Police trainer to prison instructor
A police trainer already meets 41% of what the prison instructor role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
58.4/ 100
1 How much of what a prison instructor is expected to do is already part of a police trainer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the prison instructor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A prison instructor role treats 8 of its required skills as things a police trainer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adult education
- apply intercultural teaching strategies
- assess students
- assist students in their learning
- comply with the principles of self-defence
- guarantee students' safety
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A prison instructor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a police trainer background worth leading with.
- already held comply with the principles of self-defence assisting and caring
- already held legal use-of-force business, administration and law
- already held write situation reports communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held adult education education
- already held law enforcement services
- already held identify security threats assisting and caring
All 14 carried skills, including the 8 the prison instructor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn apply knowledge of human behaviour required
- still to learn apply teaching strategies required
- still to learn reinforce positive behaviour required
- optional, not held interview people optional
- optional, not held develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements optional
- optional, not held maintain operational communications optional
- optional, not held mentor individuals optional
- still to learn encourage students to acknowledge their achievements required
- still to learn identify training needs required
- still to learn oversee rehabilitation process required
- optional, not held contribute to the formulation of correctional procedures optional
- optional, not held propose leisure activities optional
- still to learn practice vigilance required
- optional, not held conduct frisk optional
- optional, not held escort defendants optional
- optional, not held identify available services optional
- optional, not held restrain individuals optional
- still to learn training subject expertise required
- still to learn assess offenders' risk behaviour required
- still to learn correctional procedures required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a prison instructor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply knowledge of human behaviour practise this
- 02 apply teaching strategies practise this
- 03 assess offenders' risk behaviour practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held adult education knowledge
- already held apply intercultural teaching strategies skill
- already held assess students skill
- already held assist students in their learning skill
- already held comply with the principles of self-defence skill
- already held guarantee students' safety skill
- already held perform classroom management skill
- already held provide lesson materials skill
- already held identify security threats skill
- already held law enforcement knowledge
- already held legal use-of-force knowledge
- already held manage resources for educational purposes skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held write situation reports skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held behavioural disorders optional
- optional, not held criminology optional
- optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held interview people optional
- optional, not held behavioural disorders optional
- optional, not held conduct frisk optional
- optional, not held contribute to the formulation of correctional procedures optional
- optional, not held criminology optional
- optional, not held develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements optional
- optional, not held escort defendants optional
- optional, not held identify available services optional
- optional, not held maintain operational communications optional
- optional, not held mentor individuals optional
- optional, not held propose leisure activities optional
- optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
- optional, not held restrain individuals optional
22 held skills the prison instructor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse legal evidence skill
- not needed by the target role apply first response skill
- not needed by the target role check official documents skill
- not needed by the target role conduct drug abuse tests skill
- not needed by the target role control crowd skill
- not needed by the target role diving operation requirements knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- not needed by the target role ensure law application skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role ensure student welfare skill
- not needed by the target role examine crime scenes skill
- not needed by the target role handle case evidence skill
- not needed by the target role illegal substances knowledge
- not needed by the target role instruct public skill
- not needed by the target role international security studies knowledge
- not needed by the target role investigation research methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage major incidents skill
- not needed by the target role perform underwater investigations skill
- not needed by the target role road traffic laws knowledge
- not needed by the target role teach law enforcement principles skill
- not needed by the target role train animals for professional purposes skill
- not needed by the target role use personal protection equipment skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn correctional procedures required
- still to learn training subject expertise required
- optional, not held behavioural disorders optional
- optional, not held criminology optional
- optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
Common questions about this move
Can a police trainer become a prison instructor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A police trainer already covers 41% of what a prison instructor is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 8 of which the prison instructor role treats as required.
What skills does a police trainer need to become a prison instructor?
10 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is apply knowledge of human behaviour.
How hard is the move from police trainer to prison instructor?
Its learning distance is 58.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.