How to become an Image Consultant?

I guess it was 3 or 4 months back that I heard (or saw) about image consulting. One of my friends in Facebook had shared about image consulting. I didn't bother to look into the link , as it appeared something technical like image processing (or like photoshop).

But, later on, I happened to see a video of a lady entrepreneur (Forgot her name). She was talking about her life to a crowd.

According to her, after having a successful corporate career, she was looking for something more. And she found her passion in image consulting. Right now, she enjoys helping people like her to be self employed through image consulting.

That video opened up my mind to a new world of a wonderful career called image consultant!!

I am sure that you must have watched some program on TV in which a stylist decks up a person resulting in a complete makeover. New hairstyle, Brand new clothes, Colours and cosmetics that lifts up her body contours perfectly and what all. The new look gives the person superb confidence and we feel - WOW!

It really looks like a great art work. But, have you ever wondered what happens to the person once the program is over? Now she has to do the styling herself and so she will go back to her normal grooming. And so the new look will be lost sooner or later.

How wonderful will it be if the makeover lasts for the entire life time? That is what image consulting is!

Still wondering what image consulting actually is? Here it goes:

What is image consulting?

Image consulting basically means helping  a person to improve the appearance. To make a long lasting effect, an image consultant evaluates the client and understand her lifestyle, social circle, professional goals and almost everything.

This involves spending time with the person, understand her personal and professional life. Also, analyse her skin tone and body shape to decide on what appearance will suit her the best. Once the evaluation is done, now it is shopping time. Most of the time the image consultant accompanies the client for shopping. Usually cluster shopping is done so that, the client has a clear idea what to wear when.

By enhancing the appearance or image, the client will be more confident and will do better in her life.

Image is much more than mere physical appearance. The way she talks and behaves also leaves an image about her. An image consultant also helps to improve her body language like posture, handshakes and eye contact.

Image consultant also works on her vocal communication by reinforcing her vocabulary, grammar and voice. All the more, client will be perfected in her etiquette, so that the new image helps her to leave a better impression on the people she deal with.

The image consultant enables the client to carry her self image high in every walk of her life. In a nutshell, an image consultant empowers the client to get out of the rut and live a life that she urges to.

Isn't that a very good profession to be in? You get to work on people, spend time with them, understand them and help them in all ways you could to give her a better life. And how wonderful it will be to receive appreciation from them for changing their life!

Okay, that sounds fascinating! So how to be one?

How to become an image consultant?

Image consultant is a field that doesn't require any academic degree requirement as such. People from different backgrounds like IT, Banking, Aviation, beauty, fashion or housewife have become successful image consultants. Yet, I must say that if you have a flair for fashion, grooming and love helping people grow, this profession will work magic for you.

To start off you can attend an Image Consultant training offered by different institutions. The training involves understanding of fashion,  body types, colours and cues as the basics.  The image consulting course can be in anyone or mix of these: styling, wardrobe consultation, wardrobe management or soft skills.

What are the image consultant courses?

Image consultant course are offered online as well as classroom training.

Many online image consultant training are found on the web. As a sample, you can check out: http://studioforimageprofessionals.com/

In India, ICBI (Image Consulting Business Institute) is the pioneer in giving image consulting industry a breakthrough. I guess, the video I mentioned earlier in this article is by its co-founder Suman Agarwal.

You can check out the courses offered at ICBI :http://www.imageconsultinginstitute.com/courses/
The course fee ranges from 90,000 to 7 Lakhs in ICBI.

Before embarking on the course, to have a know how of the course you can try attending workshops conducted by the institutions or individual image consultants.

How much does an image consultant earn?

An image consultant in India charges anywhere between 1500 to 10000 per hour for individual consultation. For corporate group consultation the charges could be anywhere between 15000 to 50000 per day. Isn't that a good earning for you?

In fact the earning of an image consultant depends on her market and experience. Which means that if your clients are the people in glamour industry or high end corporate people looking to boost their career, you can bill them heavily. On the other hand, if your clients are college students hunting for a job or somebody looking for a makeover, your earning will be less.

As you keep working, you will discover your niche of clients and that will be your market. There is actually no limit for the earning if you love your work and put your heart and soul to help your clients. It is all a matter of dedication and perseverance.

I read in a survey that grooming and training industry will be the most opted out profession by 2020. Image Consulting is surely in its nascent stage in India and if you get established in next 2-3 years, your life will have the Midas touch! Can you see that this is the thing that will make all your dreams come true? That too at the comfort of working from home!

So, just get started! Look out for the image consulting workshop nearby and get a fairer understanding to launch your career in this!

If you have any queries or feedback do post it as a comment below. I will help you with my understanding of the industry :-)!

How to become a Zumba instructor?

For 3 months I joined Zumba to open up to the world of dancing and weight loss with fun. I had no idea about Zumba till I joined. Thanks to Yashu, my Zumba instructor who told us that I don't need to worry about the dance steps as such. But just need to keep moving with the rhythm.

As an intro, she talked about herself. She was working as a software engineer and quit job once she started with family. She was sharing that motherhood is fun, enjoyable and fulfilling. But less creativity and minimal appreciation turn women after motherhood low on confidence. Ultimately, we need a push to do simple things which was easy earlier. This very much echoed with me. 

And the extra kilograms make matter even worse, For her, she had put on weight massively and tried out different things to get back to shape. And, she being a good dancer fell in love with Zumba! And soon became a Zumba instructor - teaching people like me, boosting our confidence and much more. 

