
How To Become a FOA Certified Fiber Optic Instructor
- What Is A FOA Certified
Instructor?
- The quality of training at
FOA-Approved schools depends on the quality of their instructors. To
ensure the quality of instructors, FOA has a certification program
required of all instructors teaching at FOA-Approved schools.
Instructors teaching courses at FOA-approved schools are expected to
be technically competent and good teachers. FOA has used the knowledge and experiences of many
experienced instructors to set standards for instructor certification.
The FOA qualifies all instructors wishing to become FOA-certified by
reviewing their qualifications and requiring examinations in the
subjects they teach and the methods accomplished instructors recommend
for teaching the materials.
As
part of the process of evaluating an organization for the FOA Approved
School program, an instructor candidate is asked to take appropriate
exams for the courses they will be teaching. Passing these exams does not automatically confer CFOS/I
certification. This is one part of the overall Approved School
evaluation. The CFOS/I certification is only conferred if the
organization achieved Approved School status.
- Who
May Become An FOA Certified Instructor?
- Instructor certification is
only available to those teaching at an FOA-Approved school. The school
must sponsor the applicant for certification. Instructors must
have relevant experience and meet the Instructor
KSAs, then pass a certification exam.
- Another important
qualification is that the instructor certification is only valid at
the school which sponsors the instructor for certification. If the
instructor leaves or the school replaces the instructor, both must
notify the FOA about these changes. Instructors who are no longer
teaching for their sponsoring FOA approved school must notify the FOA
if they intend to teach at another FOA approved school to transfer
their certification. The certification becomes valid again after the
transfer is approved by the FOA.
- FOA
offers an online self-study Train-the-Trainer (TTT) program for
teachers and instructors that leads to the FOA CFOS/I Instructor
Certification. This "first in the industry" program brings all the
expertise of the Fiber Optic Association to the process of training
and certifying fiber optic instructors, both in industry and in the
academic world.
- There is no cost for CFOS/I
Instructor Certification for a reasonable number of instructors at
FOA-approved schools. Applicants who are applying for the first
time to become FOA certified instructors and take the instructor exam
are granted one 3-year free certification also. After the 3 years,
instructors must renew their FOA certification at regular rates to
remain certified.
- Instructor
Certification Testing Is Done Online. Directions
are below.
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- Qualifications
- Applicants must meet FOA
qualifications and be willing to cooperate
within the FOA instructor community.
- Applicants must be an
experienced fiber optic technician or experienced instructor in a
technical discipline or both.
- Applicants to be an
instructor must be sponsored by an FOA-Approved school or a school
in the process of applying for approval.
- Applicants
must meet the requirements of the FOA KSAs for Instructors: (The
knowledge, skills and abilities instructors should have.)
- Applicants
must submit the required applications and email a resume covering both
fiber optic experience and teaching experience.
- Two
references or letters of recommendation from previous employers or
schools where the instructor has taught may be required.
- Applicants
meeting these requirements will be required to take one or more exams
on their knowledge and may be required to show evidence of appropriate
skills and abilities.
FOA will evaluate all these
factors before certifying an instructor. Becoming
an FOA certified instructor is not as simple as passing a written exam.
Depending on the applicant's experience, references and scores on the FOA
Certification exams, the applicant may be required to study and retest
and/or submit additional information including a classroom video before
they are approved to teach at an FOA-Approved school. Instructors who have
limited knowledge or hands-on experience in fiber optics may be required
to take a CFOT class from a FOA-designated instructor.
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Preparing For The FOA
Instructor Certification Exam
The exam covers both technical and teaching topics. You should be
familiar with the content of our textbooks and the FOA Online Fiber
Optic Reference Guide as well as the information we provide on
teaching courses for FOA certification.
- FOA has created a special
online directed self-study program for instructors with directions on
what to study and questions to prepare you for the exam.
Note: The technical
material and specific teaching material is very specific to the FOA
CFOS/I instructor certification programs. Experience has shown that even
highly qualified, experienced instructors who do not use the FOA
provided self study guides often do poorly on the exam because they are
not familiar with FOA recommendations and practices. Instructors who
fail the exam may not take to exam for at least 30 days to allow time to
study the materials covered on the exam.
Once you have submitted an application and received preliminary
approval to take the exam, you will be directed to the online self-study
program.
- Taking The Exam Online
- First send in an application
to the FOA for the instructor. The FOA will review the applicant's
qualifications and contact the instructor with directions to prepare
for and take the test online.
Terms And
Conditions
Before acceptance
of your application for FOA CFOS/I
Instructor Certification, you will be required to agree to the
terms and conditions as written in the FOA School Handbook, Section 5.
Refer to your school copy of the handbook.
- By
making this application, I attest that I have read all the
requirements for FOA instructor certification and I understand and
meet those requirements.
- I certify that
the information I have provided on this application is complete and
accurate to the best of my knowledge.
- I understand
that the instructor certification granted by The FOA does not
constitute license to practice or provide services when required by
any relevant law.
- I will be
required to read and agree to the requirements for handling FOA
intellectual property including maintaining confidentiality of all
materials provided to the school.
- I understand
The FOA CFOS/I instructor certification does not in any way imply
that The FOA assumes responsibility or liability for my actions, and I
hereby indemnify The FOA from any liability resulting from my actions.
Instructors will
receive a provisional certification (IP) pending a successful record of
instructing.
Applying for FOA CFOS/I Certification
When you have read the requirements for FOA instructor certification and
have a sponsoring school, begin the application process by completing the
form linked below and sending a resume to the FOA.
Use the Instructor
Certification application form online.
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- You
Must Qualify For The Certifications You Are Teaching
An FOA requirement is that instructors must take an instructor
certification exam for each certification that they are teaching, ie:
CFOT, CPCT, CFOS/H, CFOS/T, etc. There is no cost for
instructors to take certifications exams. You must take this exam
online from the FOA. Instructors may submit student applications
for taking FOA specialist certifications themselves only 1) after the
school has completed first level certification classes 2) submitted
student certifications to the FOA and 3) has submitted application(s)
for offering those classes.
You must take the online instructor exam directly from the FOA.
Here is the link to the application to send in the the FOA when you
are ready to take the online the exam for the course you plan to give
to your students.
For more information:
- Contact
The FOA
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- Return
to The FOA Home Page
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