Hi Geeks, just wanted some of your valued opinions on what you look for in a training course.
If you have made the decision to do a fast-track training course to either start treatments from scratch or increase the services you offer, what do you look for?
Cheap prices? Good website? variety of courses? Specific qualifications? Location?

I appreciate it may often be by recommendation but really interested to know what makes you choose one training academy over another.

For me it would probably be more about speaking to the provider and liking them and their enthusiasm rather than cost and location ( i travel all over the country if I like the sound of a trainer).

What does it for you?

oooooh Sara fab thread (gonna rep you).

Cost doesn't matter to me, what interests me is that the course looks like its going to be interesting, full of new ideas and not a bog standard template style course.

I wouldn't go to FE college again unless I really really had too. why? Because I've done
* consultation skills
* reception skills
* a+p
* business studies
* how to be pc/non racist/non disability-ist
* basic steps

what I want is to cut to the chase and go into the history and background of the course, how to set the room and trolley, how to prepare for the treatment, how to give the treatment and most importantly, the tutors own thoughts on the treatment from her/his experience of doing the treatments.

I don't want to learn from someone that just teaches, I want to know that they are hands-on, they work with clients on a regular basis, they know what the latest trends are, they are "with it".

So for me

excitment, content, tutors experience are all important to me and that it is accreditted.

Great comments, thanks. Out of interest, would you always speak to someone first or would you be happy to go on the info you got from a website/prospectus?
I have done a couple of courses with large, National training companies who looked good on paper but the tutors were very disappointing, have you ever found this?
Sx

unfortunately its a lottery, some websites are great and the teaching is not so, etc etc.

I always have correspondence with whoever I learn from, starting with emailing, sometimes few phone calls.

For me it would have to be the course content and experience of the tutor. I was lucky when I first training in massage (sports) that my tutors included a physiotherapist and the team sports masseur for the England Rugby team. I do feel that the tutor needs to know have a deeper knowledge of the subject than just that which they are teaching. It is now a requirement that a trainer must hold level 4 sports massage in order to teach level 3 and I would welcome this happing in other areas too.

I'm not a fan of the one day courses as diploma courses, however, fine for cpd and to give someone a taster to see if they want to persue it to professional level. Unfortunately, they have led to a number of these national training companies being set up. I know one in particular (that is often recommended on this site too) where in some cases, the trainers simply go on the one day course to gain qualification and teach it without any previous experience. I was asked to do such a thing when I first went into teaching and approached them about massage training. I was told they had no vacancies for massage trainers in my area at that time, but they needed beauty trainers and asked if I would be prepared to go on their own beauty courses (one day) so that I could teach them! This was with the knowledge that I have never had any training in beauty therapy and am not involved in it.

I have also watched some of their training videos on youtube and can immediately see mistakes in techniquest this trainer is using which could cause discomfort, particularly in inexperienced hands, and at best would not really produce the desired effect. Another obvious case of someone who thought they'd do a quick course and set up a one day 'diploma' course.