When I heard her story, I felt if you love dancing and likes being fit, you can be a Zumba instructor! Yes, it is a fun way to earn good money, help many people and enjoy the independence.

How to become a Zumba instructor?

Life of Zumba instructor is like having party everyday. And you lead the party :-).

Zumba is a high energy dance-workout originated in South America. This trade marked dance fitness program was founded by Colombian dancer Alberto Beto Perez.

Basically, Zumba is an aerobic fitness workout featuring Latin American music. Zumba incorporates the flavours of various dance forms like salsa, samba, tango, soca, belly dance, flamenco and bollywood and much more.

To become a Zumba instructor you have to receive training under certified Zumba Education Specialists (ZES). ZES are very specific people (chosen by Beto Perez himself) to train the Zumba teachers and duplicate Zumba culture perfectly across the world.

You can sign up for a training in your locality at the Zumba official website. (Put the location option as "India" and you can see the upcoming training session in major cities of India.)

To start off you need to sign up for the basic Zumba level or B1 training.

So is there anything required from your side to attend the Zumba training and be a Zumba instructor?

There is no qualifying criteria to attend a  Zumba training. But having the following qualities will make it easy for you to be a successful Zumba instructor after your training program:

1. Love for dance: Yes, this is all about mixing and matching various dance forms and choreography. So if you love dance, you will love Zumba too. 
2. Basic know how of Healthy body: As a Zumba instructor, you should be able to estimate the effect of different dance moves on human body. This will help in choreographing specific work outs and managing clients with different physical health. 
3. Good communication skills: Talking to clients in a friendly manner, clearing their doubts and being there for them always will gain you trust. This bonding will exist for post Zumba time too, thus helping you to make new friends. 
4. Confidence: Clients will always look up to you for inspiration. Confidence always shows on your face and your moves. Always let it be on the high.
5. Energy: You have to be high on energy all the time to keep your class moving with you. And when you give energy you get energy as well. It is always wonderful to be surrounded in a positive energetic environment. 
6. Smile: A smile is the easiest thing to connect with people. When you teach with a happy smile on your face, it will reflect on your class as well :-).

Well, these were more of the soft skill requirement. Apart from these, you should be ready with the training cost of $250-$300.

What happens after the Zumba Basic 1 training?

Once done, you will be ready to take Zumba classes on your own. You will be a licensed instructor authorised to take Zumba classes. You will also receive DVDs that will help you to recall music and practice the dance moves learnt.

The Zumba training equips you to identify parts of song and choreograph them resulting in effective dance-fitness workout. This is the much needed skill to be a successful Zumba instructor.

Once you are done with your training you are eligible to sign up for ZIN or Zumba Instructor Network. ZIN is provided by the Zumba company to ensure that Zumba fitness is standardised across the globe. With ZIN, you will always be updated with latest skill moves and new choreographies that you can straight away teach your class.

The ZIN account comes with a monthly cost of $30 which also retains your Zumba teaching licence, which otherwise has to be renewed at $200 every year. ZIN also qualifies you to attend advanced level training and buy Zumba gears at discounted costs. (You can read about advanced Zumba training in the official Zumba website.)

How much money can you earn being a Zumba instructor?

The earnings from Zumba classes is completely upto you. Zumba gives you the freedom to choose your own rates and classes. The average monthly earnings for a Zumba fitness instructor can be anywhere from Rs.15000 to few lakh rupees.

Isn't that a good way to earn quite a good money along with keeping yourself fit? Some of the leading women Zumba instructors in India are Sucheta Pal and Swetha Jairam. They are already very well recognised and are big fitness experts for Bollywood actors too!

Zumba is easy and fun! Because of which people of every background are opting it for healthy living. To become a successful Zumba instructor, you have to be up to date with your skills and invest time and energy for self learning too.

So have you decided to give your life nitro boost with Zumba? Rock On! Life is all yours!!!

Why women should do something more than just being a home maker?

Yesterday I was traveling back in train from Kerala to Chennai. A middle aged lady boarded from Erode. I was half asleep in the cozy AC compartment. My kids were also sleeping. So I hardly noticed the lady in a pale yellow cotton saree.

Later on, the TTE came in to check for her tickets. She did have the ticket but she did not have the id proof. She had a  copy of Aadhar card though. TTE was not happy with her id proof and asked her to move to general compartment.

With the disturbance I woke up and saw her getting ready to move to the general compartment. I asked her what the matter is. She said:"I am traveling to Chennai as my daughter is not well. My son-in-law booked the tickets. But since it was in a hurry I did not take any id proof. And this is the first time that I am traveling alone and I thought the photo copy would be good enough."


I felt that something wrong is happening with her. She had that twinkle in her eyes, her shiny nose ring was complimenting her solid black complexion. I felt that she is saying the truth. Why even with a proper ticket and a decent id proof, TTE is asking her to move to general compartment.

To help her out, I went through her ticket and id proof, it was all real. Then why is she moving to the general coach? I asked her to wait. Let us wait for TTE to come back and clarify. I saw the helplessness in her face. I thought for a moment, it could happen to my mom as well.

I wondered, what exactly happened to her?

And then we started talking. She was talking about her life. She did a course in nutrition in the year 1985. Since the government was supporting nurtition related projects she got a very good job and worked for 4 years. But then she got married to a businessman and had kids. Bringing up kids took up the highest priority, so resigned from job and became a full time home maker.

