Inside the course training for the China rich

08 March, 2021

The rapid increase of millionaires and super-rich in China has led to the demand for a security team of good skills and proficiency in technology with a "huge" salary.

Trainees at Genghis School are trained to become professional bodyguards (Sources: AFP)

At Genghis Security Academy in Tianjin, China, trainees are trained in a wide range of skills of martial arts, shooting, and driving as well as skills of technology to supply to a group of potential clients.

About 1,000 trainees are graduated from Genghis Security Academy every year. They will become professional bodyguards serving the rich in China with a salary which is of 70,000 USD per year, which is several times higher than the average salary.

A training session by the Genghis bodyguard school (Sources: AFP)

However, Genghis School admits that they cannot accommodate the growing number of millionaires in China. A 2019 report estimated the number of millionaires in China is currently 4.4 million, which is more than in the US.

The cost of a bodyguard training course is 3,000 USD per person. Chen Yongqing, the founder of Genghis School, said that he is very strict and the discipline in this school is even tighter than in the military. Chen also revealed that about half of the trainees there are veterans.

Trainees use fake guns to practice skills (Sources: AFP)
They are trained a variety of skills to protect the safety of their owners’ lives in the future.

In a class, coach Ji Pengfei practiced reflexes for trainees. When there is a shout "dangerous", trainees must quickly shield, cover for the character playing the "boss" and quickly draw fake guns. Those who do not do well will be punished.

A training session at the "furnace" for bodyguards in China (Photo: AFP)

In addition to protecting the owner's life, Chinese bodyguards must have knowledge and skills to "combat" in the digital environment to prevent their bosses from being tracked or attacked by networks.

Preventing phone attacks, security systems, detecting wiretapping devices, and erasing data are all new skills that Chinese bodyguards must update and be well trained so that customers "keep an eye on" to.

Bodyguards are trained to react quickly to unexpected situations (Photo: AFP)

In addition to basic skills, to be recruited by the rich, bodyguard candidates also need other factors. For example, there are customers who only trust the bodyguards who are at the age that suits them or are their countrymen. Another client asked his bodyguard to advise him on what books he could read. In another case, a bodyguard was recruited for his love of reading military novels.