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Gaining a Microsoft Certification Trainer (MCT) title can exponentially boost your resume and improve your current or future job prospects. Additionally, it comes with several Microsoft perks, invitations to exclusive events, access to the MCT community, discounts on Microsoft products, and more. If you are planning to push your professional IT career to the next level, you should consider enrolling in MCT program and see an immediate boost in your job prospect. Here is everything you need to know to become an MCT.
What Is A Microsoft Certified Trainer?
MCTs are expert trainers of Microsoft technology
Microsoft Certified Trainer is certified by Microsoft as an expert in professional knowledge and has the instructor skill set to deliver exceptional training. MCTs are known to be the premier instructional and technical experts in Microsoft technologies.
To become an MCT, you must be a geek for all the latest Microsoft technologies.
Why Get Microsoft Certified?
- Gain knowledge & experience to increase your job prospects
- Keep up with emerging technologies like AI & Machine Learning
- Get entrusted with training your peers and help organizations grow
- Increase salary hike opportunities by completing certifications
What are the MCT requirements?
Get a Microsoft Certification
First things first, you will need a Microsoft Certification, start by choosing the right career path, decide on what you are interested in. Some common career paths like cloud Administration, Developer, and Security to choose from and decide on which area appeals to you the most. Then you can focus on taking a certification exam.
Here are a few certifications you can hold—check the Microsoft certification website for the complete list.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate
- Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate
- Microsoft 365 Certified: Developer Associate
- Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate
Once you are certified, you will need to prove your training skills, there are two ways to go about this.
1. Prove Your Instructor Skills with a Certification
If you do not have any experience in training and you know you have the skills, get a certification to back it up. Thankfully, Microsoft has a list of Instructor Skill Certification programs you can enroll in and prove your skills as a trainer. Check Microsoft’s official site for the list of the available certification program.
2. Prove your Instructor Skills by demonstration
One of the most common practices among MCTs is to start teaching right away, there are plenty of Microsoft Learning Partners you enroll as a trainer. You will need to prove at least one year of instructional experience, the more experience you have, the better. Once you have the experience as a certified trainer for an official Microsoft vendor or at an accredited academic institution you can get a recommendation that will validate your experience.
How To Enroll?
Once you’ve made sure you meet the above requirements. Now comes the actual enrollment process. It’s quite easy to do so.
First, go to the MCT enrollment tool. Log in and follow the steps.
The Enrollment tool will allow you to review the MCT requirements. You will have to read and sign the MCT Program Guide and Agreement. The signing process is done electronically.
- Use the MCT enrollment tool to review the MCT program requirements and sign the MCT Program Guide and Agreement. Your electronic signature validates your acceptance of the Terms and Conditions of the MCT Agreement.
- The Enrollment Tool will then guide you through the process of updating your profile. This will include your employment. You can be a freelancer to join the program. You can also be an employee of another company, government, academic, or a Microsoft Partner.
What Is The Fee?
Depending on where you live, MCT annual fee can cost between $150 to $1000, which is not too much considering the opportunities and job prospects that will open up for you.
There is also an annual renewal cost if you wish to continue being an MCT. The annual renewal fee also depends on where you live and can range from $100 to $800.
There are several ways you can get anywhere from 25%-100% discount on these fees. Enrolling as a certified trainer for a Microsoft Learning Partner or a Microsoft IT Academy can help you save a lot of money.
MCT Benefits
Besides the bragging rights to carry the MCT title (of course!), you will be pampered with tons of Microsoft benefits. You can utilize these benefits to further level up your skills as a trainer and unlock new horizons of opportunities. Some of the most useful benefits of being an MCT include:
- Access to Azure Pass Program to get hands-on training preparation.
- Lucrative discounts on Microsoft products and resources
- Physical copy of Microsoft Certification
- 50%-70% discount on various official exams
- Access to the MCT community and support
- 40% discount on Practice Tests
- Free access to CloudLabs’ MCT Pass Program with hands-on labs, practice tests, and more perks
Now that you know the process to become an MCT, you will need the most efficient ways to prepare for the exam. Here are some useful tips to learn faster.
