Locksmith: A Very Well Paid and Accessible Profession
On Le Club Argent, I presented to you a list of particularly remunerative professions that did not require any diploma. Today, this article is quite similar except that to practice the profession of locksmith, a diploma recognized by the State is mandatory. Apart from the fact that the diploma is necessary, this job is very accessible and pays well. To help you discover this job, I suggest you read an interview with a loved one, happy to have started. Let’s go!
Can you introduce yourself and list your background?
Hello to all Le Club Argent readers. I am Maxime, I am 35 years old and I live in Cannes in the south of France. After working for many years in an office as a management controller, I began to feel a certain weariness and the desire to do a totally different job came to me.
So and since 2022, I am a locksmith. This job is certainly not very fun, I admit it, but it is nonetheless fascinating!
What job did you do before?
As I said above, I was a management controller for a large retail giant with a substantial salary, but it doesn’t matter. Neither the comfort of my office nor the comfortable salary were enough to give up the profession of locksmith in which I had been interested for a long time.
Why did you choose this profession?
I wanted a totally different activity and to work manually. And so to speak, I couldn’t stand working in an office, nor my colleagues… 😉 In fact, I just wanted to be independent and manage my activity alone!
After doing extensive research and reading many opinions on various professions, it was finally towards that of locksmith that I turned and today I absolutely do not regret my choice and if I had to do it again, I would go for it. new!
Where did you take the training?
First of all, it is essential to hold the diploma to practice in particular as a freelancer. I specify that it is not by watching some videos on Youtube that you will learn the trade, quite the contrary.
On Youtube, the “locksmiths” are mostly barbarians who only know how to break or work brutally. Locksmithing is not that!
During my training, I learned various techniques to open slammed doors or double-locked doors without breaking and with the greatest finesse or almost.
I took this training at the FMSD, an establishment based in Crosne in the 91 department. The training is short but extremely intense because to learn a real job in 4 weeks, you must not twiddle your thumbs.
During these 4 weeks, I learned to open most of the locks but also to install security locks, armored doors but also intercoms and video surveillance. Yes, all that in just 4 weeks.
At the end of the training, I cannot say that I am the most professional locksmith, but I have acquired all the basics and I still had to improve. Remember that only practice will make you a competent person. You can watch all the videos you want on Youtube, it won’t help much. Nothing beats a real trainer and experience…
What qualities do you need to be a locksmith?
Several qualities are essential for this job. First of all, you have to be patient. Sometimes opening a lock can take longer than usual, you should never get upset but above all think carefully about the most effective way to overcome the problem.
If patience is essential, softness and finesse are just as important. Do not believe for a moment that you open a door with a crowbar or a hammer by using force. On the contrary, by working brutally and with force, you risk doing much more damage by damaging the door of the customers among others.
It is therefore necessary to work with meticulousness, reflection and intelligence because each lock existing on the market is different to open.
Then, you have to be physically and mentally resistant. Opening a lock in one way or another often requires intense work, even if you work gently. You have to be focused because the slightest mistake can be costly and there is no question of telling a customer that his front door has been broken without doing it on purpose. We are professional or we are not!
Also note that a locksmith must be versatile and like working at night because it is more profitable than during the day. By working only at night, you can earn twice as much as a locksmith working during office hours! 😉
Finally, a locksmith must be self-sufficient and enjoy working alone without co-workers. As for me, it didn’t bother me at all. 😉
What are the disadvantages of this job?
Like any profession, that of locksmith has its share of disadvantages! But the main drawback is the very strong competition between professionals. I would even say that the competition is extreme and that to get a job, you not only have to have relationships with the janitors, the trustees, but that’s not enough.
When clients lose their apartment key, what do they do? They are simply looking for a locksmith on the internet. Suffice to say that if you do not have a well-ranked site on Google, you will have very few customers and your business will be at a standstill.
I’m not exaggerating for a moment! Without some visibility on the net, you will be non-existent unless you are employed of course. But in this case, the salary will not be the same… 😉
Thus, to launch your activity as a freelancer, whether as a self-employed entrepreneur or with another status, it is imperative to have a website that will be well positioned in the search engines. And to achieve this, it takes a long time (about 18 months), and it costs a lot of money! No, it is not enough to put your site or blog online to have customers. It is a long-term and expensive job and for me this is the biggest disadvantage of this job for someone who exercises it independently.
What is your salary?
Without going into too much detail, know that my turnover for last year was €200,000, which is already exceptional given my short seniority and the fact that I only work during the day. Please note, I am speaking of turnover and not of my remuneration. To give a range, my monthly salary is around 5000€ gross from which you have to subtract the heavy loads, the equipment…
But of course, I’m not complaining, quite the contrary. I really like my job and I think I will do it until I retire, which will probably be 70 by then… 😉
A word to conclude?
Yes, to conclude, I would like to say to all those wishing to revive themselves professionally and looking for a manual and lucrative activity, to turn to this profession and follow the training I mentioned above.
Honestly, going back to training for 4 weeks to get a diploma, a nice job and earning a very good living, don’t you think that’s fantastic? I am not trying to influence you, but my job is so fascinating and ultimately so little known that it deserves such an article on Le Club Argent. 😉
If you would like advice or other information, do not hesitate to ask Julien your questions directly by email to Julien at this address: contact@leclubargent.com. Julien will give me your contact details so that I can answer you.
Thank you all for reading my feedback. I wish you a good continuation and hope to have you as a colleague in the weeks to come. 😉
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