I have what may seem, to most of you, some basic questions. Although I possess a great credentials within my sector, I am a complete beginner in the world of consulting! I want to take the plunge and have been using the web to carry out some very early research, mostly into how to enter into consultancy. There are so many articles out there, passing on advice from mistakes made by most in their early days and while I'm enthusiastic to 'get on', I feel I'd be a little naive if I didn't look to the knowledge of those more experienced and learn from their hindsight.I have visited the IC website and have read that some of the forum users have recommended the workshops. I'm interested in the Moving into Consultancy workshop, can anybody recommend it? Also I noticed that this is based in London, are there any similar workshops in Manchester? Also I noticed the terminology 'Management Consultant' - is this a term covering all consultancy roles. My field of expertise is Education, so does this cover my remit in terms of leading and managing teams within education? (yep, i know, may seam like a pretty obvious question, but i just want to be clear)Final question, is it a requirement to have a professional consulting qualification, or is it based purely on individual credentials?Many thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to answer my questions and point me in the right direction!

Please leave my hind alone.How do you know that you want to move into consulting when you don't even know what a management consultant is?

Cheers, thanks for that..!

If I were you, I would really examine the reasons you want to go from industry into consulting. What is it about consulting that you think you will like? What do you think you would miss from your current job?Anyway, my opinion is that if your industry background is deep/good enough then you can make the move into consulting. I moved from industry into the consulting world, I didn't take a consulting qualification and if I knew then what I know now I wouldn't take the course either. Oh, and yes you can work in any industry area and be known under the generic term of Management Consultant.

Hi FrioMany thanks for your reply! I have carried out so much research since my last post and feel so much more confident that consultancy is the right move for me. I have extensive knowledge within my field and I currently have my own business that has been judged outstanding by Ofsted and I also have experience working as a freelance Ofsted inspector. I find that most of the time I'm being asked to advise (in my role as a manger of a private organisation - not in my role as an inspector). In addition I find it natural to want to advise on the back end of issuing recommendations for improvement (but can't from a regulatory perspective for obvious reasons). Furthermore, I feel that training and coaching is second nature in my field of expertise, than say in property investing consultancy for example. My question was more focused around the mechanics of consultancy in a broader sense. I suppose it's a little speaking a second language, just because you are proficient in the subject matter doesn't mean you can be effective in teaching it.I've tapped into a lot of support from some very experienced professionals who have welcomed my considerations to move into this industry and all it has done is fuel my desire to make the leap! On very few occasions have I been met with comments that have dissuaded me, which is pleasantly surprising given the competitiveness of the sector - but then again I suppose some people have more reason to feel threatened than others...mentioning no names there! Honestly, everyone has to start from somewhere!Once again, many thanks!