Hiya guys.. I need the The truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth!

Its me again! I feel as if i should be paying some sort of subscription charge to this site especially as im not even a professional!

Anyhoo.. I have just made a life changing decision..

I would like to become a beautician.. My area of expertise is in marketing and have a degree in it but am having trouble getting a job.. Im 27 still living at home (boooooo) and have no ties so i thought it was a good time to try something new and hopefully have better career prospects..

Ok i know im slightly late for enrollment.... woopsie!

So i need everyones help and ideas on what to do next...

I live near london so want to know the best place to train??

Ideally i would like to do the quickest course and get qualified asap.. i saw a course with sacks for £3000 and im qualified in 10 weeks (sounds a little too good to be true)

Should i get a job in a salon (could i get a job with no previous experience?) and then train???

Is there jobs to go to at the mo?

Are the exams n stuff hard? what do i need to study? Do i have too be good at spelling (as u can tell im not.. but i got my 2:1 degree thanks to spellcheck!)

How many people do i need to do treatments on too pass the course??

Is there anything especially important or 'add ons' i could train in to make the best bucks??

Im fairly sure I will be able to pass everything.. im not stupid (well sometimes I am!) I have a very outgoing personality and can and will talk to everyone and anyone and have always had an interest in beauty (ok wanted to be a makeup artists and figured if i trained in beauty and loved it then i could go on to do makeup in the future!)

Soooo sorry for the long post but OMG i have so many questions and decisions to make!!!!!

I would LOVE and VALUE everyones opinions.. Please tell me all... the good, bad and the ugly..

Thanks everyone so much i truly apprechate your help

<3

If you want to pay a subscription to use Salon Geek, then you could become a Premium Geek - which helps pay for the running of the site, and gives you loads of extra cool features too.

Umm ok.. im only kidding.. no fee's please.. owww maybe once i pass the course n get a great job!

HELP im confused and need advice!

Sorry

I would help if I could, but I'm in a similar situation to you; I'm really interested in the industry but not trained yet either (apart from having a fair bit of experience in body painting), so it's probably not for me to say what is best for you without having been there myself...

Hi im 45 and finished my training in may, i paid just under £1400 and did it in my own time while still working, it was a really good place to learn with a very proffessional trainer with a relaxed and friendly atmoshere. Im now qualified in level 2 and already working in a salon part time and at home part time. Go on the webite www.trainginbeauty.co.uk and it take you to Kim sextons, Cottage Training centre. Couldnt praise Kim enough she has loads of patience and is excellent at what she does. Hope this helps

I was going to do this once i finished my a levels, they do a foundation degree at london college of fashion in beauty therapy and they also do a degree in beauty and spa managment, these might be a better chioce for you than starting at a nvq level 2 as you have already proved you are clever enough for the higher level.

If its what you want you should do it!!! just look into it and at the right level for you otherwsie you will get bored!! i wished i did it instead im at uni doing something totally diffrent, but just use all my spare time doing courses and teaching myself online!!

Good luck!!

Hi, are you sure you can go straight on to the degree level, may be wrong but I thought you had to do level 2 & 3 first , just curious .

found the entry requirements, learn something new every day.

• have 1 A Level at grade C or above in a science subject or 2 A Levels pass in relevant subjects (e.g. English Language and literature, Psychology, Sociology, Sports Science, Physical Education, Business Studies, Maths, History or Geography) plus passes in 4 other subjects at GCSE grade C or above (including English and Maths) or
• have BTEC National Diploma in Applied Science (Beauty Therapy), NVQ level 3, or AVCE double award in a related subject plus passes in 4 GCSEs grade C or above (including English and Maths) or
• have equivalent qualifications or professional experience
• have IELTS 5.5 or equivalent if you are an International/EU students and English is not your first language.

As a guide preferred subjects include Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Business Studies.
This course requires a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points.

Thank you guys u r so sweet taking all that trouble for me...

As much i would LOVE to go back to uni I want to qualify asap.. i dont have years to hang around to qualify but want to do it in the quickest possible time with the best results and a reputable school/college/salon

Im 28 n dying to move out.. just met the 'one' so want to get on with my life...

Sooo any suggestions now?? you guys r so sweet and helpful!

<3

I can understand you want to crack on and get qualified. Can I be the word of caution here?
Beauty therapy is a trade like all the others. The piece of paper is only the start. There is no point getting a bit of paper in 10 weeks if you cannot actually do the treatments terribly well as they require practice. Please read some of the threads on here from Qualified therapists and hairdressers who are struggling to cope with the exacting standards of joe public.
Personally I would not employ a therapist from a 10 week course to work in my salons.
As a starting therapist, the road to instant riches doesnt exist, it takes a long time to build a client base and become successful. That doesnt mean you shouldn't start, just be realistic.

I am new here as well, I have been reading posts and things here for a while. I am doing my training (NVQ Level 2) with Kim Sexton and she is amazing, her standards are really high and I feel really confident that she wouldn't let anyone pass her course without being of a high standard.

Good Luck....its a minefield out there!!

If I were you I would visit my local college of futher education. You are not too late to enrol for this year and most colleges would welcome someone as keen and enthusiastic as you. Depending upon your income you may even find this is free, if not, the costs are extremely reasonable. If you enrol onto NVQ Level 2, by June you will have good basic skills and these can be built upon as required. You will have lots of opportunity to practise what you have learnt throughout the academic year and will then be able to confidently procure employment or set up on your own. most full time courses are only usually 3-4 days long so you may even be able to tag on massage this year as well!
I started on my career in beauty at the age of 30 and can honestly say, all these years later I am still loving my job and always learning something new
There are loads of open days coming up - GOOD LUCK!!!!

Thank you guys for all your help and support..

I just wanted to say that i know it takes years to be good in your profession but if i do something then I do it well! I want a quick course as I have suffered with depression for 3 years and not been able to work and been very ill so im very egar to start my life 'properly'.

I want to do the course well and be very good at what i do.. i just want to do it quickly to get my life on track..

Thanks for all your help

XXX