" ..... Very professional and informative course with great facilities which is well organised and suitable for all levels of experience and education ..... Nice manual will make good future reference ..... bullet form makes it a lot easier to reference than standard manuals ..... "
Reference: SSO Course - Grant, Chief Mate MCA, Private Luxury Yacht

" ..... Again, everything was very good and well presented. The information provided was both presented in a professional manner and with stories and information that directly affected the course material. The information provided was excellent and its relevance to current trends in the industry ..... Steve would engage the students and structure the pace of the course to the learning abilities of the class ..... Steve is very professional and presents an excellent SSO Course with a direct relevance to current Maritime Security trends ..... "
Reference: SSO Course - Gavin, Chief Officer, Private Superyacht

" ..... Very professional presentations, gave clients adequate time for comments and questions ..... The course I attended involved good interaction between each of the attendees and the training instructor. Intel regarding experiences from very experienced Ships Officers will come in very useful in addition to the very comprehensive training course manual ..... "
Reference: SSO Course - Ron, Maritime Security Consultancy Sales Manager

“..... How do you describe the consummate professional? Steve is a man that is difficult to quantify. His energy is boundless, his enthusiasm tireless and his knowledge base, endless. Since I first met him as a student of his in 2004 I have been fortunate enough to get to know him and his company to the point where I was asked to write modules for inclusion into his courses. I, as a professional, would not promote or recommend anything that may harm my own reputation. When asked by Steve to submit content to ESTS, I never hesitated. Steve and his ESTS team are at the top of their game, I challenge you to find better.....”
Reference: Dave (Security Specialist, Martial Arts & Body Conditioning Instructor / SSO)

Like said - I am new to all this and I have collected as much info as I possibly could on literally close to a dozen company's courses - of course a lot through recommendation by guys who've been there. Quite a few great ones, offering great training, great deals and great info out there - thank you to each and every one of them for the info provided and often kind offers extended to me. But as always, one company did stick out and has impressed me that extra bit. In this particular case by the way they communicated with me before I had even mentioned that I might sign on for a training course with them - ESTS through owner Steve Richards.

Over two days now he has taken the time to exchange back and forth emails, answer dozens of my questions, giving me feedback on the industry and work in general - even taking a good half hour for an online chat. In all that time I did not once hear the words "we are the best - if you train with us you'll get a job anywhere you want - ours is the course that sets the standard ....  etc." Instead I was given a very down to earth, detailed insight not only on their courses but on the whole industry, was offered advice on what too look for when searching for a quality course, what questions to ask, what to consider and on top of all the very rare honour of an overview of Steve's very own career and experience. Now remember guys - this is not "just" any instructor; that's actually one of the guys who runs the company.

All I can say is that if the training is only half as detailed, professional and considerate of each students individual needs as Steve's approach has been to me, then I believe that I have just found the course which suite ME best. I am sincerely looking forward to training with these guys and have no doubt that what I will learn and experience there will easily live up to the professionalism displayed in Steve's approach.
Reference: Dave (PSD - Baghdad, Iraq)

" .... The unique mix of theory with reference to the real world scenarios meant that I could see the reason behind the theory and apply ..... Excellent course manual - a real 'bible' for SSO's ..... "
Reference: SSO Course - Dave C (Security Specialist / SSO)

" ..... Bearing in mind the current piracy threats and terrorism alerts, this course not only gives you the full Ship Security Officer (MCA) certification, but goes in-depth on the way pirates/terrorists operate and ways to mitigate these threats.
Reference: SSO Course - Mark (Former Dutch Marines / SSO)

" ..... Excellent & informative course. Delivered with professional detail mixed with inter-action and humour. Having a course as detailed as this with MCA recognition will be of great help in future career options. Being provided with the course manual, with the extra detail it contains is a great bonus. Having this at hand whilst out in industry will serve as a great help ..... "
Reference: SSO Course - Dave H (Security Specialist, Martial Arts & Body Conditioning Instructor / SSO)

"..... ESTS provide a highly diverse and professional course curriculum in combination with practical experience. The hospitable training office at the ESTS headquarters and the thoroughness and skills of the trainer resulted in the fact that my expectations were exceeded and I am very glad to have chosen ESTS for the HEAT course. I can certainly recommend it! ....."
Reference: HEAT Course - Mark (Former Dutch Marines / SSO)