Leverage Sandbox Environment For Hands-On Experience
Hands-on experience and practical knowledge are essential to understanding any technology. You can choose Microsoft Learn as it is highly recommended to provide you with free hands-on learning resources, and it comes along with a free Azure account. However, these come with time and resource limitations which can hinder your learning process.
CloudLabs offer a vast catalog of Official Microsoft Curriculum hands-on labs integrated with Lab guides and Practice tests that you can use to prepare for an exam. These labs are professional tests by MCTs, are extremely stable, and can be accessed from anywhere within minutes. Top Microsoft Learning Partners use and recommend CloudLabs for training, and rightfully so for the quality of their virtual labs is unmatched. You can get a free demo and book a meeting by visiting this link
CloudLabs MCT Pass
Take Practice Tests
Practice tests are always helpful to provide the information you need. They let you know where you stand and how much more you need to prepare. Microsoft Azure Certification exams also have some official practice tests available, which is essential if you want to pass your certification exam. Unfortunately, most of these practice tests are not free, and you will end up investing more money buying these practice tests. Thankfully, CloudLabs have you covered. There are some free practice tests available on Microsoft Teams. All you need to do is install the CloudLabs app from the Teams Appstore. You can check out here for more information.
Here are some more Additional Tips you can try if you are a new trainer
1. Start a Blog
There are plenty of important benefits that come with blogging. Many specialists talk about the phenomenon of how writing improves and sharpens your brain’s performance.
Blogging helps you connect the dots better and faster. It keeps your skills polished and helps to reach a broader audience, and you can receive constructive feedback. Spread your presence by writing blogs and building trust.
2. Record Free Videos
Another very efficient way to build your presence in the MCT community is by recording tutorial videos. You can easily utilize platforms like YouTube to get started. Making videos will not just broaden your reach, it will also help you boost your confidence and will showcase your teaching abilities.
3. Use Upwork to find Opportunities
Sometimes you need to get into the field and start gaining real-time work experience in order to succeed. Thankfully for you though, there are many ways you can achieve it. MCTs can now register to Upwork for free and start getting new opportunities as a trainer. Simply create your profile and explore your options. You can get more information about Upwork for Microsoft Certified Trainers, here
Free MCT Pass Program by CloudLabs
CloudLabs further extends its support for Microsoft Skills Initiative by launching MCT Pass Program dedicated to MCTs around the world who diligently deliver training on Microsoft technologies. If you possess Microsoft certification(s) and want to explore the power of hands-on lab environments, enroll today, and get full access to various Microsoft Official Curriculum courses and lab guides, for free.
Highly Recommended By Top MCTs, But Why?
1. It Is Free
MCTs have limited-time free access to the interactive, self-paced learning platform of CloudLabs. Available at your own pace and at your preferred time. Choose from the range of various Microsoft Official Curriculum available to gain in-demand skills of the latest cloud technologies.
2. You Can Practice While Learning
Get hands-on experience with sandbox environments that enable practical knowledge of the course. The self-paced learning transition includes detailed lab guides that assist you throughout the journey. Additionally, load up virtual machines and further accomplish certifications as you practice real-world tasks.
3. Be Training Ready Faster
CloudLabs makes it easy to acquire skills that trainers need to enhance their existing professional portfolio. With MCT Pass Program, explore the hands-on capabilities of the certifications that interest you. With pre-validated Hands-on lab environments and key integrations across the platform, CloudLabs can better prioritize courses and enhance skills with practical exposure to the course. You can make use of these features to save time and effortlessly deliver workshops.
To become an MCT is a process of self-development, where you may need to learn and unlearn habits that constitute a proficient trainer. You will need to keep yourself up to date with all Microsoft technologies and be able to train learners meticulously. You see, possessing expert knowledge in Microsoft Technologies and tons of certifications would not matter if you can’t teach it in a way that is easy to grasp. You need exceptional problem-solving skills and need to present it well. If teaching is what gets you going, MCT is for you.
Amit Malik is the COO at Spektra Systems, known for his expertise in Microsoft Cloud and digital transformation. He drives strategic planning and operational initiatives, reshaping the cloud landscape to deliver superior business outcomes. He is a recognized thought leader and speaker on Cloud, AI, and IoT, and holds a position among the Leaders Excellence at Harvard Square.