She has 3 kids- 2 sons and a daughter. One son is an electronic engineer and the other one works with Amazon. Daughter is married of and she has a son. Daughter has done her clinical assistant course (something related to hospital, I did not get this completely) and worked with a renowned hospital for 5 years. But after kid, for the last one year she is not working.

She said she keeps advising her daughter: "Get back to job or else you will be like me."

She then added: "If I was with the service I would have been in a great post by now. Look at me now, I can't even speak in English. I don't know how to travel alone. I don't want the same to happen with my daughter."

She kept saying:" I even feel why should girls be taught such professional courses? To sit at home? Husbands feel that we want to work to make some money. It is not money that we look for in a job. It is just the pleasure of doing something more. The independence. To have a small world for ourselves that gives us fullfillment."

She is now in her late 50s or early 60s. She very frustratingly told that her husband keeps asking her: "What have you done so far with life? Other than bringing up kids. Why you don't know anything about the world?"


I just felt may be my life would be similar to her's after 15 more years if I don't do anything now - Low on confidence, scared to talk even if I am right, always dependent on somebody and easy target to blame for everything.

I really want to be the best of me! And ready to do whatever it takes!

Why women should do something more than just being a home maker?

I always feel, being born as a girl gives us equal opportunity to do anything like men. But when we have kids, our brain stops working and heart takes over. Which is very natural. And it should be that way too. Kids are the future. And nobody can replace mother to give them the best upbringing. 

Having said all these, I feel there should be something more than this. Just imagine that your kids have all grown up and started a family of their own. Except for yearly visits, you don't even get to meet them. Husbands will as usual be busy with their job, business or whatever. 

I as a woman foresee such a future; With lots of time, but no creative work. Low confidence and having no idea of where life is heading. Mega serials, spiritual books, illnesses will become best friends as we don't know what to do with so much of time. 

I really feel that to avoid such a future, I have to start doing something now. It could be big or small. It could happen hand in hand with household chores. But I can slowly keep working on it, so that my mind is always positive and happy till I die. 

By the way, to end the story, TTE came again but we (other co passengers) stood with her and she did not move to the general coach. 

40 short term courses that can launch you on a steady career even if you have never worked before

When I see working women talking about their work, I feel like rejoining for a job. Quite many times I have asked my 7 year old son:” Shall I go to office like papa?” And the response is always spontaneous:”NO! Then who will cook food for us? Then who will look after me and my little brother?” or sometimes sadly “Then nobody will be there when I come back from school if you also come home late like papa.”

It is a fact that if my family members are not happy I cannot be happy at work either. Especially when kids fall sick, nursing them takes the priority No.1. Even working may not be as exciting as it feels now if things go for a toss at home. I’m sure there are many like me in such a dilemma. How glad will it be if we can take care of both with ease!  Say something like a part-time job or an opportunity to work from home.

How to get started with a work from home opportunity or a part time job?

And the good news is that I can very well have a happy family and a successful career side by side. Thanks to the handful of part time courses that enable me to re-launch my career without hurting my family responsibilities.  The courses range from Montessori training, medical transcription to more technical ones like animation and search engine optimisation. If you are also looking for training courses that enable you to relaunch your career, please read on.

The best part of these courses is that you don’t require any qualification like graduation or post graduation to join any of them. Following is an exhaustive list of such courses that equip you to have a career either at home or by sparing two-four hours away from home.  

List of 40 courses offering part-time job opportunities for women: 

To make things easy, I have classified the jobs based on the place of work – at home or outside home. Please check out the course information below.

Part time job courses with work place outside home:

1.       Montessori training : 

Montessori teacher training gives you all the skills to work as a pre-school teacher. There are many montessori teacher training courses available in each city. Check out on internet for the ones in your locality. The training course span for a year maximum. The course fee ranges from 10000 to 20000 depending on the quality of training. And once completed you can start working at the nearest montessori or school.

2.       Foreign or Local Language coaching:

My friend Saro, is pursuing Japanese lessons and she intends to be a Japanese tutor in some more time. Learning a foreign language will equip you to pursue a career as language translator or tutor once the course is finished. To master a foreign language you can enroll yourself at a language coaching center in your city. French, Japanese and German are the most sought out foreign languages. You will start at a beginner level and will get upgraded to further levels after clearing the assessments.

3.       Interior designing courses:

The short term interior designing courses enable you to launch an interior designing service. The course will teach you the about aesthetically designing a house or any space as such in a professional manner. You will also be familiarised with the softwares used to do interior designing. Once completed, you could very well be doing the interiors of a brand new house or a commercial space like restaurant or hotel or office. 

4.       Dubbing courses or voice over artists

Dubbing is a part time job that pays handsomely for your hardwork. Dubbing courses are usually offered in film schools and specialised dubbing institutes. Once you finish the dubbing course, you can apply for different sort of dubbing jobs.

5.       Subtitling courses

Subtitling is a good part time job. This involves adding subtitles to movies, videos or documentaries. You can enroll for a subtitling course online. Good course will charge for a fees of around 20000 INR. 

6.       Radio Jockey Training

FM stations have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. And getting a job as a radio jockey would be the easiest thing. Join a radio jockey training course and secure the most enthusiastic part time job ever. Radio jockey training courses are offered at different  radio broadcasting institutes.

