Dealing with hormonal teenagers and chewing gum stuck to your seat then breeks are not everyone’s idea of a great day at the office.
Thankfully, you don’t need to go back to school to inspire the next generation of IT whizz kids.
Working as an IT trainer is a great way to use your expertise and at the same time pass your knowledge on to others.
This is an important role – as technology advances and the world around us starts to outpace a science fiction movie, IT skills are going to become more and more in demand.
Unlike some more rigidly-structured career paths, there are several ways to get into IT training.
Broadly speaking, trainers tend to have established their own career in IT before moving into the job of teaching others.
Some, however, come from a more general training background and have then become more specialised.
Either way, an IT qualification is recommended.
Essentially the job involves designing and delivering training courses that cover a variety of software applications.
Depending on your client, you can be teaching people with very limited knowledge (think of Grampa Jack the first time he saw a tablet) or those who already know their way around a computer but need to gain knowledge in more advanced areas, such as programming or web design.
It’s worth pointing out the actual delivery of the training is only part of the role. Think of it as the meat in the sandwich: the bread is the preparation and the follow-up.
This means long before entering the classroom a trainer will have assessed the clients’ needs and prepared accordingly.
Producing reference guides and other tools are also an important part of backing up the learning that takes place in the classroom.
And the show doesn’t stop here. After training is complete, a process of evaluation and feedback can help both the client and trainer.
Many IT trainers are employed in colleges and education centres but large corporate organisations often employ in-house trainers.
Most software companies, too, offer training on new packages as part of their after-sales package so there are plenty of opportunities in a variety of locations.
The average salary is around £30,000 but contract work is common and commands an average daily rate of around £200.
If you’d like to use your know-how and people skills to help the next generation of pros, take a look at the latest IT roles with s1jobs.