Considering training to be a dealer -- any thoughts?

[QuadsOverQuads]

As the title says, I'm very seriously considering becoming a licensed poker dealer, and I'm looking for any guidance that the good people of 2+2 can offer.

I've talked with a few of the dealers I've gotten to know over the past couple of years, and I've actually contacted a couple of local "dealer schools". Neither of the schools impressed me too much (one tried to hawk some "poker-player special" that basically sounded like a ripoff, and the other, while better, was still just a hole in the wall in a strip mall). I also had a chat with one of the floor managers at one of the larger rooms I've played at, and she mentioned that there were some schools in the Nevada area that are respected in the field. I've done what searching I can online, but it's pretty hard to separate the wheat from the chaff with just looking at web pages.

So, here I am, looking for info and experiences.

Can anyone here recommend good sources of information about dealer schools? Particularly, I'm interested in which ones are reputable and which ones are just scams, and I'm especially interested in the whole question of job placement assistance once training is completed (do certain schools actually have pull at certain rooms, or is that mostly just talk? All voices-of-experience appreciated).

Also, is it standard for dealers to have to work as prop players while starting out? That's the deal one outfit tried to pitch to me, and I'm not at all clear as to what to make of it (note: I am familiar with how prop player situations work, but I'm not sure I really want to be doing that, since I'm primarily a small tournament player, and my bankroll at the moment is pretty weak by ring game standards, albeit more than sufficient for small SNG play).

Lastly, would it be better for me to just bag the schools alltogether and go with private training from one of the dealers I already know? The floor manager I talked to was clear that "they're not supposed to be doing that", but a lot of the dealers I know did get private training from one of the other dealers there. Does this affect licensing in any states? Argh, so much that I really don't know, but need to learn fast if I'm going to make this work.

Another complicating factor I should also mention: at the end of my first year, before I actually learned to *play*, I had myself formally banned from the Muckleshoot room, south of Seattle (note: this was at my request, not theirs). I'm not expecting to find employment there, but I am concerned that this may cause problems for me when it comes to applying at other area rooms (also, will this come up when I have to get a background check for my license?).

I'll be looking into all of these questions aggressively in the next week or two, but I can't think of a better place to start out than here.

Any and all help/advice/experiences/warnings/whatever will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.


q/q