7.       Magician course

If you love Magic, you can learn more tricks and make a career out of it. You could very well find job during kids birthday party or any such energetic events. 

8.       Library assistant coaching

If you are a bookworm, you can think of a career as a library assistant. The library assistant training involves the basics of book keeping. 

9.       Photography Training

If there is a photographer in you, professionalise it by attending good photography courses. This course will turn your photographs professional as well as you will get connected to a good network of professional photographers. You can attend events and get leads to photography assignments. Ultimately, build your career from your hobby.

10.   Beautician course

If you like grooming up a lot and love trying it on others, you can go for a beautician course. Once certified, you can start off your own beauty parlour at home or at a commercial space. 

11.   Pharmacy assistant courses

Pharmacy assisstant course teaches you the in depth details of medicine names and general know how of medicines. Once completed, you can start working in any pharmacy. Or in diagnostic centres to check ECG, take X-Rays and the likes.

12. Stenography course

Stenography training will give you all the skills to type faster. You will find jobs in book publishing houses and corporate offices who required skilled typers.

Part time job courses with work place at home:

13.   Candle making Craft courses

Once you learn the basics of candle making through a course, you can work on improvising it to make different varieties of candles. You can start off a candle selling business or start offering similar course once you master the art.

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14.   Glass painting courses

If you have an artistic hand, you can start with glass painting. The course will help you to know the basics of how to get started and avoiding the common mistakes. You can sell off your art works online or nearby art and craft shops. Also you can think of taking classes to people who want to learn it. 

15.   Leaf painting training

Everybody love handmade things and leaf paintings are very much in demand as unique gift items. A leaf painting course will teach you how to choose the leaf, what are the processes involved, what paint to use and everything related to leaf painting. On finishing the course you can start a small scale business with your talent. Start posting about it in FB and soon doors will open to you.

16.   Gift Wrapping training

Gift wrapping is relatively new but tremendously growing industry. You can enroll for a gift wrapping course that teaches you how to wrap different types of gifts. You could find jobs in corporate gift wrapping, hotel presentations, festivals, wedding, baby shower and other ceremonies. The course fee depends on who is offering the course. This could be any where from 2500 to 66000 depending on the depth of the course. 

17.   Jewellery Making workshops

Jewellery is something that is always in demand. By attending a jewellery making course, you can get started with many at home and showcase your talent at exhibitions or sales. This will give you that independence and happiness that you are looking for.

18.   Chocolate Making courses

Hand made chocolates are uber gifts these days. Everyone prefers them over packed chocolates loaded with preservatives. Chocolate making is an easy process and you can master it very fast. Once mastered you can start selling your delicious hand made chocolates to your near and dear ones. You can also expand sales by selling it in bakeries and other food joints.

19.   Jam and Jelly making courses

You can attend a jam and jelly making course and learn all about food processing there. You can make jams and jellys of every seasonal fruit. People will be ready to buy the home made jams as they come with hardly any preservative. 

20.   Baking courses

You can join a baking class and learn the basics of baking. Once you learn it, you can start baking for your near and dear ones. As you keep practising it, you will learn about more complicated cakes or bakes and soon you will master it to start off a bakery on your own. You can also supply to the various restaurants or food joints in your locality. 

21.   Share trading course

Share trading is an easy way to make money from home. Though easy it is a bit risky too. You can learn about how to do share trading by attending a short course on the same. Once done, you can start trading shares online or over phone. What a better way to make money?

22.   Stitching or fashion designing courses

If you love stichting, you can join a stitching or embroidery course and expand your skills. You can start taking orders from your near and dear ones. And thus get started with your fashion designing career.

23. Jute Craft courses

You can enroll for a Jute Craft course and start making unique jute items that sell like hotcakes. Be bags, purses, mats or other gift items. If are a bit more innovative kind, you will find a good bunch of opportunities once the course is over.

24. Knitting Courses

Knitting was considered as grandma's best past time. But now with people opting for hand made wonders, knitting is back to business. You can do a knitting course to learn the basics of creating different artifacts. Later on you can use your creativity to create your own niche market.  Learning crochets along with this will give you more space to work on. You can be innovative and make laptop sleeves, mobile pouches, newborn booties and what all!

25. Lampshade Making courses

With more and more importance on interiors, lamps with shade are in high demand. A lampshade making course will teach you all about the different designs and materials used in lampshade making. You can very well launch your own unique collection of lampshades and lead the niche market.

26. Lamasa Art Courses

Lamasa or clay art courses teaches you all about creating different shapes using clay. You will learn about how to colour them and paint and what not to do with the clay art. Once done you can launch your own creative section of artifacts - anything from fridge magnet to miniature sculptures.

27. Mehndi Design courses

Mehndi design courses will run you through different intricate mehndi designs. You can work as a Mehndi artist after completing the course.

28. Mosaic work courses

Mosaic work is an art on its own. This course teaches you how to cut, glue and apply your instinct to come up with mind blowing mosaic arts. Once completed you can set up your own small art shop that sells different sort of mosaic arts on coasters, photo frames, wall arts and much more. If you are really serious about it, you will find professional jobs like furnishing the interiors of a hotel or house using mosaic art.

Computer and Internet based courses:

29.   Medical transcription courses

Medical transcription is an easy way to make money from home. The busy doctors will orally prescribe the medicines to patients and you as a medical transcriptioner has to write down the entire prescription. The training teaches you how to do this perfectly. The courses are available online as well as offline. Once completed, you can work from the comfort of your home and earn 5 digit salary.

