Phoenix Avis 560

Great course ,with amazing trainers that are very informative and knowledgeable .
I will definitely be recommending this course to anyone who is interested

SIA and Accreditation bodies need to investigate this company. They’re only interested in money nothing else. Several reports received by investigation and enforcement departments about conduct of taking money of vulnerable people with medical issues stating that they will qualify has CP operatives. Also in the middle of the course tell the students they’re not suitable and kick them of the course , no refund.

Having retired from the Police as a Firearms Officer I decided to contact Phoenix with a view to embarking on a Close Protection Course.
I read the refund policy before hand and was satisfied that the 14 day cooling off period was ideal should I change my mind. I was contacted by Phoenix and spoken to by Raj. I decided to pay a deposit of £1000 to secure a place on the April 2025 course. I subsequently decided not to undertake the course and cancelled, this all being within the 14 days cooling off period. This was at the end of December 2024. It is now over 3 months later and despite numerous Emails and phone calls they have yet to issue a refund. I have been told to Email the payments department numerous times with the only response being a generic automated reply. No body actually ever responds to the Emails. I have also been given the excuse that I was due the refund at the end of January but the payments system changed so it never happened. I am extremely disappointed in the un-professional way this company conducts itself in terms of it's refund policy so cant imagine how professional or un-professional the training is they deliver. I would say read the reviews before hand and select a company with a better reputation.
It has got to the point now that I have had to refer to the small claims court to pursue the money owed.

It was a great course all round, learnt a lot throughout the course about everything easily enough and the practicals were good

The Phoenix Close Protection Course was great with real-world insights situations. The instructors provided the skills and confidence needed for a career in close protection. Highly recommended!!

I had to cancel my course. I was due a refund of over 2k but have still not received it. Every time I call to chase I get told to email, which I have multiple times but have still not received my refund. It was due over a week ago (having already waited 3 weeks) and I am still no clearer as to when I should expect it to be returned. They are good at sales but not good at returning money owed and they have no clear escalation process in place to help when things don't go correctly.

I was recommended Phoenix and was informed about the high standards and reputation. In all honesty I was dubious before joining the course. But having committed I have no regrets whatsoever. They made it clear that their aim was to make sure we leave the course a different version of ourselves and I can attest to that. I learnt more than I thought I would, about close protection and about myself. Incredible instructors and a great experience.

The extra care that is put in by the instructors putting a personal touch to help individuals gain the confidence to do the job

A very professionaly ran and informative course with amble opportunity to put into practice all the skills taught.

The instructors were great and made the course enjoyable whilst teaching and making it easier to understand.

Absolutely do not pay the deposit unless you are willing to fully commit. I was persuaded to pay £300 to simply receive a brochure and told I had 14 days to think about committing. I acted on impulse and felt they would honour the agreement to refund me the disposit. I have had all my emails ignored. I have made several phone calls, each person saying they would personally assure I would be refunded. It has been over a month and nothing. I will likely never see the £300 again. Do not trust them.

From the start of the course we were taken through each step thoroughly and the trainers ensured that we executed the drills as close as possible to perfection. The course was intense as it was early starts and late finishes as well as very in depth tasks outside of the HQ. Although the 3 weeks were extremely intense it helps you build and improve your current skills as well as develop new ones. Alot of it was more mental than physical but as long as you stay focused from day 1 and remain consistent and be honest with yourself you will perform well. Walk into the course with a willingness to learn and work with team members. Do what you can to assist others as that's a key part of the team work and all exercises will have you split into teams so get used to being a team player. The trainers are so well experienced and not only do they talk the talk but they back it up with action. They are a fountain of knowledge in this industry and will ensure you correct your mistakes quickly and learn from it.
The course structure was well organised. It had a combination of real world exercises and physical challenges as well as classroom learning so overall a good balance. After doing the physicals we all left wanting to do more even after exhaustion which showed we really enjoyed the tasks set.
Overall I do recommend the course however make sure you have your head in the game. You will need to focus, absorb the information, reflect and put it into action to show your progress. Leave your ego at home and go to Phoenix with willingness to learn.

Truthfully speaking, I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I first joined, but it is 110% worth it. I've learnt a lot. I was taught by some experienced professionals who told the truth and gave me a great experience

Learning lots of skills learned and the entire theory. Could be lot of pressure but this is the point of this job, to be able to work under pressure.

My experience was made great with the support and chances the instructors gave me, the drills where more enjoyable then what I thought it would be, I would’ve like to do more surveillance as that is a part of work I would like to go forward with.

The training course is short and compact, meaning most practicals are tightly packed together, leaving less time to engage in bigger group. The course isn’t for everyone, and for the ones that join, be prepared to be mentality challenged by the tutor. They are there to encourage a positive change.

Humour kept the course interactive. Some of the drills pushed your physical limit. Although some of the practicals are practically crash courses, it gives you the basic knowledge on how to apply these techniques in the real world. Remember them.

One problem I found was being assigned to a group, which from the start was a disaster. But, I took everything as a test, even the attitude and behaviours within the group.

A taste of crash courses on what the world of CP would be like: combat, driving manoeuvres, foot and evacuation drills, and a short course on firing range (although, ten bullets, really doesn’t really suffice for gun training).

Overall, course itself has been engaging. There’s a lot of reading involved. So prepare to put your effort into it. Do that and you’ll do fine.

Thoroughly enjoyed the course very professionally run trainers are very knowledgeable.
Highly recommended to do the course with Phoenix.
Be prepared to give up 21 days of Social life to invest in the course. money well spent!

Trainers were extremely knowledgeable and helpful throughout providing plenty of support and engaging well with everyone. I’d recommend doing this course with Phoenix to anyone interested in this industry as they will get you to a really good standard.

The trainers were very knowledgable and professional. The training was a good experience getting to work with a team and carry out live operations. It also provided days like combat, firearms and driving day.

I Loved the professional and serious way they brought the course, everyday was a busy day with a lot of work, as i would expect from a course like these, the training was very clear, and the exercises were very insightfull and a big learning curve, I've loved this course and it was a very great challenge!