- Locksmith & Home Security Technician
- Getting a career diploma in as little as 2 months.
- Gain experience with practical exercises and interactive assignments.
- Learn how to identify, create, and duplicate keys.
- Learn to work with several types of locks including safes, valuts, and auto.
- and more...
Sometimes, people want to find a career that pays a living wage but don’t want to spend several years in school.
If that sounds like you, learn how to become a locksmith in North Dakota in as little time as a few months with advancement within a few years.
Table of Contents
Steps to Become a Locksmith in North Dakota
1. Make sure you finish high school.
You have to at least finish high school to become a locksmith in North Dakota.
If you’re still taking classes in person at your local high school, finish those credits to get your diploma.
If you need to complete your diploma as an adult, you will need to earn your GED.
2. Review locksmith training requirements.
You will have to review the requirements related to each certificate you earn.
For instance, the Six-Day Basic Locksmithing Course introduces you to different keys and locks.
It’s just the start, however.
For some positions, you must remain under the supervision of a certified professional before you can operate on your own.
Find out how long you must train before you can move to a new credential level.
3. Join a professional organization.
Join ALOA, the primary organization for locksmiths, as soon as possible.
You don’t even have to have completed your first certificate yet to benefit from becoming a member.
This will prepare you from the beginning to the advanced locksmith certification stages.
4. Explore educational opportunities.
I recommend joining both the ALOA and exploring educational opportunities at the same time.
Both your involvement in an association and an accredited course will provide you with the best chances of securing full-time employment.
When seeking formal education, watch out for signs that the school you attend will help you pass your locksmith courses.
Your courses should help you pass your Proficiency Registration Program exams to complete your certifications.
5. Search for employment.
You can start looking for employment before you even finish your first locksmith certificate class.
You could gain experience as soon as you complete the Six-Day Basic Locksmith course.
The six-day introductory course prepares you to operate as an apprentice.
Completing it allows you to earn a paycheck while you learn from a certified locksmith.
Licensing Requirements to Become in North Dakota
According to Locksmithing School, you don’t need a license to practice in ND.
However, you probably will still need to train for one of the Association Locksmith of America (ALOA) certifications.
The AOLA also provides guidelines for choosing schools available in your area.
You can select the level of certification training that matches your expertise.
Other ND Locksmith Requirements
Just so you know, most of the licensing requirement data I found is quite old – from 2008 or earlier.
The ALOA provides you with updated information about the industry standard for certifications though.
Potential employers also have requirements for locksmiths.
For instance, you must complete a criminal background check and have completed high school, GED, or equivalent.
Locksmith Programs
Since North Dakota has no specific requirements for locksmith training, I suggest finding an online school.
Most programs start with the six-day basic AFL (ALOA Fundamental Locksmith) course.
After you finish the six-day course, you will continue as an apprentice to complete one of five training levels if you want.
You have to pass the AFL portion of your exam before you move on to certification training though.
The Training Levels
ALOA offers up to five certifications.
The first three relate to beginning, intermediate, and advanced lock picking.
The fourth and fifth certification levels pertain to safe lock maintenance and repair.
SAVTA, a division of ALOA, offers these two SafeTech certifications.
The three initial certifications include The CRL, CPL, and CML.
As a CRL (Certified Registered Locksmith), you will have to pass 10 mandatory and two optional sections of your locksmith Proficiency exam.
The CPL (Certified Professional Locksmith) must pass 12 additional exam categories beyond what a CRL has already learned.
As a CML (Certified Master Locksmith), you will have learned about 90 percent of what you need to expand your services and operate on your own.
The first of two SafeTech certifications is the Certified Professional Safe (CPS) level.
Achieving the CPS required passing 17 vault and safe sections of your locksmith exam.
The CMST (Certified Master Safe Technician) develops your proficiencies in advanced safe and vault categories.
The Schools
RU Ready (An ND State Website Resource Page) offers a course guide for people interested in becoming a locksmith.
I chuckled a little bit but do understand the practical advice given here.
This ND.GOV resource page quotes Gary Walta, who says, “Grab a locksmith by the shirt-tail and be the biggest pest until he gives you something to do.”
Most of what you learn happens on the job, not in classes.
However, a school can help you prepare for your ALOA proficiency tests.
You may not find a school within an hour’s driving distance from you.
If you don’t, try one of these out-of-state schools:
- Penn Foster – Check out this online program before registering to see if it meets your educational goals. It’s an online Locksmith & Home Security Technician certificate course that takes an average of five to seven months to complete.
- North Bennet Street School – This school may require you to attend at least some classes in person. They do at least state they have a virtual information session, which will help you learn more about their Locksmithing & Security Technology course.
- Ashworth College – I don’t know much about the Ashworth College Locksmith Training program. It does say on the course sign-up page that you can study at home though. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission has recognized it, and so has the Better Business Bureau. However, you still need to verify that it offers ALOA exam preparation help.
3 Best Locksmith Schools in North Dakota
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Penn Foster | Online |
| North Bennet Street School | 150 North Street. Boston, Massachusetts 02109 |
| Ashworth College | Online |
Salary
The national salary estimate for “Locksmiths and Safe Repairers” totals approximately $47,810 as of May 2021.
The mean (average) salary varies from state to state, however.
In North Dakota, you might make anywhere from $37,840-$48,022.
Annual Salary Range:Average Salary of Locksmiths in North Dakota
| City Name | Salary |
|---|---|
| Bismarck | $53,317 |
| West Fargo | $51,493 |
| Dickinson | $52,512 |
| Williston | $52,512 |
| Fargo | $51,493 |
| Grand Forks | $50,420 |
| Mandan | $53,317 |
| Minot | $52,512 |
| Bantry | $52,512 |
| Christine | $50,742 |
Regional Salary in North Dakota
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fargo, ND-MN | ** | $50,290 | $24.18 | $69,360 | $37,000 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
I am looking for something that my little brother would want. This post is very informative and I think it would be best for my little brother to be a locksmith here in North Dakota.