30.   Web designing courses –HTML, PHP, XML

You can launch your own web designing company if you are fluent with the common web designing languages like HTML, PHP and XML. A course on any of these will help you work either as a freelancer or as a web designer for some body. 

31.   Graphic designing courses

Graphics are used more than ever these days. Be it company logo, photo editing or fonts. You can enroll for a graphic designing course and get started with your freelance designing career simultaneously. 

32.    Blog setup – Wordpress online courses

There could be many who needs help in setting up a blog. You can do a course on blog set up and get certified as a professional blog designer. You can help others in setting up their first blog, product blog or company blog. 

33.   SEO certified courses

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is the most sought out people in the internet. You can do a certified course on SEO and launch your own SEO consultancy service. This will give you the platform to embark on the most amazing career ever.

34.   Data entry training

You can complete a data entry basic course and get started with data entry jobs available online. What can be an easier way than simply entering data as prescribed and earn good money as reward.

35.   Animation courses

If you like creating short animated movies and is looking for a career in the same, then you should try out a course on computer animation, Animation course will familiarise you with the latest animation software and how to go about a project in whole. Once finished you can work for gaming companies, cartoon animations, 3D animation and other graphic rich jobs. 

36. Digital Marketing courses

Nowadays every company is turning to a digital marketing expert to improve their presence on the web and social media. This is the most exciting career opportunity of this age. You can finish an internet marketing course and launch your own internet marketing service on the web. Amazing business it is!

37.   Software testing training

The software companies require people to test the fresh softwares at every stage of production. By finishing a short term course that teaches you what software testing is all about you can get started with a decent job in the same field. Mostly, if you come across any job opportunity in software testing, the company itself will provide you with the training. 

38.   Instructional Design courses

Instructional Design is the trending job these days. Educators in school, with digital teaching methodologies need more friendly ways to present the information. An instructional design course will teach you how to put a piece of information in the best way - including images, written content and much more. 

39.   Image Editing/photo editing courses

Photo editing courses teach you all about enhancing the quality of images. Once finished you can look for photo editor job openings in media companies. Or you can start off as a freelancer from home providing image editing services on the web. 

40. Content Writing Course

The content writing course differs on what exactly you want to specialise in - be a web content writer, magazine content writer or a technical writer. Choose a writing course that you love to do and you will easily find career in the same. Writing doesn't come easy to everyone. With social media marketing on the boom all needs good quality content.

The good part of attending such a course is that once completed, you can straight away get started with your part time job in the same.  Thus you will earn for your work and enjoy a feel good time. You will need to spare only a few hours of your day to get things turn the way you want them to.

Wait! Check out in detail about the course before you sign up for one.

Before joining any of these courses do some ground work to assess who offers the course best. Go through the details of course curriculum. Have a fair idea of the fees charged. Talk to people who have already completed the course and get their views on the same.  Here is a snippet of the heads that need some thorough checking:

• Who is offering the course?: Go for an established or government institution for the course than a newbie.
• What is the Course curriculum?: Have a thorough know how of what all is covered. Analyse it to see if it will really help you out when you start a career in that.
• What is the Course span?: Have a clear picture of how long is the course and when will get the certificate of completion so that you can start with a job in the same field. 
• What is the course Fees?: Check out the fees of similar courses offered from different institutions. Who wants to pay extra bucks for the same stuff? 
• What are the Job opportunities?: Always check for the available job openings or career options once you finish the course.
• What is the possible return per month? Have a fair idea of the possible remuneration for someone in the same field. You can approach anyone in the same field to have a better idea of how much worth it is. 
• What is the Timing of the course?: You plan to take up a part time job or work from home career. So ensure that the course timing also fits your daily schedule. If you have a toddler at home look for flexible training times if possible. 

A part time job is a real blessing for women who have sacrificed their career for the upbringing of their family. Most of them offer you flexibility so that the family responsibilities are taken care of too. There are many non-trained billionaires who made it out with their passion. With a little bit of help from outside you can turn the world the way you want.

How to become a Subtitler?

Long long ago, back in 2008 during a family get together in Gurgaon I met an aunt. She was wearing a salwars kameez  and it was a new thing for me to see aunts in their late 50s wearing something other than saree* (I do come from a conservative narrow minded family. I follow the same tradition, but my mind has opened up a bit over the years). She asked me 'are you working?' I said: 'no'. Then I asked her back ' are you working'. And she said 'yes. I work as a subtitler'.

Thanks to my brother who showed me how to watch movies with subtitles. Because of which, what she said made sense to me. But honestly, I wasn't sure about how could someone make a career out of writing subtitles.

When I started this blog, I had subtitle writer as a career option. So I started researching more about it.

I found Nandini Karky's explanation the most realistic. She herself is a subtitler in the Tamil movie industry. (Please go through it, as it explains in detail the beauty and intricacies of crafting a subtitle.)

Well, now let me share what all I found out about the subtitling industry.

What are subtitles?

I am sure that most of you have noticed the written text (in English) under each scene while watching movies. These are subtitles.Yes, it is such a simple stuff that explains movie dialogues in detail.

Subtitles are important because:

1) Subtitles explains the dialogue which would be missed or not interpreted otherwise,
2) Subtitles enables us to watch foreign language films, thus increasing the number of audience
3) Subtitles helps deaf people to enjoy movies better

And the person who adds it to the movie is called a subtitler. You too can be a subtitler, if you love watching movies and can follow the dialogues with out fail.

