Excel trainer

[itsthebike]

I am considering a career change, and am hoping this type of question can be posted on this particular board of MrExcel. I'm looking for information about becoming an Excel trainer, and based on all the extremely helpful feedback and information I get from the Excel Questions board, I thought this could be a good place to start for some information. How does one move into this field? What are the requirements, certifications, etc.? What is the current demand in this area? Can you suggest any online resources to help answer these questions and get me pointed in the right direction? I'd appreciate any insight.

Thanks!

 

[SydneyGeek]

There are a few ways to go with this but it defnitely helps if you have at least some training / teaching qualifications.
In Australia most training companies will ask for Certificate IV or its later equivalent, TAA, but you should at least do the most basic level and then try to get some contract work with a training company.

If you have pretty broad experience in Excel that puts you ahead of the curve, from my experience here. VBA skills are highly regarded because not many trainers do VBA, so you'll stand out. Target the higher end courses, add applications like Project, Access or Visio, and you can be kept fairly busy.
If you just concentrate on Excel you may find it hard to stay busy, unless you develop a name for yourself.

When you get started try working for several different companies. It gets your name out there, and if they use different courseware that broadens your experience / skills. Down the track you can narrow your preferences and just work for a couple of companies, avoiding the ones you don't want to have anything to do with.

Denis