How to become a Corporate Trainer?

It was a week back when I got a message on LinkedIn and then a call, the next day. It was, from one of my connections who wanted to know and understand, “How to become a Corporate Trainer?”

So this was not the first instance that I had received such a request. I have been asked multiple times before, the very same question. How to become a corporate trainer?

So I thought, I will put this to rest for the benefit of all, through this post.

As a Life Coach, I have a simple technique to get answers for any How. I try to answer the 5 W’s– WHY, WHAT, WHO, WHERE, and WHEN and I effortlessly arrive at the HOW.

WHY

The first question that comes up to my mind is “Why do you want to become a Corporate Trainer?”

Let’s try to answer this question first.

Out of all the reasons people might have, these are the few reasons I would like to list out for you.

1. I am looking for a career change from my existing job role.
2. I am passionate about training people.
3. I experience joyfulness when I affect people’s life for good.
4. It is a high paying career.
5. I am a good orator.
6. I love talking and sharing about experiences with different people.
7. I get the kick of my life when I am preaching people.
8. I want a relaxed job role that allows me to think and learn as an individual.
9. I know of many people who are doing great as a corporate trainer who were previously in the same job as I am today.

You may have one or a few of the many reasons I have listed above.

Don’t

But let me tell you the reality, it is not an extremely high-paying career in the beginning. You might have to struggle a lot. It is neither a relaxed job role as people usually perceive it. It takes a lot to stand before people for 7-8 hours a day for at least 15 days in a month and train people. Also, don’t try to become one, just because someone else you know is doing great in this.

Do

Yes, if you are passionate about helping people, affecting their life for a positive change, or transforming their life through your subject matter expertise, experiences or stories, this job is for you.

WHAT

What do you need to have in you as a person to take up this job? This is the next question that I would like to answer for you.

1. As a person you should be comfortable standing before people and talk. Mind it, it is not as simple as it seems.What I mean is that you should have good to great public speaking skills.
2. You need to possess expert level knowledge on the subject you want to train people on or gain that expertise before getting on this role. So knowledge is extremely critical here.
3. Then comes another extremely important part, which is grooming as a trainer. There is a specific standard of grooming that you need to adhere by. What I am talking about here is, how you carry yourself before people in terms of your clothing and appearance.
4. Not just the public speaking skills, but also how to present your subject matter expertise before the audience makes up the next skill. Here, what I am referring to, is the presentation skills.
5. It is always good to have a hands on experience on what you are going to train people on. Like if you are going to train people on SALES SKILLS, it is always advisable to have had experience in selling. Atleast 5-10 years of experience.

WHO

The next question that I am going to answer for you is, How to get trained to train others? Who can help you learn training or facilitation skills?

Is there any institute, body, or authority that trains and provides accreditation to become a corporate trainer?

To help you out on that, let me ask you to search the same and check out in the country you live in.

To those who are in India, let me tell you, although it is actually better if you get trained and accredited to train others, it is not something that is a must to find an opportunity as a corporate trainer.

So all those who are working as corporate trainers in India are not necessarily accredited but are trainers and are very much working in corporate companies. All such trainers have first gained hands-on field experience in their domain and are operating more like subject matter experts. Many don’t have training or facilitation skills.

But these days corporate companies prefer trainers who have been trained to be trainers by some recognized training organization, institute, or body.

Let me list out MY RECOMMENDATIONS of some of the great institutes who can help you with this.

1. For honing your skills on Public Speaking I would recommend, PUBLIC SPEAKING INSTITUTE.
2. For grooming and image development, I would recommend, IMAGE CONSULTING INSTITUTE
3. For Presentation skills / Delivery / Facilitation Skills, I would recommend MIDDLE EARTH HR
4. For Content Designing skills, I would recommend INDIAN SOCIETY FOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

WHEN

Once you have the qualities, skills and have been accredited, the next important question that needs to be answered is when.

Although you can join as a subject matter expert type corporate trainer with the relevant years of experience. But, if I have to answer your question as to when – what is the best time to take up the job of a corporate trainer, I would say after 3-6 months of going through a rigorous TRAIN THE TRAINER program.

I am a Master Trainer & Facilitator and I coach trainers.

Now comes the most interesting question. One that might interest you the most. This is a bonus.

How to find a relevant corporate trainer’s job?

To make your life easier, let me first tell you, that you can take one out of the two routes I am going to share with you. Either apply and work full-time as an employee for an organization or provide freelancing training to corporate companies through your self-designed programs.

My Story of becoming a Corporate Trainer

How I started off as a corporate trainer after leaving a high-paying sales job?

In all my previous sales job assignments, as a Sales Manager, I had always been training and motivating my teams to perform. Trust me, even in those days, more than the Sales numbers I used to achieve, I was driven by my passion to train, mentor, and coach people in my team. That was when I was slowly making the mental transition, before I actually made into the field of training, learning, and development.

I honed my skills while being on all such sales assignments in the corporates before making a career change.

The time when I started, in the year 2010, no organization gave me an opportunity, to become a corporate trainer on a full-time basis as an employee. But I had made up my mind, I had the clarity, I am going to do this and only this. I had found the purpose of my life.

I began taking small assignments with different training companies and started providing training sessions to corporates through them.

After having designed my own programs, and delivered for a dozen of the corporate companies for more than three years, I again started applying to corporates for a full-time job.

That was when I got a breakthrough.

You may have to tread on a different path. Your journey to becoming a corporate trainer might turn out to be different. But I think this is what you can do if you have this question hovering in your mind, “How to become a corporate trainer?”

Check out my LinkedIn profile for the certifications and licenses I have been accredited with. Check out the LinkedIn button at the bottom of the page. Let’s connect.

I hope this read was worth your time and you got the answers you were looking for.

If not write to me on my email I’d, [email protected].

If you have liked reading the post and was useful for you, please do put down your valuable comments.