So, how to become a subtitler?

The most important prerequisite is the love for language. A true language lover can play with the nuances of the language. You need to be proficient in atleast any one of the Indian languages or any international language to be a subtitler. And of course, fluency in MS-Word and good typing skills!

What I found is that subtitling is a field that involves some learning before you get started, You can enroll for subtitling course at SubtitlingWorldWide. This subtitling course spans for 3 months - covers familiarising with the subtitling software, learning the basic subtitling skills and mastering the art of subtitlting. Please note that the course fee is approximately 20,000 INR. What I liked most about the course is that, the only skill required to complete it is proficiency in English language and the desire to learn subtitling.

Apart from Subtitling World Wide, that offer courses online, you can look for short term courses in your location. This you can attend in person, and allows you have a fairer approach on subtitling. This will introduce you to the real world of subtitling and get started with demo projects. To know about such courses in your city - internet Zindabad!

If you want to learn it on your own, that is also possible, I found the online tutorial at Miracle Tutorials also explaining how to create subtitles in detail.

How to create subtitles?

Subtitling is not all about transforming the spoken text to written one. But it actually summarises the spoken text without losing any of the expressions. Also song lyrics as well as other sounds played in the movie needs to be texted down.

But while doing all these one should let the viewer enjoy the movie or otherwise he will end up reading line after line. The director also has put in a lot of effort to put those images absolutely stunning. So a subtitle should not appear when the viewer has to enjoy the scene by itself.

I found the article at Proz very informative on what all need to be taken care of while creating subtitles. To create subtitles for a video file, you can use specific subtitling softwares like Visual SubSync, ELR studio, Subtitle Workshop or Spot.

To try out how to create subtitles for a sample video you can use DotSub. 

What I liked more about subtitling is that, the convenience of working on the language that I am comfortable with. It could very well be my mother tongue - Malayalam! I will be really proud to be the subtitler for  a Malayalam movie.

Different types of subtitling projects that you can do

I have seen most of the subtitles in movies. But nowadays all documentaries and some tv programmes also come with subtitles.  You can take up a subtitling project in any of the following:

1. Same Language Subtitling (SLS) - This involves writing subtitles in the same language as the program audio.

2. Voice over subtitling - This is for programmes like documentaries where there is no visible speaker, but audio is played as voice over the video .

3. Closed Captioning - Providing subtitles for deaf and people with low hearing capabilities is called closed captioning

4. Subtitling live speech - Yes this is done after becoming an expert subtitler. BBC live programmes usually come with live subtitles as well.

What is the earning potential of a subtitler?

As a subtitler you can earn from Rs.5000 to Rs.20000 per film depending on the project. Isn't that a good amount?

How to get subtitling jobs?

To get your first few sub jobs you can do the following:

1) Project yourself as a subtitler on social media - Create a Linked In profile that says that you are a subtitler. Also use Twitter effectively to publicise your newly learnt skill. Basically update and use up your social media profiles to get some work.
2) Look for freelance subtitling jobs offered individually
3) Look for subtitling jobs at companies like Red Bee Media
4) Email your resume to companies that offer subtitling job openings. And tell them you are interested to work on subtitling projects.

Everything takes time till you get started. Once you start off, you will find more jobs. So get started with that initial steps without waiting. Subtitling is a wonderful career option who wants to have a good work-life balance!

- yes I mean it -

How to start a career in content writing?

When I left my job in Infy I was not very sure of joining a new company in Cochin. At that time my brother asked me, 'can you write content for my websites?'. I was not sure of saying yes to him either. For my only experience in writing was updating my personal blog whenever I felt like it. And writing for websites should be a bigger responsibility. All I have is a B.Tech degree! Had it been a BA in English it would have been easier I felt.

Yet I took it up as a challenge. 'My brother is offering me something means he feels I can do it :-). So I should not worry.' That is exactly what I felt at that time, And slowly I started working on one article after another.

It wasn't as easy as updating my blog. For an article has a proper skeleton without which it will not be interesting to read.

How to write a good article?

The skeleton of a good article has:

1. Title
The title has to be very catchy, so that the reader feels like reading the rest of the article by reading the title. The title should convey what the article is all about in a single line.

2.  Intro
There has to be good introduction para, that arouses the curiosity of the reader further to read. This could be story or a question or your own experience. People like to peep into other's lives. So I feel personal stories are the best intro ever. This article also owns one of them :-).

3. The Content
Then comes the actual content that is really informative. This part has to be engaging well. Asking questions, sharing examples and pictures keeps the reader hooked to the article.

4. Subheadings and Styling
Web content are mostly scanned by eyes than reading word by word. So I have to emphasis the main points with the help of subheading and stylings like bold, italics or underlines. Using lists and bullets can give the article more crisp and clear feel.

5. Sound grammar
Each and every grammatical mistake can actually diminish the credibility of the author. So I have to ensure that the sentences are all grammatically correct and readable. Thanks to the review tool on MS word.

6. Conclusion
Reading an article is a feeling in itself. So the article has to be ended properly. This can be done by summarising the keypoints, and making the reader to take a step ahead.

Of course, most of the skeleton of the article except for 'the content' is actually writer's creation or talent. The content has to be the real juicy stuff of the article. And content cannot be written from air. Thorough research on the topic gives you a fair idea of what all you have to cover and convey.

