SANS Work Study Facilitator Rejection

Khaos1911

Hello All,

I was just wondering how many times were any of you denied from the SANS Work Study program before you finally broke through and were accepted to facilitate an event?

I've applied for three events , 2 Community SANS and 1 Summit and just got my first rejection. I'm kinda bummed because the first rejection was for GCED, a relatively unpopular SANS training/cert in a small town. I thought I'd be a shoe in, but I know how competitive these positions are. So my fear is that the other two events I applied for are in bigger cities and are much more popular certs/training (GCIA/GCIH) and I will get a rejection on them as well.

JDMurray

Are SANS work study applicants always assigned to the course they ask for? The SANS 501 classes tend to be small, so maybe fewer assitants are needed. Also, 501 has a lot of labbing over a variety of different subject areas. Maybe 501 assistants are preferred already have the GCED because of this.

Khaos1911

JDMurray wrote: »

Are SANS work study applicants always assigned to the course they ask for? The SANS 501 classes tend to be small, so maybe fewer assitants are needed. Also, 501 has a lot of labbing over a variety of different subject areas. Maybe 501 assistants are preferred already have the GCED because of this.

Well, it was the only bootcamp at that particular location being taught and if GCED certified is preferred, I wish they would include that in the disclaimer (as oppose to the general list of who they say get preference... STI students, SANS instructors, etc)and save people some time when applying. I put quite a bit of time/effort into that application.

JDMurray

SANS probably can't put a hard requirement on the work study assistants being GCED-certified because there are only about 1200 people with the GCED cert. However, it seems applicants who have at least already taken 501 would be preferred because of their experience with the course subjects.

ChooseLife

I don't think you can derive much statistical data from these numbers, but FWIW my first 5 applications were rejected, and the 6th was accepted. Best of luck!

ajd86

I was wait-listed (and then rejected) for my first application, and accepted for my second. At the time, I had never taken a SANS course or GIAC exam. Applying for several events and selecting multiple courses is your best bet to get selected.

cyberguypr

I'm 2 for 2 having been selected for Chicago 2012 (SEC 505) and 2013 (SEC 504). This year I applied for SEC 501 and SEC 503.

zxbane

Do you guys just end up asking for time off from your employers if you get accepted or using vacation time or what?

emerald_octane

I got in on my first application to the CISSP/GISP 5 day course, but this was probably because I already passed the CISSP exam, so I was able to offer non-nda breaking guidance to the people there. I was also able to help the instructor a great deal, although i'm not sure how I was graded.

Now that I have my GISP I hope to get into the others as well. The work-study experience is insanely trivial compared to everything provided to us.

TBRAYS

I got in on my first application to the DFIR SUMMIT this Summer.

chanakyajupudi

I got in thrice last year. 401, 408 and 504.

Applied for 508 and 507 this year.

intnull0

The pecking order is: recommendation from faculty first, then prior facilitators and last are first timers. You are more likely to get picked as a first timer at a larger conference as the classes are usually larger and more facilitators are needed. I just facilitated for the first time for SEC504 in Orlando and we had 2 facilitators with 75 students. I was picked for SEC660 last year in Orlando but had to decline as I had already paid for another course by the time I was notified of the the last minute selection. It's hard work, especially at a large event, but it is well worth it.

YFZblu

^ You aren't considering SANS Master's Students. My understanding is that they're at the top of the pecking order.

intnull0

You are correct. The Masters program student do take priority over all.