diff --git a/airflow/providers/amazon/aws/operators/sagemaker_training.py b/airflow/providers/amazon/aws/operators/sagemaker_training.py
index c748666c00573a..db60bde9d78eb6 100644
--- a/airflow/providers/amazon/aws/operators/sagemaker_training.py
+++ b/airflow/providers/amazon/aws/operators/sagemaker_training.py
@@ -46,8 +46,12 @@ class SageMakerTrainingOperator(SageMakerBaseOperator):
         doesn't finish within max_ingestion_time seconds. If you set this parameter to None,
         the operation does not timeout.
     :type max_ingestion_time: int
+    :param check_if_job_exists: If set to true, then the operator will check whether a training job
+        already exists for the name in the config.
+    :type check_if_job_exists: bool
     :param action_if_job_exists: Behaviour if the job name already exists. Possible options are "increment"
         (default) and "fail".
+        This is only relevant if check_if_job_exists is True.
     :type action_if_job_exists: str
     """
 
@@ -65,6 +69,7 @@ def __init__(
         print_log: bool = True,
         check_interval: int = 30,
         max_ingestion_time: Optional[int] = None,
+        check_if_job_exists: bool = True,
         action_if_job_exists: str = "increment",  # TODO use typing.Literal for this in Python 3.8
         **kwargs,
     ):
@@ -74,6 +79,7 @@ def __init__(
         self.print_log = print_log
         self.check_interval = check_interval
         self.max_ingestion_time = max_ingestion_time
+        self.check_if_job_exists = check_if_job_exists
 
         if action_if_job_exists in ("increment", "fail"):
             self.action_if_job_exists = action_if_job_exists
@@ -90,7 +96,22 @@ def expand_role(self) -> None:
 
     def execute(self, context) -> dict:
         self.preprocess_config()
+        if self.check_if_job_exists:
+            self._check_if_job_exists()
+        self.log.info("Creating SageMaker training job %s.", self.config["TrainingJobName"])
+        response = self.hook.create_training_job(
+            self.config,
+            wait_for_completion=self.wait_for_completion,
+            print_log=self.print_log,
+            check_interval=self.check_interval,
+            max_ingestion_time=self.max_ingestion_time,
+        )
+        if response['ResponseMetadata']['HTTPStatusCode'] != 200:
+            raise AirflowException(f'Sagemaker Training Job creation failed: {response}')
+        else:
+            return {'Training': self.hook.describe_training_job(self.config['TrainingJobName'])}
 
+    def _check_if_job_exists(self) -> None:
         training_job_name = self.config["TrainingJobName"]
         training_jobs = self.hook.list_training_jobs(name_contains=training_job_name)
 
@@ -105,16 +126,3 @@ def execute(self, context) -> dict:
                 raise AirflowException(
                     f"A SageMaker training job with name {training_job_name} already exists."
                 )
-
-        self.log.info("Creating SageMaker training job %s.", self.config["TrainingJobName"])
-        response = self.hook.create_training_job(
-            self.config,
-            wait_for_completion=self.wait_for_completion,
-            print_log=self.print_log,
-            check_interval=self.check_interval,
-            max_ingestion_time=self.max_ingestion_time,
-        )
-        if response['ResponseMetadata']['HTTPStatusCode'] != 200:
-            raise AirflowException(f'Sagemaker Training Job creation failed: {response}')
-        else:
-            return {'Training': self.hook.describe_training_job(self.config['TrainingJobName'])}
diff --git a/tests/providers/amazon/aws/operators/test_sagemaker_training.py b/tests/providers/amazon/aws/operators/test_sagemaker_training.py
index 4aeca8c65e0772..8e54533a475072 100644
--- a/tests/providers/amazon/aws/operators/test_sagemaker_training.py
+++ b/tests/providers/amazon/aws/operators/test_sagemaker_training.py
@@ -86,12 +86,33 @@ def test_parse_config_integers(self):
 
