Careers: What it takes to be a voice, accent trainer

Now's your chance to unleash the power of your voice and find out what it takes to be a voice and accent trainer.

Training, unlike any other profession does not have any specific course or syllabus to study. It is purely based on individual expertise and one's proficiency of the skill sets. Voice and accent training starts at a basic level in the BPO industry.

What does it take to be a Voice and Accent trainer?
Trainers need to have a natural instinct for the language, sound knowledge of grammar and voice, an ability to accept feedback while training, assertive yet positive body language -- as the old adage still holds true "a picture is worth a thousand words" people closely observe the actions of a trainer in a classroom, which makes it essential for a trainer to understand that people tend to follow their favourite trainer for specific styles. Strong thought connectivity, an good sense of humour, and a suave speaker with the idea of transforming individual potential with the power of voice.

There are no specific educational qualifications required to be a voice and accent trainer. A basic graduate degree is generally the prerequisite although a degree in linguistics would give most aspiring trainers a headstart. A voice and accent trainer polishes the already present linguistic skills in an employee.

• Love learning languages? Make it your career!

The trainer helps to improve communication skills, trains on the concept of listening and dealing with various customer types by using voice modulation, and other soft skills.

Job profile & opportunities
Voice and accent training is an essential component of the BPO industry. Pioneers in the industry, believe in constant learning and development of their employees and empowering them to succeed.

Most large BPOs have an in-house training and development team to facilitate continuous learning. Organisations with large training teams include -- Convergys, IBM Daksh, HCL BPO, Genpact etc. There are several corporate training organisations as well, which hire trainers to serve the training needs of their clients.

Voice and accent trainers come from varied backgrounds -- senior associates from BPOs aspiring for training roles, quality analysts from BPOs aspiring for training roles, subject-matter experts from BPOs, people with good communication and grammar skills, people who know how important it is to create magic with one's voice can potentially aspire to get into the profession.

Due to a crunch of resources in the market, a lot of companies these days hire people who need intensive language training workshops before they can start interacting with a global customer base. Voice and accent trainers are a "one-stop solution" for all language skills; they hold the responsibility to groom raw potential with skill sets that enable them to draft a career in the industry.

"I joined a call centre as an executive and took calls for two years before getting selected for the job of a voice and accent trainer'', says Priya Ritwik, a 25-year-old who works for an American BPO in Noida. She however cautions aspiring candidates that trainers, too, have erratic timings and have to do night shifts as well.

Remuneration
Remuneration for a trainer is fairly good, for a beginner it starts with Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000 (associate voice coach or communication coach). A voice and accent trainer start with Rs 22,000 to Rs 30,000, Senior trainers earn anywhere from Rs 30,000 up to Rs 40,000, and then step further into managerial roles.

A lot of professionals also choose to turn freelancers or independent consultants earning anywhere between Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,500 per day of training depending on experience and expertise.

• Are you ready for the 21st century?

Certification programmes -- A boon for aspiring trainers
Today, there are a variety of "Train the trainer" programmes available for aspiring trainers. A lot of reputed multinational companies offer training programmes on voice and accent, but such courses are generally given in-house, to employees who have been assessed as being right for the training. That is a candidate after being absorbed with the company can get trained in-house.

Most external workshops last between 4-7 days and are conducted by several training and consulting organisations. A 'train the trainer' programme primarily covers overall grooming, successful classroom training styles, different training methodologies, content knowledge, and facilitation skills.

So, if you have the gift of the gab and love interacting with people, Voice & Accent Training can be a rewarding career option for you.

Part I: BPO boom: A career in voice & accent training

Maahi Singh is a Senior Training Consultant with WCH Training Solutions, a New Delhi-based Training & Consulting firm.