Any MS Office Instructors able to lend a little career advise?

[SQLBI]

Hi,

I have a small MS Office solutions development business and i'm looking at the possibility of adding a training offering.

If i decide to offer training, this would all have to be in-house at the respective companies as i have no office space at present.

I know both Excel and Access 2000/2002 very well, but have no training experience and i'm unsure where to start. I'm currently working to sit the MOUS Excel/Access certs next month.

Any advise on how to get the ball rolling on this would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Leigh Moore
LJM Analysis Ltd

http://www.ljm-analysis.co.uk

 

[mmtraining]

1. Don't regard training as something anyone who has the knowledge can do. That is the quickest way to lose customers and go through hell whilst doing so.

2. Do at least three months of taking and six months of giving courses at your local tec before you have your own classes or students.

3. Get experience in other ways, by being the second firm in on a training job, by doing floorwalking contracts etc.

4. There are courses and qualifications in the UK for trainers. Take at least one of them! I mean the ones that really go into the problems of teaching and aren't just "halleluyah" ones that just last for one day and cost a fortune.

5. If you are good at developing then do so and get a trainer to teach people how to use your stuff. Go around with him or her and learn the tricks. It is cheaper than buggering up courses and losing contracts that had training as a small part of them.

6. Ask your mum/nan/aunt if she understands when you talk about computers. If not, you are not doing too well on fitting your level of explanation to the target group.

7. Research the internet for web sites from and for trainers and see what you think of the ideas they have.

8. Don't let the bottom drop out of the training market by charging much too little, because you think training if unimportant. Find out what the market prices are.

Basically, think whether you are serious about this, as it will take you at least a year to properly prepare for training people.

If you decide to go on, then you will start a second career and have got a lot of pain in front of you. When it finally stops hurting, you will (if you are lucky) find out that you have chosen the best career in the world and wonder why you wasted your time developing stuff.

Whatever you choose, all the best. Get in touch if you want.

Carol, Berlin