Do you have the confidence to play a role in the ongoing personal development of others? Do you have a passion for teaching and a strong desire to work in a corporate setting? Do you consider yourself to be confident, outgoing and approachable? If so, a career as a professional trainer could be right up your street!
What is Professional Training?
In the simplest terms, a professional trainer is essentially a teacher who works in a corporate setting. Rather than providing conventional education to children and teenagers, they instead provide both mandatory and optional training for the benefit of employees at every level. Professional trainers introduce new systems and procedures, help employees develop new skills, broaden the knowledge of the workforce and generally contribute to the personal development of every candidate. While professional trainers play an important role at the heart of every organisation, most spend their time working in corporate environments. For obvious reasons, professional trainers must be passionate about helping people, knowledgeable in their chosen field and confident enough to speak publicly.
Typical duties in a professional training setting may include:
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Speaking publicly in front of audiences of all sizes
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Conducting one-on-one training and coaching sessions
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Serving as a mentor for members of the workforce
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Organizing and running a variety of workshops
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Carrying out observational tasks such as engagement-monitoring
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Developing the highest-quality training materials and handouts
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Creating games and activities for employees to participate in
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Liaising with managers and senior stakeholders on performance issues
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Providing initial and ongoing company-specific training
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Collecting feedback to optimise future sessions
Am I Right For the Job?
As already touched upon, trainers are essentially teachers who work in a different environment with different students/attendees. Therefore, professional trainers need the same core skills and character traits as traditional teachers. Advanced interpersonal skills are an absolute must, along with consistently-high energy levels and the confidence to speak in front of audiences of all sizes. More importantly, professional trainers must be committed to their own continuous improvement, for the benefit of those they train.
Additional skills and character traits of importance in professional training include:
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Outstanding communication and delegation skills
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Advanced observational and analytical skills
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The ability to manage your own workload
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An interest in working in a corporate environment
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Strong self-organisation and time-management skills
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The ability to provide constructive criticism
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Flawless patience and adaptability
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A calm, cool and collected persona under pressure
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Relentless tenacity and the unwillingness to quit
Ongoing Progression
Research suggests that the average corporate trainer earns approximately £27,000 per year. Professional trainers may be provided with a set salary by the agency or company they work for, or charge on a per-day or per-session basis. While entry-level professional trainers may start from £20,000 or less, those with extensive experience and expertise often charge more than £600 per day.
Professional Lifestyle
Most professional trainers spend a relatively large proportion of their time travelling. Trainers who work for third-party agencies and those who work on a freelance basis may plan and host sessions for multiple organisations within the same week, located at opposite ends of the country. As most training sessions are carried out during office hours, this is the time during which most professional trainers operate. However, preparation and post-session analysis may be performed outside normal office hours.
“If I could give new corporate raiders one piece of advice, it would be to never stop studying their niche. There’s no such thing as becoming a ‘perfect’ trainer as every business area and subject is constantly changing. If you want to stay one step ahead of the game, you need to focus on your own personal development. Take every prime study opportunity that presents itself.” – James Walsh, Corporate Trainer
Taking the Next Step
While no specific qualifications are required to become a professional trainer, you’re unlikely to succeed without a strong and relevant educational background. Along with advanced knowledge of the niche you choose to focus on, you also need to know exactly what makes for quality training and inspirational corporate trainers. If looking to take that first important step into the career of your dreams, targeted studies could make all the difference.
Brentwood Open Learning College offers an extensive range of online courses, open to ambitious candidates worldwide. Study in your own time and at your own pace for a fully-accredited certificate or diploma, which could transform your career prospects for life.
Introduction to Trainer Skills (Level 3)
Discover what it takes to become an outstanding professional trainer with this fully-accredited Level 3 Course. Explore the skills, talents and personal character traits required to succeed in this extraordinary field.
Advanced Skills for Practical Trainer (Level 3)
Take your corporate training skills and talents to the highest possible level with this exclusive distance learning program. Advanced skills and industry insights for the most ambitious candidates from all backgrounds.
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