Women working in security roles in Cork

FROM corporate receptionists and event co-ordinators to managers and door guards, there are a lot of different opportunities available for those looking to break into the security industry in Ireland.

And, according to those working such roles in Cork, there are plenty of high-paying jobs out there with great benefits and job satisfaction. However, it’s often a career that is overlooked by female candidates. According to Statista, only 21% of U.S security guards identified as female in 2021.

Shenan O’Mahoney, a director of the Security Institute Of Ireland (and the only female director), says the figure is much lower in Ireland.

“Only 9% of those working in the industry are female. I’m the only female of 30 officers at my current site,” says Shenan, who currently works at a security desk for a blue chip company in Cork.

“The industry is crying out for women. There’s so many opportunities available and there are so many aspects to the industry. I do door security and I’ve done event security. I’ve done a variety of training courses that have been paid for - including a first aid instructor course, a security operations management course, and a manual handling instructors course - because they want to invest in the industry and they want females to head it.”

‘We’re there to help’

Shenan has dedicated her career to promoting women in the security industry and has won multiple awards for doing so. She wants people to know about the variety of options available, like her current corporate role.

“I’m in charge of access control for my site. So, I make sure that employees are wearing their badges and manage visitors.

“There’s a lot of administration work and reports and also a lot of training to know how to handle any kind of emergency,” she says.

“I work from Monday to Friday from 7am to 4pm. It’s not any different from working as any other type of receptionist.

“I make sure everyone is welcome but I also have the responsibility of looking after who comes into the building.”

Shenan has also worked in other roles in the industry. The Mallow native got involved in security 20 years ago, having first started out working for Civil Defence Ireland as a first aid responder at events.

She eventually joined an event and concert security team and earned a diploma in business management and security in 1998.

At the age of 18, she started working on Patrick Street in retail security and eventually became a concessions manager in Merchant’s Quay Shopping Centre.

Shenan left the industry for a bit after the shop she was working for closed down and was working as a pre-school teacher when the pandemic hit in 2020. Lockdown ended up being a blessing in disguise.

“I had children and my husband was working in Dublin so I had to change what I wanted to do to suit the family life,” Shenan says.

“Then the pre-school closed because of Covid. Around the same time, a friend of mine from college posted about a new job he got as a site manager in security. I congratulated him and he reached out and said there was a job there if I wanted it. I made the big jump back in and here I am two years later.”

There are many parts of the job that Shenan enjoys, including the opportunities for professional development and the health and safety aspects.

“I love it. You get to meet loads of people,” she says. “We need to try to change what people think when they see security. We’re there to help people, not scare them.”

That is especially true of event and hospitality security, Shenan says.

“If we’re not leaving someone in, it’s not because we don’t want to, it’s because it poses a risk.

“There’s a reason we’re there and it’s not to throw people out. Our job is to make people feel safe and we want to help people.”

‘You have to prove yourself’

A door supervisor at one of Cork’s busiest pubs, who wished to remain anonymous for the purpose of this article, wants to promote the same message. The supervisor, who is second in command at her venue, has been in the industry for 13 years.

“I initially wanted to become a garda so I did the police and securities studies course at Cork College of Commerce,” she says.

“I fell into this and I love it. The people are what keep me here. I have a brilliant team and it’s a great atmosphere to work in.”

However, some aspects of the job can be challenging.

“It can be hard sometimes with the physical side of things and the night shifts. I don’t get home until 4.30am some mornings and I work five days a week, but you get used to it,” she says.

“And you’re also going to have that awkward customer, but to be honest, they’re usually women. There are a lot of ignorant people out there but I know 90% of Cork at this point so I get on great with everyone. When you’re in the same place for a whil,e it’s honestly grand, you just need to have a calm personality and have the craic, and the money is very good.”

Wages for security jobs can range from €12 to €25 per hour and while there are options for career progression, the glass ceiling hasn’t quite been shattered yet - at least in door security.

“It’s a lot harder for a girl. You rarely see a female head doorman or security manager in the door industry,” she says.

“But I went from working in the toilets to becoming a floater to becoming a supervisor. I’ve done administration work and HR and now I’m a trainer and a manager who is looking after 44 staff. You really have to prove yourself. We 100% need more females working in the industry in Cork.”

‘It’s a great job’

Amanda White, from Rathmore, works with Tekken Security in Cork and helps plan the security teams for different outdoor events and concerts around the country.

“I organise the staff for the events. I do the rostering and hiring and make sure everyone is in place on the day. It’s such hard work, there could be nearly 300 people needed for one event, but once everyone is inside their supervisors take over. I’m still in the background in case anything goes wrong but my job is kind of done then,” Amanda says.

And there’s some great perks.

“I’m a big Garth Brooks fan and I had tickets for the first night of his concerts recently, but I got to enjoy it again every other night through work. You really get rewarded that way.”

Amanda first got involved in security 15 years ago through a friend. Her first job was in MTU, looking after the campus on the students’ Christmas Day themed event. She was only 21 at the time.

“I said I’d try it for the craic and I just loved it. I started doing pubs and nightclubs around Cork and stayed doing it for years. I walked away from it for a while but I came back in 2019,” she says.

So what brought her back to the industry?

“To walk onto a pitch or the likes of Musgrave Park before anyone gets there and all the lights are on and you see the stage and the whole set up, I just love it. It’s a very social job as well, you’re constantly meeting new people, and it’s great fun,” Amanda says.

There are some stressful aspects to Amanda’s work, especially on the logistical side, but the hardest part has been trying to find workers following the easing of Covid pandemic restrictions.

“When everything shut down with Covid, there were no events for two years, so we lost a lot of staff and we had to start from scratch. The hardest part is trying to get people in, especially women,” Amanda says.

“There just aren’t enough women involved in security and it’s a great job. When I started off, women were just checking handbags and checking toilets. That was our main purpose. It was all men, and women didn’t grow.”

“But when I came back in 2019, my eyes were opened up. The amount of women who are now supervisors, managers, or even running companies. It’s so different. And take my word for it, when you stand in an empty Croke Park with all those lights on, it’s just so worth it.”