What Does It Take to Become an NTS Instructor?
The ESA training program has been around for over 36 years and has experienced tremendous growth and recognition since its inception. This would not be possible without one of the program’s most valuable assets – its instructors. NTS Instructor are not only utilized to instruct our 100+ different core courses and CEU courses, but are also key contributors to updating courses, developing new courses, and contributing to our test banks. Today we have 31 active instructors from around the country. Sounds like a lot but considering the ESA’s National Training School teaches close to 7000 students a year, it truly isn’t that many. Because of this, we are always on the lookout for new instructors who have a passion for the electronic security and life safety industry.
Turn Your Passion into Additional Revenue
The process we use to identify and qualify NTS Instructors is not based on locating the smartest technicians, so if you weren’t the top of your class, don’t be worried that you will be turned away. Sure, we want to be assured that you know what you are talking about, but that doesn’t mean you will automatically be qualified. Great instructors are those that have a passion for sharing information and are skilled at communicating that information. We are looking for instructors who can teach our Certified Alarm Technician course and those that specialize in fire, video, access control, or network communication systems. So, if you have a passion to teach others, we would love to hear from you. NTS Certified Instructors are independent subcontractors that can be paid for their services, so it is also a great way to earn additional revenue.
How To Become an NTS Instructor
The ESA Education Committee, and in particular the Instructor Subcommittee, governs the Instructor certification process and they have established a very thorough vetting process for people to become certified NTS Instructors. With the key role instructors have in the NTS program they feel it is extremely important that instructors are well-qualified and committed to the program.
- The first step in the process is for the instructor candidate to hold at least one active NTS Certification. For example, this could include the Certified Alarm Technician Level I certification or the Certified Fire Alarm Technician certification.
- Once an instructor candidate has an active certification, they are then required to submit an extensive application where their skills will be reviewed by the instructor sub-committee to ensure they have some teaching experience and adequate field experience
- The next step is for the candidate to take an instructor’s exam that centers around the topics they will be teaching. If the exam is passed with an 80% or higher, the final step is to student teaching two NTS courses alongside an experienced instructor.
Although the process seems arduous and lengthy, most candidates can complete it in two to three months. It also ensures that the candidate is familiar with the content and has the confidence to teach the course independently.
There are particular regions of the country where NTS and our partners are in need of instructors. These include New York, New Jersey, Texas, and the southeastern states. If you, or someone you know has the passion and knowledge to share with others please reach out to me and I will walk you through the next steps.
