Protective Service · Holland code RCE

Bailiffs

Maintain order in courts of law.

Also called: Bailiff, Court Bailiff, Court Officer, Court Security Officer, Court Constable, Court Deputy, Deputy Bailiff, Deputy Court Services Sheriff.

O*NET 33-3011.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $56,600; Middle half earn $43,720 to $74,630. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 40% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray machines, and other devices to collect and retain unauthorized firearms and other contraband.
Escort prisoners to and from courthouse and maintain custody of prisoners during court proceedings.
Maintain order in courtroom during trial and guard jury from outside contact.
Provide security by patrolling interior and exterior of courthouse and escorting judges and other court employees.
Guard lodging of sequestered jury.
Enforce courtroom rules of behavior and warn persons not to smoke or disturb court procedure.
Arrest persons in court when arrest warrants have been issued.
Report need for police or medical assistance to sheriff's office.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Speaking3.4 / 5
Monitoring3.4 / 5
Active Listening3.3 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.9 / 5
Active Learning2.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Public Safety and Security4.3 / 5
Law and Government4.1 / 5
English Language3.6 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.0 / 5
Psychology3.0 / 5
Administration and Management2.9 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic63
Investigative19
Artistic0
Social38
Enterprising50
Conventional58

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

court administrator · DE Gerichtsverwalter/Gerichtsverwalterin · FR chef de juridiction
prosecutor · DE Staatsanwalt/Staatsanwältin · FR procureur/procureure
judge · DE Richter/Richterin · FR juge
supreme court judge · DE Richter am Obersten Gerichtshof/Richterin am Obersten Gerichtshof · FR juge de la juridiction suprême
justice of the peace · DE Friedensrichter/Friedensrichterin · FR juge d’instance
court jury coordinator · DE Gerichtskoordinator/Gerichtskoordinatorin · FR coordonnateur de jury de cour/coordonnatrice de jury de cour

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services (1163)8,000 employed
Solicitors and lawyers (2412)216,100 employed
Legal associate professionals (3520)57,300 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.51. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (33-3011).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test