1) Is the Trainer Accredited?
Many ‘Agile Trainers’ pass themselves off as trainers, though they have no affiliation to an accredited educational body. Make sure you know who you are asking to educate you, as well as their ties to educational institutions. In the Agile World, look for ties to Scrum Alliance, Scrum.org, ProKanban, Lean Kanban University, Large Scale Scrum (LeSS). If you want want recommendations for a certain type of training, please just ask 🙂
2) Is the Trainer Approachable?
Almost monthly, we hear from new students who dropped out of a class from another trainer who was verbally abusive/combative with students, or completely ignored their requests for deeper explanation of topics. Do a little research on social media sites (like LinkedIn) to find out how a specific trainer might respond to questions, or challenges during a class.
3) Is the Trainer Experienced?
You should know, before you ever step foot in a classroom (or open a Zoom call), if your trainer has enough experience in their own field to be guiding you. Only you can answer this question. Do you want your trainer to have field experience in your industry? Do you want your trainer to only be experienced in a single type of work/subject? The World of Agility covers a lot of ground and MANY industries – take that into consideration before you select a trainer.
4) Is the Trainer Reputable?
This is going to be a difficult one to figure out. If you go by the trainer’s bio on an industry website, or their own website, well… We all know that the trainer usually writes those to promote themself, right? So maybe those aren’t so reliable. Definitely look those up though – it’s good to have some background on them. Look them up on TrustPilot and look at their average star rating (TrustPilot isn’t used by every trainer, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see them there). Check them out on LinkedIn and look at their recommendations (not just the number of recommendations, but read what other students have written about them).
5) Is the Trainer Available After Class Is Over?
This isn’t a need for everyone, but it’s a sign of a good trainer. Find out, before you spend you money, if the trainer is available/accessible after class. And, we aren’t talking about going out for dinner or drinks after the first night of class. We’re talking about next month, six months from now, a year from now. Are they willing to help guide you through using what they intend on teaching you? What good is it for a trainer to not be available to answer your questions when they occur to you?