     @mock.patch.object(SageMakerHook, 'get_conn')
     @mock.patch.object(SageMakerHook, 'create_training_job')
-    def test_execute(self, mock_training, mock_client):
+    def test_execute_with_check_if_job_exists(self, mock_training, mock_client):
         mock_training.return_value = {
             'TrainingJobArn': 'testarn',
             'ResponseMetadata': {'HTTPStatusCode': 200},
         }
+        self.sagemaker._check_if_job_exists = mock.MagicMock()
         self.sagemaker.execute(None)
+        self.sagemaker._check_if_job_exists.assert_called_once()
+        mock_training.assert_called_once_with(
+            create_training_params,
+            wait_for_completion=False,
+            print_log=True,
+            check_interval=5,
+            max_ingestion_time=None,
+        )
+
+    @mock.patch.object(SageMakerHook, 'get_conn')
+    @mock.patch.object(SageMakerHook, 'create_training_job')
+    def test_execute_without_check_if_job_exists(self, mock_training, mock_client):
+        mock_training.return_value = {
+            'TrainingJobArn': 'testarn',
+            'ResponseMetadata': {'HTTPStatusCode': 200},
+        }
+        self.sagemaker.check_if_job_exists = False
+        self.sagemaker._check_if_job_exists = mock.MagicMock()
+        self.sagemaker.execute(None)
+        self.sagemaker._check_if_job_exists.assert_not_called()
         mock_training.assert_called_once_with(
             create_training_params,
             wait_for_completion=False,
@@ -110,38 +131,24 @@ def test_execute_with_failure(self, mock_training, mock_client):
         with pytest.raises(AirflowException):
             self.sagemaker.execute(None)
 
-    # pylint: enable=unused-argument
-
     @mock.patch.object(SageMakerHook, "get_conn")
     @mock.patch.object(SageMakerHook, "list_training_jobs")
-    @mock.patch.object(SageMakerHook, "create_training_job")
-    def test_execute_with_existing_job_increment(
-        self, mock_create_training_job, mock_list_training_jobs, mock_client
-    ):
+    def test_check_if_job_exists_increment(self, mock_list_training_jobs, mock_client):
+        self.sagemaker.check_if_job_exists = True
         self.sagemaker.action_if_job_exists = "increment"
-        mock_create_training_job.return_value = {"ResponseMetadata": {"HTTPStatusCode": 200}}
         mock_list_training_jobs.return_value = [{"TrainingJobName": job_name}]
-        self.sagemaker.execute(None)
+        self.sagemaker._check_if_job_exists()
 
         expected_config = create_training_params.copy()
         # Expect to see TrainingJobName suffixed with "-2" because we return one existing job
         expected_config["TrainingJobName"] = f"{job_name}-2"
-        mock_create_training_job.assert_called_once_with(
-            expected_config,
-            wait_for_completion=False,
-            print_log=True,
-            check_interval=5,
-            max_ingestion_time=None,
-        )
+        assert self.sagemaker.config == expected_config
 
     @mock.patch.object(SageMakerHook, "get_conn")
     @mock.patch.object(SageMakerHook, "list_training_jobs")
-    @mock.patch.object(SageMakerHook, "create_training_job")
-    def test_execute_with_existing_job_fail(
-        self, mock_create_training_job, mock_list_training_jobs, mock_client
-    ):
+    def test_check_if_job_exists_fail(self, mock_list_training_jobs, mock_client):
+        self.sagemaker.check_if_job_exists = True
         self.sagemaker.action_if_job_exists = "fail"
-        mock_create_training_job.return_value = {"ResponseMetadata": {"HTTPStatusCode": 200}}
         mock_list_training_jobs.return_value = [{"TrainingJobName": job_name}]
         with pytest.raises(AirflowException):
-            self.sagemaker.execute(None)
+            self.sagemaker._check_if_job_exists()