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Bouncer

A bouncer, or door supervisor, controls who comes into pubs, bars and clubs and keeps everyone safe inside. It suits calm, confident people who can handle conflict without losing their temper and want a job that is more about people skills than muscle.

Bouncer

8

Security & Emergency Services

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO8%moving to53%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
STARTING PAYnot published
MOAT NOT YET CLASSIFIEDA real score, but the moat is not yet classified. No claim either way.
AI can do very little of this work today
Hands-on work, caring for people and dealing with the real world are among the hardest things to automate, and this job leans on them. We have not yet formally classified its moat, so we make no claim either way, but the exposure score speaks for itself.

The role

The job is checking IDs, watching for trouble, refusing entry to anyone too drunk or underage, breaking up arguments and getting help when needed. Staying calm, reading situations early and talking people down matters far more than being big, and good record-keeping of any incidents is part of the role.

The hours are nights, weekends and bank holidays, often in cold or rowdy conditions, and there is a real chance of facing aggression, so you must be able to keep your cool. Pay is usually hourly, often a bit above minimum wage for the unsociable hours.

By law in the UK you must hold a valid SIA (Security Industry Authority) licence, which means completing approved training and passing a background check before you can work the door. Many people start through a security firm once licensed.

Daily responsibilities

  • Check IDs and refuse entry where needed
  • Watch the venue for signs of trouble
  • Calmly defuse arguments and conflict
  • Remove or refuse aggressive or very drunk customers
  • Search bags or people where the venue requires
  • Record and report any incidents
  • Work with police or emergency services if needed
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AI EXPOSURE = the share of a job's day-to-day tasks AI can already do today, from the same exposure engine used across this site (Anthropic labour market research, 2026, observed real-world AI usage by occupation). Higher means more exposed. It is a measurement of now, not a prediction. THE DOOR = how hard the job is to get into, grade A (easy) to E (extremely hard), from each career's published forecast (OpenAI, "The AI Jobs Transition Framework", Richmond 2026, CC BY 4.0). A card marked MOAT NOT YET CLASSIFIED has a real exposure score but no entry yet in our moat register, so we make no claim about what structurally protects it. Scorecard grades and verdicts are Careermash editorial judgment: we show forecasts as forecasts and own our conclusions. Salary and pathway figures are each career's own published profile. Careermash is a service provided by What School Ltd.

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