Education - Teacher Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
potential trainers do they pass the PEAK test. That is, do they have: Passion, Enthusiasm, A willingness to help others, and Knowledge (PEAK)? These are the pillars for becoming a top class Educator - everything else can be learned or practiced.”
iiaa trainers have engaging personalities, and are articulate and methodical.
Excellent practical skills and product knowledge are vital attributes to have as an Educator so that the highest level of knowledge and skills are passed on,” says Linda Ennis, Principal at the Beauty Academy in Drogheda.
Clare Muir, Head of Training at the International Institute for Anti-Ageing (iiaa), argues that an engaging personality is one of the most important qualities a potential Educator must possess. “A great Educator needs to be articulate, clear and concise, and present a course in a very methodical, structured manner,” she says.
“We ask experienced therapists who want to become trainers to prove that they have strong presenting skills during our recruitment process,” Claire explains. “Some people really know their stuff but it doesn’t follow that they are able to pass this on to others. So more than anything what we look for is personality. If you like your trainer and she makes your course fun, we know students are going to leave loving what they’ve learned about. You can have the best qualified teacher who relays lots of information, but students can leave having learnt nothing because they haven’t warmed to the trainer, so we want someone people will make an immediate bond with.“
Other qualities include good attention to detail. “Sometimes the importance of this is overlooked, if an Educator doesn’t have attention to detail they may miss delivery of part of the syllabus, give incorrect or outdated information or weaken their students’ belief in the Educator’s abilities,” Linda says.
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She continues: “I think it is vital that an Educator has slides that have correct spelling; with spell check these days there is no excuse for bad spelling. Organisational abilities are imperative as there is a lot of record keeping and tracking to be performed as an Educator.
“And on top of all of that, Educators are responsible for their own learning and for keeping themselves knowledgeable about the newest information, products and techniques. Companies interviewing for Educators will expect interviewees to perform a presentation as part of the interview process. Not all training positions are advertised and it may necessitate approaching companies with your CV and offering to do a presentation even for them to consider you in the future.”
“I would encourage those thinking of a career to look beyond skills and experience and to delve into their internal motivations for wanting to teach,” says Derek O Kelly, Principal of TheWaverley Academy, which currently has premises in Dublin and Cork.
“For instance, does the prospect of educating others excite you? Are you so passionate about what you do that you’d love to share your passion with others? Do you have a caring nature and would love to help others develop their careers? Are you willing to go the extra mile in helping others achieve their educational goals? Are you willing to commit to acquiring comprehensive knowledge of your subject matter?
“If your internal motivators are right, everything else will follow. In fact we ask
As well as a calling to teach, you should be passionate about the skills you are going to be passing on and the products you are using. “Every institution or company might have slightly different techniques and methods they expect their teachers or Educators to use so it is important that you fully identify with the company and products you are using and treatments you will be teaching,” says Britta Krueger fromWow Factor. “This passion is something you can’t learn - it’s something you have, and students will enjoy working with an enthusiastic teacher who believes in what he / she is doing.”
Qualifications
So what formal qualifications and experience are needed?
“It can be frustrating for therapists looking to start a career in teaching as there is currently no cohesive policy or structured pathway for those who want to teach adults in the further education sector in Ireland,” says Derek. “It’s a major flaw in the Irish adult education system with policy makers dragging their heels on introducing standards over the years.
“However, therapists have been able to gain industry standard teaching qualifications via various qualifications developed by awards authorities such as ITEC, City & Guilds, FETAC and adult education awards via some of the universities in Ireland. These training qualifications are delivered by private and mainstream educational institutes.
“Qualifications available are the ITEC Diploma in Lecturing, and City & Guilds Award in Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Sector Level 4 (6302 – 04),” explains Linda. “There are no specific guidelines at a national level on experience or skills needed to teach or enrol on teaching programmes except where the different awards authorities might stipulate. But in order to enrol on a programme a general rule of thumb would seem to be a minimum of two years qualified and practicing in the subjects you wish to teach.”
Linda adds: “All it takes for a therapist to become a trainer is that she has at least two years’ experience in the subject she
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