A security system apprentice learns to put in and fix alarms, cameras, door access and network cable by working next to a lead technician. They pull and label cable, mount devices, run tests and write up each visit. Each month they take on more of the job.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, security systems companies · BLS, May 2025
Assist in the installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of security and low voltage systems. Support lead technicians in delivering high-quality service for residential and commercial clients. Develop foundational technical skills while contributing to overall team efficiency and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Learn and adhere to industry best practices under the guidance of experienced technicians.
Support the installation and configuration of security, surveillance, and low voltage systems.
Assist in routine maintenance and diagnostics to ensure optimal system performance.
Follow company safety protocols and ensure compliance with operational standards.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Perform basic troubleshooting and diagnostics on security and low voltage systems.
Assist lead technicians with equipment setup, installation, and service calls.
Maintain clear communication with team members and supervisors regarding task progress.
Document work performed and update service reports as required.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Installation Accuracy: Achieve a 98% error-free installation rate.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Maintain a rating above 4.8 stars.
Task Efficiency: Support completion of daily tasks within established timeframes, targeting <10% overtime incidents.
Safety Compliance: Achieve 100% adherence to safety protocols and incident reporting.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or GED equivalent.
Basic technical understanding and familiar with low voltage systems.
Excellent communication and teamwork abilities.
Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous hands-on experience in a technical apprentice or similar role within the home services or security industry.
Familiarity with tools and equipment used in low voltage installations.
Exposure to working in dynamic, customer-facing environments.
Experience with basic electrical systems or related certifications is a plus.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
Frequent bending, lifting, and working in confined spaces.
Adaptability to work in various weather conditions when attending on-site assignments.
Good hand–eye coordination and stamina for extended periods of physical activity.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional weekend or evening shifts may be required based on project needs.
Minimal travel required for local service calls and training sessions.
On-call duties may apply during peak service periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate range: $15 - $20 USD per hour based on experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses aligned with company KPIs.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance packages.
401(k) retirement plan with company match.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a culture of continuous learning, growth, and innovation.
Our team is dedicated to delivering exceptional service and supporting career advancement while maintaining a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative work environment.
We value each employee’s contribution and are committed to helping you succeed both personally and professionally.
Join our dynamic team and become a key player in a company that champions quality and customer satisfaction.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What apprenticing in security and low voltage looks like
An apprentice here learns several systems at once, inside other people's homes and offices. These are the parts that set the job apart from other trade apprenticeships.
A paid path with classes
A registered apprenticeship pairs paid work and a mentor with classes, and the wage climbs with each new skill. Each program needs a sign-off from federal or state apprenticeship staff. Those who finish get a credential other employers know. A shop can train well on its own, but then the apprentice leaves with no such card. Source: Apprenticeship.gov: Registered Apprenticeship program.
Washington counts trainee hours
In Washington, low-voltage work is a branch of electrical work, so an apprentice needs a trainee card from day one. The trainee and a certified electrician must be on the same job site, and on specialty work one electrician may supervise up to two trainees. Outside a registered program, hours count only if the trainee's affidavits reach the state within 180 days of each card expiration. Source: Washington L&I: Electrical trainee.
Most of the day starts on a ladder
Cameras go on eaves and ceilings, and cable drops through attics and ceiling tiles, so apprentices climb all day. OSHA's construction ladder rule sets the basics. Set a leaning ladder's foot out about a quarter of its working length. When climbing onto an upper level, let the side rails stick out at least 3 feet past the edge. Near bare live parts, use a ladder with side rails that don't conduct. Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1053: Ladders.
Old attics can hide asbestos
Running cable across an old attic can mean crawling through loose fill. EPA says to treat vermiculite, a pebble-like fill that is often gray-brown or silver-gold, as if it has asbestos in it, and to leave it alone. Teach apprentices to stop and call the lead when they see it. Then route the cable another way or bring in an asbestos contractor. Source: EPA: Protect your family from asbestos-contaminated vermiculite insulation.
Customers hand over their codes
In the first week, an apprentice will see alarm codes, door codes, Wi-Fi passwords and camera logins. Set the rules before day one: codes live in your service software, never on a note in the van, and nobody browses a customer's recordings to test a camera. Shoe covers and drop cloths matter too, since most of this work happens in lived-in rooms.
