Who said it was too Hard to Become a Microsoft Certified Trainer. Several IT professionals that are Microsoft Certified are missing out on a golden opportunity. Many are not even aware of the value of their existing Microsoft certification, or how to gain the most value from their certification.

IT professionals can sometimes toil away for years earning a comfortable living, yet not realizing the full potential that their certifications have. Microsoft Certified Professionals that hold premier certifications such as the associate level or expert level don’t truly cash in on their opportunities.  This is not for professionals that hold Microsoft fundamentals certifications as they do not qualify for this unique opportunity.

Maybe you have considered taking full advantage of your Microsoft Certification by adding the Microsoft Certified Trainer designation to your portfolio. You have gotten feedback that keeps telling you that it’s too hard and that’s why there are less than 20,000 MCT’s worldwide. Compare this to the millions that hold other Microsoft certifications, and it appears to make sense. Maybe it is too difficult. Well, we would like to set the record straight.

The Naysayers

We should start by addressing the naysayers. Several IT professionals that do not hold perhaps Microsoft most prestigious certifications have shared their opinions to others that are less informed. Maybe the reasoning behind their thinking is based on what they have been told. Things like you need to have previous training experience before you can even consider applying to this exclusive membership-based club. Perhaps they received information that led them to believe you needed a recommendation from a MCT or Microsoft Education Learning Partner. They have even based their opinions on your need for years of experience in the field.  Each of these assumptions as well as others are incorrect.

Let’s discuss who Microsoft Certified Trainers are and the benefits of this certification before returning to the naysayers.

The Microsoft Certified Trainer certification is considered the gold standard of technical training. MCT’s are certified by Microsoft to deliver Microsoft content. In other words, they have the sole authority to teach from Microsoft’s Official Curriculum (MOC) courseware. This is the courseware that is used in the Microsoft Education Learning Partners environment.

By having this authority from Microsoft, MCT’s have access to the complete library of Microsoft technologies, and products. They have access to all Microsoft online courses and (MOC) labs. As a Microsoft Certified Trainer, they can access all trainer kits regardless of subject. These kits give the MCT the tools they need to sharpen their skills and include slides and instructor notes.

Microsoft Certified Trainers receive deep discounts on books, exams including beta exams. MCT certification is so unique they have access to their own job portal. This allows MCT’s to gain access to career and teaching opportunities that’s posted by Microsoft Education Learning Partners and other MCT’s in the global market. Microsoft Certified Trainers enjoy relationships with their regional lead to further increase their training skills, answer any questions, and provide career guidance.

Microsoft Certified Trainers average as of August $136,931 nearly a 16% increase over their salary of $116,657 in 2021 their pay ranges from $85,000 to $253,000 with the highest salary reported above $500,000. These numbers represent the pay range for employees or what we refer to as in-house trainers, and include salaries, bonus, and benefits. Microsoft Certified Trainers that make us this category work across many disciplines including Microsoft Education Learning Partners. It should be noted that Microsoft Education Learning Partners must have MCT’s on staff to maintain their partnership status with Microsoft. Corporations such as Coca-Cola require their technical trainers to be Microsoft Certified Trainers.

MCT’s that decide on a career as a freelancer generally earn considerably more than in-house trainers. One of the reasons for this is they can specialize in certain products or subjects such as Data Analytics, Cybersecurity or Microsoft 365 products.

Freelancers charge by the hour or daily, weekly or course rates. They can build a practice. Not all courses have the same garner same rates. An example Microsoft fundamentals courses pay much less than Microsoft security analyst course and associate level course pay less than expert level. Freelancers can expect from $800 to $1,500 daily depending on the course. Rates can be much higher based on course difficulty, length, and number of participants.

Now back to the naysayers. Maybe the real reason for the naysayers is not only having a clear knowledge of what it takes to become a Microsoft Certified Trainer, but the tremendous benefits that Microsoft Certified Trainer receives.

What you need to do

The requirements for becoming a Microsoft Certified Trainer are stringent and straight forward.

• You must possess a qualifying Microsoft Certifications.
• You must attend an approved Microsoft Instructional Skills Certification course.

Finding a provider

You now need to find a Microsoft approved provider of instructional skills certification. Not all Microsoft Education Learning Partners are approved to provide instructional skills certification. There are currently nine (9) or ten (10) approved providers.

All providers should offer in-person classes. Many provide Instructor-Led Online courses. There is one (1) provider that offers both in-person and instructor-led online, yet they also offer a Self-paced course complete with supplemental videos to accelerate your career. It noted that a final exam is required with the Self-paced course to receive your Certificate of Completion.

A WORD OF CAUTION.

YOU MUST ATTEND An INSTRUCTIONAL SKILLS COURSE FROM A MICROSOFT APPROVED PROVIDER OF INSTRUCTIONAL SKILLS.

Many IT Professionals have taken Instructional Skills from providers that are not approved by Microsoft.  This has proven to be unfortunate. Microsoft will NOT accept instructional skills from these providers. Candidates should not take the provider’s word that they have some special relationship with Microsoft that allows you to submit their certificate of completion.

You can see a complete list of approved Instructional Skills Providers by visiting Microsoft’s website.  You can also see a complete list of Certifications/exams that qualify for MCT Certification at the same site, or by visiting Fourth Dimension Technologies, Inc.

We hope this article has been informative and best wishes in your quest in becoming a Microsoft Certified Trainer.