"..... Steve was in charge of the Global Armed Escort Service (PSD) team based in Baghdad. His team comprised a mixture of expats, TCN and HCN Iraqis. Steve was a determined, thorough and professional operator, demanding high standards if his team and representing the company well....."
Reference: Stephen C (Former Operations Manager, Global Strategies Group - Iraq BIAP PM)

"..... The moment Steve starts teaching you realize that he is extremely professional.  His operational knowledge is impressive and the ability to pass on the skills to the student is excellent.  I can say that he performs in an outstanding manner and would love to work alongside him anywhere in a hostile environment ....."
'Chip' Former UN PSD (PSD 2ic, Iraq / Security Training - Finland)

"..... The ESTS PSD training course is intense, extensive and detailed training. Over 60 topics are covered offering an unrivalled degree of flexibility and knowledge. Lectures were delivered in an entertaining manner that held our interest, interspersed with anecdotes from the instructors experience in the field ..... The firearms training and contact drills were intense and as realistic as possible. All the theory is put into practice, with unexpected factors thrown in to test our initiative and teamwork ..... As the course progressed less time was spent in the classroom and more time in various scenarios. We were tested on our route planning, walking drills, vehicle drills, firearm drills and much more ..... I can’t recommend the course highly enough, there are few out there who can come close, not only to the instructors experience, but also their teaching ability ....."
Reference: Dave (Close Protection Officer - Personal Defence Instructor)

..... I was immediately impressed with Xs knowledge of security operations especially those concerning executive protection. His ability to instruct on this subject is unsurpassed by other instructors that I have attended classes with ..... His ability to keep a student focused on the subject being taught is unrivalled. His ability to add humour and wit to class subjects makes retention of subjects easier for students ..... I learned a great deal from him and would love to have him working with my team here in Iraq as Team Leader ....."
Reference: Chris, former US Military (PSD Manager, Iraq)
   
"The trainers from ESTS spent 10 days with our Security Team here in the Maldives at our resort. During their visit with us they identified various areas for improvement in our security team and conducted in-depth training with our guards. They were incredibly flexible with regards to the training and streamlined it so as to address the areas they needed to focus on. I would recommend their services to other resorts as the company is professional and deliver what they say they will."
Reference: AC (Training Manager, Maldives)
  
"..... With his tactical prowess – covering a variety of weapons systems, defensive and offensive small unit tactics, intelligence collation abilities – and calm yet capable approach, Steve enhanced our security teams ability to assist with the Clients programming tempo despite ongoing security threats ..... On completion he was then required to implement these procedures, a task that he achieved with such success that those measures became the standard for other teams operating in Mosul, Erbil, Suleiminyah as well as Baghdad." 
Reference: Dave, Former Military SF (PSD TL, Iraq)
  
"..... His knowledge of the region, its people and their problems had grown to make him popular, especially with the local Kurdish and Turkman communities ..... He is a consummate professional in every aspect of his work and his training. I have worked with him on many occasions and have always been impressed by his abilities to communicate and his attitude to his chosen field of work and training services .....”
Reference: Simon, former Law Enforcement TAG Teams (PSD RSO, Iraq)
  
" ..... Steve served as PSD Team Leader and trainer for Iraqi security personnel. At all times he displayed tactical proficiency and a unique capacity to work with and effectively train the Iraqi mobile and static security staff ..... His efforts with the Iraqi staff translated directly into a higher state of proactive and reactive readiness of the combined international security team in the high-threat areas of Mosul and Kirkuk ..... "
Reference: John, Former US Military Intelligence (Former PSD RSO, Iraq)
  
"..... Steve brought his expertise to bear on strengthening the perimeter and site security of our compound. Together with his colleagues he successfully trained and managed over 100 members of our Iraqi Security Guard Force."
Reference: Patrick (NGO Team Leader, Iraq)
  
"..... It was an honour to have been trained by you, cheers mate."
Reference: Simon, Former Pathfinder, The Parachute Regiment (PSD /Dog Handler Iraq)

"The classes without doubt have been very educational and very helpful. There was a lot of things I discovered in myself that needed addressing ..... the training I received has been a very eye-opening experience indeed ..... Steve & Dave have definitely been and become an inspiration to me. I am hoping to receive more training from them in the future. Thanks for everything. "
Reference: Issahang Dewan, Security Supervisor - RRR Maldives