How to come up with 'the content' for an article?

I and my brother used to brainstorm for what all content to be put in. We used to first list out the keywords and do google on those. The best articles on them were our references. I read those articles one or two times and create a draft of my new article from the information I gained. The draft then went through many self edits and enhancements to be a final draft. This was then reviewed and uploaded. And that is how an article originates on the web.

So this is what a content writer does?

Yes a content writer basically does the same. Some jobs will provide you with the title, keywords and references where as for a few you have to do all the research on your own.

How to get content writing jobs?

As a content writer, you can look for work from any known person who has many ideas but desperate for a writer to give it life, Also freelancing works are available at craigslist, textbroker etc.(Honestly, I have not worked for any unknown person yet due to the fear of not getting any money) But I do know of a few friends who have received payments from unknown clients. You can also look for content writing jobs on job sites like monster.com.

Well it is true that I as a content writer do basically this. But there is one more thing that makes each article read by many. It is something called SEO - 'on-page SEO' to be specific.

Why should a content writer know about SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is all about optimising your content so that it is liked by Google uncle. Before I jump onto more of SEO, let me tell you why SEO.

Have you ever wondered what happens to the article that you just wrote? Well, it will get published as a content for some website or blog. I had this idiotic feeling that if I search for that keyword on Google, my article will come up. But it hardly does!

There are thousands of webpages written on the same keyword (few of which were my reference links).  And for my article to come above them all requires it to have that unique content which is not available anywhere else. Well, this is not something that you learn overnight, but takes good amount of time to master, And let me admit, I have not mastered it yet. For me, some comes up where as some obscures into void.

As a content writer, having the basic knowledge of SEO like, using the right keywords, adding the relevant keyword phrases and referring to relevant outgoing links can be an added benefit, These are the basic stuff to start off your content writing career.

So how much money can one expect to earn from content writing career?

You can expect a payment of 30 paise to 1 Rupee per word as a beginner depending on the quality of your writing. For example, I just checked - If I had written this article for somebody it is around 1000 words and would fetch me 500 rupees :-). And one such article per day will give me 15k per month. That too with a time of two to three hours!

Good way to earn money from home right? What are you waiting for? Go ahead and get started!

How to become a dubbing artist?

With immense opportunities coming up, a dubbing artist is surely a job in demand. If you have a good voice and a good command over the language (any will do, hindi, Malayalam or tamil for that matter) you can be a dubbing artist. 

If you are comfortable in speaking clearly it will be a piece of cake for you. A natural dubbing artist must be a good listener too.  If you are one, you will find yourself following the finer intricacies of voice and modulation of every audio that you come across. Yes, it is somewhat like doing mimicry.

By practicing on pronunciations, refining your diction and learning to adapt your voice to different situations, you can master the art of dubbing. And yeah, you have to really get into the shoes of the character. When she is happy, you have to laugh for her. And when she is sad, you have to cry for her. You have to know her pauses, her breathing pattern and her tone of language.

So, how to become a dubbing artist?

Well, everything is easy said than done. To be an established dubbing artist you have to put in a decent amount of effort. 

Firstly, record your own voice and hear it back. You can try this by copying a tv commercial or a movie dialogue. Now, modify the product name and specifications of the product here and there. This will give it a feel of a brand new ad.  While you are recording, just keep in mind to match the timing and diction. 

If you are keen on observing different voices, you will get it right in not more than 4 takes.  Well that is your first brand new commercial. Repeat the process with 2 more ads. Once you are ready with a minimum of three brand new ads that you created, you can approach a professional recording studio to record it. You can make a dozen cds of your work.  This is your only investment to get started in this profession. 

How to find out dubbing jobs?

Now you can approach ad houses and their recording studios to look for work. Be ready to do some free work to get established. If you are good at this, after say, around 5 ads you will naturally start getting more work. Till then, you have to call people and remind them that you are available for dubbing jobs. 

You can also walk into an FM radio stations and see if they need a voice artist for ads or programs. Radio stations run more ads and it is very likely that you will find your first job there.

Internet is also a good place to find dubbing work that suits your interest. Check out Just Dial, Quikr and Ask to see if there are any job openings.  Joining any dubbing artist union can give you more exposure, but honestly they don’t guarantee regular jobs. Just keep your eyes and ears open looking for opportunities!

If this did not work for you, there is a plan B. Here it follows:

Even with all these, if you are not getting any job you should consider improving your sample cds. You can train under a voice coach to understand more about proper voice modulation. To hire a voice coach you can consult an already established dubbing artist. With training, you will improve your diction, timing and language. Your voice coach can guide you in every single step till you have a professional dubbing portfolio.  

Also you can look out for short term courses and workshops conducted by professional dubbing artists.

Not feeling comfortable yet? See there is no harm in trying and if it clicks the opportunities are many. Just get ahead with the initial step, the rest will follow if you believe in yourself.  I will explain you the opportunities so that you can be assured that if you pick this up, you will definitely land up in a good part time job career.

Job Opportunities for a Dubbing Artist

As a kid, I had no idea how movies are made. I used to wonder how on earth the actors have a million talents altogether. They can dance, sing, fight, look stunning and be brave, intelligent and yet be very humane. As years passed by, I realised a movie involves a lot more people than the actors on the screen. Be it the playback singer, the stunt duplicate or the dubbing artist.

