Training work

June 29, 2009 1:17 AM

Where to find well-paid corporate / executive training work?

I am an experienced and very effective trainer and trainer of trainers. But all of my work so far has been in the English language teaching field, and therefore the pay tends to suck.

Where do professional, quality trainers make big bucks? Any advice in this regard, including links to specific recruiters or job sites, would be much appreciated.

(Just for clarification: I am not talking about physical / health training, fitness training, lifestyle coaching, etc. I am talking about the guy who comes to a company retreat or similar to do a weekend or week long seminar related to professional development, or who coordinates and arranges a series of professional workshops, etc.)

posted by Meatbomb to work & money (6 comments total)

Running a training course designed by somebody else is not going to make you much money. Those trainers I have met in a corporate environment who seemed to be doing best used these tricks:

1. They had been able to build their reputation in their field: by presenting at professional conferences and writing articles and books.
2. They then created training courses which were based on this self-authored material.
3. They were extremely good at the networking required to get commissions for their training courses.
4. They paid great attention to the quality of the training courses themselves - and to the training environment: gathering feedback and then acting on it.
5. They employed other trainers and administrators to help them - and again were very fussy about the quality of these people.
posted by rongorongo at 3:26 AM on June 29 [1 favorite]

Agreed with rongorongo above, with one thing to add:

6. They often held certifications on desirable topics such as Six Sigma or ISO, and were active in the peer groups locally and nationally for these disciplines.
posted by GamblingBlues at 4:01 AM on June 29 [1 favorite]

2nding that you need to be an expert in your topic with good credentials who also happens to be extremely good at training people - unless your background gives you in depth knowledge of your topics and experience in their practical application you're not going to go very far.

Being a great trainer alone doesn't work because your participants will often have a high degree of knowledge on the topics you're presenting, will be interested in finer nuances or the wider picture as well as a million other things they are meant to be doing whilst attending your event and therefore a very low tolerance of people who don't know their stuff.
posted by koahiatamadl at 5:24 AM on June 29

Some thoughts...

1. What can you do to frame your existing experience towards a more corporate clientele? I see from your profile that you're based in Bulgaria. Can you offer intensive English language training to people working for Bulgarian companies heading off for assignments in other countries? Can you offer Bulgaria 101 courses to foreign corporations geared towards helping in-bound employees transferring from elsewhere acclimate culturally? Could that expand into "How to do business in Bulgaria" offerings?

2. You may need to reconsider how your web persona might strike a corporate HR type. You're very open about using your real name, e.g., here but that luxury may not comport with your new professional objectives.

3. Can you put together teaser materials and offer them over the web? Do you have video of yourself in action to post there (or via YouTube and its ilk) so people can see how you work?

4. Have you considered working through your government's economic development and tourism promotion organizations? Similarly, business membership organizations? All of those need speakers... and some of them even pay, but the real value is in the exposure.

5. You can often sniff around convention centers and hotels hosting business meetings and see other trainers in action, which will give you a better idea of the competition and the client expectations.
posted by carmicha at 5:45 AM on June 29

How about facilitation?

I'm frequently at large meetings/workshops where something needs to be decided, yet the parties are, at best neutral, at worst, out right hostile to each others' viewpoint. There are frequently multiple viewpoints in the room. The facilitator's job is to keep the meeting on track, to organize breakout meetings, etc..., generally to chivvy everyone along. A good facilitator can save thousands of dollars (or more) in later legal costs.

It can be hard work, but if was easy, everyone would do it. They get paid well for their services too.
posted by bonehead at 6:36 AM on June 29 [1 favorite]

I came to say most of what carmicha covered.

Look for large multinational companies who are doing business in Bulgaria. I have found that large multinationals have lots more money and interest than smaller companies. Contact their HR departments (maybe in Bulgaria, but most likely also their corporate headquarters). Offer to do business language courses, cultural awareness courses, and the like for their expats in Bulgaria.

Quick googling for multinationals in Bulgaria led me to a list here, but you can find other/better lists (never mind about what they are selling on that website, just scroll down to the "Which Bulgaria companies are listed in the Yearbook?" section).

And to echo carmicha, you gotta tone down your online persona. Multinationals are looking for a specific "professional" look. Expect to be googled and researched. You don't have to change who you are, but you want to present the look of "I'm a consummate professional in whom you can trust your employees and a lot of your money."
posted by Houstonian at 7:30 AM on June 29