Cybersecurity trainer

• Level of educationBac+5
• EmployabilityGood
• Starting salary€2,900
• Experienced salary€5,000
• MobilityGood
• ROME codeM1802
• FAP codeM2Z

The job in a nutshell

Like any teacher, the cybersecurity trainer follows programmes that cover several aspects: awareness, promotion and in-depth understanding of the subject. To share their skills, they create various training tools and materials, which they adapt to their audience. That audience may be experienced, especially within an IT organisation, or complete beginners. The cybersecurity trainer is a good teacher with a passion for the sharing and scientific outreach side of the job.

Equivalent title: information systems security training officer

Duties

The cybersecurity trainer’s duties are similar whatever the audience. They all aim to make cybersecurity more accessible.

Design and planning

• Define different training and awareness plans depending on the audiences and environments concerned.
• Design training paths and materials adapted to environments and users, to offer programmes suited to the most frequent risks.

Running workshops

• Offer internal and external training in information systems security.
• Organise joint workshops with experts from each area of cybersecurity, such as an analyst or a cybersecurity architect.
• Lead information systems security awareness campaigns for users.

Watch and assessment

• Keep informed about their sector in order to offer up-to-date training, by actively monitoring the technical, organisational and legal context and the threats.
• Assess the level of the target audience at the start and end of training and awareness sessions.

Our advice:

The cybersecurity trainer must be able to cover broad subjects, both theoretical and technical, such as the basics and general law of cybersecurity, users’ IT hygiene and information system administration.

A typical day as a cybersecurity trainer

1. MorningThey run a training or awareness session suited to the audience’s level: cybersecurity basics for everyday users, more advanced technical topics for in-house IT teams.
2. Late morningThey assess participants’ level at the end of the session, gather their questions and note the points to explore further or rephrase in their materials.
3. AfternoonThey design or update training paths and materials, adding real-world examples and practical exercises tailored to the risks most often encountered in each type of environment.
4. End of the dayThey prepare a workshop with an expert, such as a cybersecurity analyst or architect, and spend time keeping up with technical and regulatory developments and threats.

The pace depends on the session calendar: some weeks are devoted to delivering training, others to designing new programmes or running an awareness campaign within an organisation.

Responsibilities of the cybersecurity trainer

The cybersecurity trainer must adapt their content to the people they are working with. This specialist shares skills with real teaching ability to raise cybersecurity awareness among companies and students alike.

Depending on the audience’s level of expertise, they may offer a more complex programme. Awareness then goes beyond theory and includes examples or practical processes that they make accessible. They can also be the first contributor in a company that decides to take charge of its cybersecurity. They help demystify the sector and the complexity of security solutions or information system architecture, to help make the best strategic choices.

For this reason, it is vital that their passion and interest in the sector keep them at the state of the art. They must share information that builds on the history of cybersecurity and is enriched by the latest developments in the sector. By sharing current knowledge, they enable companies and the public to achieve more effective security.

Skills

The cybersecurity trainer must have solid foundations in cybersecurity and IT and be able to explain them easily. Their skills are as much technical as interpersonal.

Know-how

Keeping up with innovations in the sector and being able to explain the architecture of an information system: all of this requires sharp technical skills.

• Command of the specific tools for information systems security training.
• Knowledge of information systems and their architecture principles.
• Knowledge of security technologies and tools.
• Ability to manage security risks.
• Knowledge of cybersecurity policies by environment.
• Command of the fundamentals of the main areas of information systems security.
• Keeping a watch on cybersecurity technologies and trends.

Soft skills

The cybersecurity trainer is first and foremost a teacher and an awareness-raiser. These human qualities are an asset in the job:

• a strong spirit of collaboration and the ability to work in a team;
• the ability to summarise and simplify;
• teaching skills on cybersecurity subjects;
• empathy;
• creativity and adaptability to offer work and exercises suited to the audience.

Salary

As this is a sought-after position, the cybersecurity trainer may receive offers whose salary varies enormously. It depends on previous experience and on the certifications or skills they can prove. Pay also varies with the assignments carried out (more or less technical, longer or shorter, etc.). In general, expect between €2,000 and €2,900 gross per month at the start of a career. With experience, the salary can exceed €4,000 gross per month.

Which sector to work in?

The cybersecurity trainer can work for all types of companies, in the public or private sector. They can join a training organisation or work freelance for organisations or other freelancers. Here are some companies looking for cybersecurity trainers:

• Thales;
• Stormshield;
• GRETA-CFA;
• Orange;
• La Mutuelle Générale.

Cybersecurity trainer or cybersecurity consultant: what’s the difference?

Both roles share cybersecurity knowledge, but their goal is not the same: