HYDERABAD: The SAP street in Ameerpet is filled with hoardings, banners and flexes screaming of “the best tech job-ready courses” that are conducted by industry experts. Now, irrespective of the ups and downs in the IT sector, these industry experts -- some who fake their identity fearing backlash from their employers and others whose faces are splashed on the hoardings -- make up to a cool Rs 1 lakh every month teaching aspirants in tiny buildings crammed in this dingy street. The time they spend: a couple of hours a day for six days a week.
“There are two types of faculty available here,” says the owner of one such institute. “Ameerpet faculty and real-time faculty.” The former are less in numbers. They have their photographs printed on banners and experience highlighted in bold. They offer long-duration courses and spoon feeding is their strength.
“Real-time faculty, on the other hand, teach just 2-3 hours a day.
They explain the shortcuts to use a software, make easy money and go,” says the manager of the institute which has no registration whatsoever. The advertising strategy here is simple: word of mouth. A Channa Reddy, who teaches digital marketing strategy, says he makes `1 lakh every month spending just three hours a day teaching students. This, apart from his full-time job of maintaining websites for companies.
“I teach two batches in the morning, one in the evening,” Reddy says. “I make `5,000 per student. The best part is, I finish my classes before 10 am, leaving time for me to pursue another full-time job.” Channa Reddy feels he’s lucky as it isn’t easy to get a real-time faculty job in the SAP street. The owners of these institutes have very strict scrutiny processes. “Not everyone who works real-time can teach, not everyone who teaches can work real-time,” claims an administrative staff working with training and consultancy firm VisualPath.
“We select only those candidates who have good communication skills and can explain stuff. We headhunt them on job portals. It’s a careful process, because our credibility is at stake,” he says. But not everyone is happy with the way business is conducted here. Some professionals who went to these institutes feel they are not truthful about what they offer. “They say there’s real-time staff. But these industry professionals handle only demonstrations,” says M Akshay who is now a techie. “During the actual course, faculty keep changing and there’s no quality ensured in teaching methods.”