How much security system apprentices make
The closest BLS group for security system apprentices is Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers. Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers who work for security systems companies earned a median of $18.68 an hour ($38,860 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $39,630 median for Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers in all industries. About 1,150 of the 95,580 Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers in that survey work for security systems companies.
BLS doesn't publish apprentice pay; it counts apprentices inside the occupation they're working toward. So the chart uses installation and repair helpers at security systems companies, a nearer match for someone in year one than the installer median. Pay hourly with overtime, and step the wage up whenever a new skill is proven on a real job.
Security systems companies
$38,860$38,860 median Middle half $33,560–$44,160 10th–90th $27,810–$49,210
All industries
$39,630$39,630 median Middle half $34,910–$46,890 10th–90th $29,310–$55,890
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Security systems companies
$27,810
$33,560
$38,860
$44,160
$49,210
All industries
$29,310
$34,910
$39,630
$46,890
$55,890
BLS doesn’t publish pay for low-voltage contractors on their own. These figures cover security systems services, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Uses a drill, fish tape and hand tools safely and puts them away
Knows basic low-voltage ideas: polarity, continuity and checking a wire before connecting it
Can work from ladders and in attics, crawl spaces and above ceilings
Speaks plainly and politely to customers in their homes and offices
Keeps short written notes and job photos for each service report
Teach these on the job
Terminating jacks and patch panels to your wiring scheme
Wiring door contacts, motion sensors and keypads to a panel
Mounting and aiming cameras and adding them to a recorder
Using a cable tester and toner to find and prove runs
Your work order app and closeout photo steps
Expect an apprentice to use a fish tape, fiberglass rods, a long-bit drill, crimpers, a punch-down tool and a cable tester, and to log work orders and photos on a phone. Note in the posting which ones you hand out.
Security system apprentice interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Handling extra requests on site
While you install cameras, the homeowner asks you to add one more aimed at the neighbor's backyard. What do you do?
A strong answer: Politely explains extra work goes through the office, raises the concern about recording a neighbor's private space, and lets the lead handle it.
Behavioral · Teaching yourself skills
Tell me about a technical skill you taught yourself in the last year. How did you practice it?
A strong answer: Names a specific skill, how they practiced and how they checked they'd learned it.
Run on the template's numbers until your own records can replace them. Judge each apprentice only on work their lead handed them. Once a few apprentices finish their first year, rebuild the targets around what they actually reached.
Installation Accuracy
Devices and terminations the apprentice did that pass the lead's check and the final test with no rework. Have the lead note each fix on the work order so patterns show up.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Post-visit ratings on jobs the apprentice worked. Read the comments about tidiness and courtesy, which are the apprentice's share of the visit.
Task Efficiency
Time spent on assigned tasks against your standard times, plus overtime caused by unfinished apprentice work. Steady gains over the first months matter more than any single week.
Safety Compliance
Ladder checks, protective gear and incident or near-miss reports, reviewed weekly with the lead. Thank people who speak up early, and keep targets from ever pushing anyone to hide an injury.
How is an apprentice technician different from an apprentice / helper?
Their templates split the work. The helper mostly carries gear, pulls cable and sets up tools. The apprentice technician also tracks down simple faults and writes up service reports, and is meant to grow into a technician. Hire a helper when big cable pulls need more hands. Hire an apprentice when you want someone who will one day run their own calls.
How much does a security system apprentice make?
Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers who work for security systems companies earned a median of $18.68 an hour ($38,860 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $33,560 and $44,160 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Does a security system apprentice need a license?
Rules vary by state. In Washington, the apprentice needs an electrical trainee card before touching low-voltage work. In Texas, alarm installers hold their own state license from DPS, and each must work for a licensed company. Before the first job, look up what every state you work in asks of a new hire who is still learning.
What should an apprentice learn first?
Start with ladder setup, tool safety and how to behave in a customer's home. Then cable: pulling without kinks, labeling both ends, terminating and testing. Devices come next, such as contacts, motion sensors and cameras. Panel programming and network setup come last, once the apprentice can wire a job the lead doesn't have to redo.
What can replace "stamina" in an apprentice ad?
Describe the work instead of the worker. Spell out the ladder time, the attic and crawl space runs, the work above ceiling tiles, and the boxes and cable reels weighing up to 50 pounds. Add who the apprentice works beside and how raises step up. Under EEOC guidance, you may describe tasks like these and ask each applicant whether they can handle them.
