmiths are expected to be highly knowledgeable in various kinds of car models.

Therefore, they’re expected that they can also handle newly released cars, especially those that utilize smart keys. At present, there are a lot of emergency locksmiths that are also capable of giving automobile locksmithing services.

These guidelines are proofs that not all locksmiths can render different kinds of services, and that there are locksmiths that operate depending on their specialty field.

Sound like something you might be interested in doing? Thanks for reading, and good luck should you pursue a career as a locksmith!

You can find more information on how to train to become a locksmith here.