The most highlighted dubbing job in the industry is in movies. When you lend your voice to the leading heroine and if the movie is a block buster you are on a roll.  

Apart from movies there are many other media jobs that require dubbing artists.  The following list gives you a better idea of the same.

1. Advertisements: Ads run between each and every television programs. Ever wondered who is doing the speaking for the stiff expressionless models? The voice in the ads is usually dubbed by dubbing artists. Dubbing for ad films are very much relaxed and the work gets done within a couple of days.  Most of the ads also involves voice over, where voice is played in the background and not to any model.
2. Cartoons: When I was a kid, my brother and I got to watch only a half an hour long cartoon once every week. And it was the only cartoon available on Doordarshan. But things have changed now and there are as many cartoon channels and thousands of cartoons running 24x7. Some of them are made by Indian animation houses where as others are taken from foreign countries. Be it any of them, you need a dubbing artist to give these cartoon characters life.  Like a mega serial artist, you can have a life long career if your voice gets stamped as that of a cartoon character.
3. Documentaries: Ever watched a documentary film in Discovery? A documentary takes extensive shoots at uneasy conditions to have a great content. But quite often, without a narration it appears dry and uninteresting.  You, as a dubbing artist can lend your voice so that the describing appears more realistic and reaches the audiences with a punch. Nowadays, international programs in Discovery and NAT geo are often dubbed in regional languages. This is called Para Dubbing  and you can easily dub in your mother tongue.
4. Feature Films: Apart from the mainstream cinemas, low budget feature films are also made by talented directors. Again this is another opportunity for dubbing artists. 
5. IVRS: Have you ever tried booking a ticket over phone. You will hear a recorded voice that will guide you on what to do. This is called Interactive Voice Response System or IVRS. Somebody has to lend the voice to such systems for it to be played again and again to all the consumers. 
6. Announcements: I’m sure that you must have come across a familiar voice in Railway Station as announcements. “Yaathriyon Kripaya Dhyan Deejiye.. Gaadi number…”. Well there is one lady whose voice is recorded and played in railway stations over and again.  How wonderful will it be if it gets your voice? Not just railway station but, other crowded places also require pre recorded announcements.
7. Corporate Voicing: Corporate narration basically involves voice over done for corporate houses like, industries, institutions or businesses. This involves highlighting the company profile, services or products offered. Some companies use for employee training videos too. For corporate voicing your voice has to be crystal clear, authoritative as well as engaging at the same time.
8. Movies: Not to be missed. Bollywood and Regional movies form a regular source of work for the dubbing artists.  Had there been no dubbing artist, most of the expressionless heroines would have packed up their bags after their debut movie. Even if an actor is well versed in dubbing her own voice for her character, for intense scenes they might seek the help of professional dubbing artists. Apart from mainstream masala movies, there are animated movies where lots of dubbing artists are required.
9. Audio Books: With the fast paced lifestyle people prefer to listen to books on the go than read them patiently. Many publishing houses also attach an Audio CD of the books. This is yet again another opportunity for you as a dubbing artist.
10. TV Soaps: TV soaps or mega serials play an integral role in everyday life. And that means there is no end to such soaps. Which in effect implies you can have a dubbing role for sure for the immediate future.
11. Radio: FM Radios air good number of audio only programs throughout the day. In between there are ads and other announcements.  A dubbing artist is very much in demand in the world of Radio.
12. Dubbed movies: Cost of making movies are huge with pricey actors and fascinating locations and modern techniques.  Now many movies are put up with multiple production houses. To get wider audience arena, such movies release in local languages too. So if you are comfortable with your mother tongue, you can very well be hired to dub a brand new movie.  
13. Dubbed tv soaps: The same logic applies for daily soaps too. Now the serial marketing teams are pushing a step ahead to show the dubbed serials in local channels. This phenomenon started with Mahabharata and Ramayana, but now it is a usual thing for daily soaps too.

By now you must have realised that there is an umpteen number of opportunities once you get labelled as a dubbing artist. Wait, did I mention voice over above? Well there is some difference between a voice over artist and a dubbing artist.

What is the difference between dubbing and voice over?

Voice over is nothing but the background voice, without any human. Say, for example the Horlicks ad where they say:”Now Proven Stronger, Sharper”. So are jingles, which are the small songs in the ad. It is just like giving a commentary to a running video.

 

Things you should know before becoming a dubbing artist:

Even if you have no prior background, you can approach dubbing artists as a wonderful career Build a wonderful career from the scratch as a Dubbing or Voice over artists in your city

Find the language that your are comfortable: You don’t need to learn a new language to become a dubbing artist. You can search for jobs in your mother tougue and get started with this straight away. 

Remuneration:  If you have just started you can expect anything around Rs. 2500 for a 10 minute dubbing work. But with experience, you can be easily making around Rs.40,000 a month.  Isn’t it the best part time job?

Work timing: Depending on the project, you need to devote anything from 2 hours to a couple of weeks for dubbing.

In Malayalam film industry, every talented actress fears to lend their own voice to the character. There is a dubbing artist called, Ms. Bhagyalakshmi who does most of the dubbing. She is so established that she is a celebrity herself for Malayalam movie industry. And she is kind enough to offer support to all aspiring dubbing artists. Who knows, if someday there will be people to follow your footsteps. Always put your 100 percent in whatever you do. Rest God will take care of and destiny will not be far off.