Can I Transition Back to Corporate or Become a Corporate Trainer After Teaching? Seeking Your Advice

Hello Seniors, I seek your valuable guidance. I have a question: after transitioning from the corporate world to teaching, is it possible to switch back to a corporate role (with three years of teaching experience)? Alternatively, can a person transition into a corporate trainer role after gaining significant teaching experience (around 7 years in the education sector)?

The individual in question holds an MBA in HR and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. I would greatly appreciate your insights and opinions on this matter.

Thanks and Regards,
Swati

I want your valuable guidance. I have a question: after switching from corporate to teaching, can anybody switch back to corporate (having three years of teaching experience and two years of corporate experience)? Another question I have is: can a person become a corporate trainer after accumulating good experience (around 7 years) in the teaching field?

The individual in question holds an MBA in HR and is currently pursuing a PhD. I kindly request all of you to share your valuable opinions.

Thanks and Regards,
Swati

Dear Swati, Typecasting is prevalent, as a plug-and-play mode is most preferred at the point of hiring. However, I request you to share the areas where you have doubts. You have shared that you are pursuing a Ph.D. Which area of study have you selected? I assume this requires you to work closely with the industry to research the operational details for your thesis. This systematic preparation is gearing you up for the role you are targeting to serve.

Ideally, a switch often requires one to work in similar roles, offering horizontal growth. This may impact your salary, although it may not affect you as you are likely to join with a higher level of education. Which firms have you applied to so far and in what roles?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks, M.M. Enterprises. But presently, that person is working in corporate and wants to switch. It is his/her future planning. The question here is - is the path he/she has chosen feasible or not? Can such practices be done or not? The question is not why he/she wants to switch. It could be for any reason.

Regards,
Swati

Yes, one can switch and change gears at any time. I was an engineer but later shifted to teaching and then into training. One needs to be clear about the goal and why one wants a career change. Importantly, one needs to gain the necessary knowledge and skills for the career one is opting for.

Yes, the recruiter shall be curious and apprehensive to know about the change, but you need to have sufficient reasons to make them understand and show your skill set during the hiring process. Hope it helps.

Thank you, (Cite Contribution) and thank you, Atul Sharma. Atul, I have one more question related to your experience. How many years of experience do you have in teaching? In my opinion, even a person with teaching experience can be a good trainer. While experience in the corporate sector is essential, how much experience is considered sufficient? Teaching is a job that allows individuals to enhance their knowledge and communication skills. Currently, the person in question has around one and a half years of experience in the corporate world.

Could you please assist me with this matter as well? Senior professionals have vast experience in their respective fields and can provide valuable advice to us.

Thank you and regards,
Swati

Teaching, training, and facilitating are all forms of professional knowledge-sharing activities. If I have understood your question correctly, then a person needs to focus on the end result before considering a switch.

I agree with Atul and Cite Contribution that a switch is possible, but the person must be competent enough for the particular job role. For example, if a person has been teaching kindergarten students for 7 years and now wishes to transition to a corporate trainer role, it would require a complete shift in focus as the audience changes drastically. Is the individual ready for this change?

One must carefully evaluate all options before making a switch or shift and be prepared to commit for a certain period of time. Otherwise, there is a risk of being perceived as having an "inconsistent" job profile.

Thanks
Regards

Thank you a lot "forlearning" for your inputs. I am really thankful to all seniors for their valuable guidance. Seniors, after such a good discussion, one more question is arising: how much experience counts in one profession to be called a "consistent" job profile? I know sometimes it happens that even a person in the same profile for the past ten years may not be competent enough. But, is there a set timeframe (experience in the same job profile) for which recruiters show a positive response or which is acceptable in the corporate world?

Hope you all will help me in clearing my doubts.

Warm Regards,
Swati

It should not be difficult to change over to training, but it depends on factors such as the subject of your Ph.D., as well as your teaching experience—whether it has been/is in an educational institution, corporate setting, as an associate of a training consultant, or as a freelance professional (with your area of specialization, if any).

Having 5 years of experience in the training field should be beneficial given your MBA background. Of course, every time you make this shift, you will inevitably face questions about why you are moving from the main HR function to training, and from being a freelance consultant to joining a corporate setting. It is essential to have a truly convincing answer prepared.

Regards,
S.K. Johri

Inconsistent profile is a problem. I think it's not easy coming back from training to a corporate job. I, for one, would hesitate to take such a candidate. If he leaves after a few months as he finds the corporate role too constricting after the freedom of a teaching or training role, my time and efforts would be wasted. In this circumstance, I would prefer a person currently in a corporate job, all other things being equal.

If, however, I had to compare with candidates with lesser qualifications/skillset and less experience, then definitely I would consider the switcher. However, even in such a case, I think I would hesitate. If I can manage with the alternate candidates (depending on job requirements), I would still prefer the alternates.

Mind you, this is still hypothetical as I have not come across such a case. However, I have seen such problems with changes from consulting to corporate roles.

Thank you very much S.K. Johri and Saswatabanerjee for your opinions. A question to Saswatabanerjee: if a person has opted for teaching after gaining two years of experience in the corporate world, and then decides to switch back to corporate as a corporate trainer after acquiring five years of teaching experience, would you still hesitate in considering his/her expertise in training and development?

Looking forward to your reply.

Thanks and Regards,
Swati

Personally, I would definitely still hesitate, mostly because of the fact that a person who has been working in training, basically on their own, has a lot of freedom. From there, to return to a disciplined corporate structure is difficult. There are some who return because they want the structure and discipline again. Or they return because they are a failure in training (though they may pretend to be otherwise). True, there are probably some I am missing due to my assumptions and prejudices. But I would prefer that to the risk of taking someone who does not fit in and leaves very soon, upsetting my work plans.

Mind you, this is my opinion and may not be what other recruiters follow.

Thank you very much S.K Johri and saswatabanerjee for your opinion.

A Question to Saswatabanerjee

If a person has opted for teaching after gaining experience of two years in a corporate setting and then decides to switch back into the corporate world as a corporate trainer after acquiring five years of teaching experience, would you still hesitate in taking their facility in training and development?

Looking forward to your reply.

Thanks and Regards,
Swati