Hi all,

Very quick intro: I'm Lorri, I'm from Glasgow and I'm fed up being a graduate with a useless degree and a demoralising job.

There, enough with that.

I've always been interested in beauty therapy and frequent a spa not far from me every so often, which, more than it should, is making me a bit jealous of the people who work there. The nature of this post, really, is that I want to study beauty therapy but different courses and qualifications are confusing me! I've looked into HNDs at Glasgow colleges but I've spotted people on here talking about NVQs, which I cannot find anywhere. I've seen one SVQ at level 3 but even that is confusing me as to what levels to do/start at, if the HND is worth it if NVQs are what employers look for, so, more or less............................ help

Lorri

It kind of depends what you want to do with your qualification. Do you want to be self employed, a spa manager, work on ships, work as a therapist in a salon?

I completed my HND before the new one which is currently running and the treatments were a bit archaic. SVQ 2 and 3 had a lot more commercail treatments included but wasn't viewed by the college heirarchy as academic as the HND however I would have had a larger range of commercial treatment practice under my belt.

Which college are you considering attending?
hth's

As far as the career path goes, probably the latter.

The colleges that offer the courses are Central College, Langside College and the Nautical College. I'm waiting to hear back from the contacts that I emailed to know what was involved, if I would fit the HND because of my lack of experience or other relevent qualification.

hiya

I am approaching the end of my 2 year HND in Beauty Therapy. The 1st year of the course was 4 days per week plus one late evening, and 2nd year has been 3.5 days with 1 late evening plus an additional 11 days salon experience.

1st year subjects covered in 1 semester (1/2 a year) were contemporary aesthetics (covered tanning, nail art, eyelash perming, ear piercing), facial treatments, face and body electrical, nail extensions, management and practice of body therapies, management and practice of facial therapies, indian head massage and make-up. The last 2 being optional as I had already did nail care and depilation. we also did fake bake spray tan training and intimate waxing training with external trainers but through the college so got it cheaper.
1st year subjects over 2 semesters (1 full year) were human anatomy & physiology, (definitely dont just 'skim over' this), body massage and employment experience. In addition to this the HND now has a Graded Unit which is a practical and written piece of work over 1 semester which incorporates all subjects studied and instead of credits, student are graded an A, B or C.
2nd year subjects covered in 1 semester are electro-cosmetic therapy, lifestyle advice, spa treatments, product knowledge and principles & practice of selling. 2 semester subjects are contemporary electrotherapy, graded unit, aromatherapy, reflexology and preparing & presenting a business plan.

I was an information/office manager for 7 years before deciding to do Beauty full time and I've got to say this is the hardest thing i've ever done. It's not the subjects that are hard but the sheer volume of work is overwhelming at times because of course like everyone, in order to pay the bills I have to also work 25-30 hours per week on top of college hours and study time. Now that the moans over i would also say i absolutely love beauty therapy and have no regrets .

as already said, it does depend what you hope to do after you gain the qualification but i feel for me going straight in to the hnd gave me a really good grounding and indepth knowledge and understanding overall, although i can understand different lifestyles and commitments means this isnt the route for everyone.

i had did a couple of evening courses prior to my hnd but there were mature students in my class who had no relevant industry experience or qualification but this didnt stop them doing the hnd as direct entrants. i honestly don't think it's been much harder a course for us than for the girls who had spent a year doing an nq in beauty.

dont know if my ramble helps at all, but was just hoping to give you an idea of my experience as it sounds like you are where i was at 2 years ago.

hth and good luck with whatever you choose xxx

So, to work in a spa/salon, which would I be better doing? The NVQ route or going straight into an HND?

I dont know if I read this right...but if you dont have any beauty therapy experience at all it is unlikely you will be able to go straight into an HND programme without doing any previous programme ie SVQ1,2,3 HNC
not that I am trying to put you off, but you do need the basics before HND. the difference between NVQ and SVQ as far as I know is SVQ is Scottish and the NVQ is british, no difference as far as I am aware (a bit like the old OO'Grades being Scottish and O'levels being the rest

HTH

LindaC xx

i have just started the distance learning NVQ level 1-3 whilst working, the tutors are giving me superb help when needed, i was also fed up with a boring office job and have always had a nack for this industry but unfortunetely i didnt have suitable grades to go to college! i have now finished the health and safety and reception side of things and onto facials.

im enjoying every minute of it! it costing quite a bit of money but seriously worth it! x

Good Luck Tiny,

I was in a similar situation but due to finances and being a big scardey cat I took the longer route - I went private for the spray tanning and college for the depilation and nails I am currently doing my HND in Nails at Commerce, and the great thing is it gave me some time to make sure that this is the career I really wanted.

The cost is also very low, you may even eligable for ILA funding which has been a god send to me.

I was thinking of going down the SVQ route as it seems a little more hands-on than the HND. I spent 4 years learning theory for something else so I'm beginning to think an SVQ may be better to build on. Cardonald College do SVQ Level 2 in Beauty Therapy so I'm going to phone the contact there when I have 10 minutes to myself! New course and new purpose-built training salon - worth a try at least

I joined a HND course without any previous Beauty experience

Think about doing a part-time/evening course so you can carry on working whilst studying beauty. Your job might be 'demoralising' but surely as a graduate you can change jobs and also command a much higher salary than starting at the bottom of the ladder in beauty therapy, where you could well be on minimum wage. Do consider the financial implications of a career change.
I am not trying to put you off, merely being realistic.
You might be jealous of the girls working at your local spa, but have you stopped and thought exactly what their job really entails? Yes, it may seem lovely and possibly glamorous to you, but it can be hard physical work at times, with back-to back bookings and probably unsociable hours eg evenings and weekends. If you have treatments there, why not ask one of the girls what her typical day is like the next time you book in?
All I am saying is try and look at the beauty industry realistically.
I love my job as a working salon owner, but if I had a degree maybe I would be doing something completely different and making more money at this stage in my life.
But if you decide to go ahead with it my advice to you would be as soon as you get started at college, and get to grips with your theoretical work, try to get your foot in the door of a salon or spa to get practical experience, either paid or unpaid if necessary, at least that way you will get a true picture of life as a beauty therapist.
Good luck with whatever you do.
Cathy x

Fantastic advice!!!!!!!

Due to the now cliched "current economic climate", I am on a minimum wage job. In a call centre. Listening to idiots who can't work their mobile phones. Putting what I studied 4 years for to absolutely no use at all. The myth of graduates being able to waltz into a well-paid job is exactly that: a myth.

Anything is a step up from here.

I do realise it's not all sparkly and lovely all the time but it's something I wanted to do even from before my final year at uni. And a change from my 'career' in Customer Service would be most welcome.

hi im having a lil read and i find it totally mad that someone could go straight to hnd level without basic depilation, facials , tinting and perming ?
not saying you cant do it be in my experiance the more waxing you do the better u get etc what college was it ?

I looked into doing the HND last year. Basically if you have enough UCAS points you can do the course. You do not need any experience in the industry or industry quals.