Beauty therapist qualifications?

[skingeek78]

It was very interesting to read different opinions here. I personally, since joined Salon geeks feel my self-confidence dropped dramatically due to lots of critical words against short courses. I chose this field because I really enjoy it, I have higher education but not in this field. I attended the NVQ a while ago and I noticed the quality of the courses was quite poor as most of the students mainly funded teenagers and they are not very keen and they doing it for getting the job in salons, so I quitted, of course this is not true for everyone and I don't underestimate those holding NVQ but I don't think it is faire to disvalue those with different type of qualifications. I have been to different salon (mystery shopper) to check the quality of the therapists and I wasn’t impressed.
I feel attending continuous professional development and personal effort is very important. I really like to check my work regularly by experts, but I work part time from home, which I think refreshing courses can help and perhaps salon geek if I don’t receive attacks instead of help.

There are other options than NVQ in Beauty Therapies, check out the OFQUAL site, it lists all recognised qualifications in the UK, each have learning hours required, this is what gives you a strong basis and foundation knowledge to further build on your skills xx

 

[eternalscot]

It was very interesting to read different opinions here. I personally, since joined Salon geeks feel my self-confidence dropped dramatically due to lots of critical words against short courses. I chose this field because I really enjoy it, I have higher education but not in this field. I attended the NVQ a while ago and I noticed the quality of the courses was quite poor as most of the students mainly funded teenagers and they are not very keen and they doing it for getting the job in salons, so I quitted, of course this is not true for everyone and I don't underestimate those holding NVQ but I don't think it is faire to disvalue those with different type of qualifications. I have been to different salon (mystery shopper) to check the quality of the therapists and I wasn’t impressed.
I feel attending continuous professional development and personal effort is very important. I really like to check my work regularly by experts, but I work part time from home, which I think refreshing courses can help and perhaps salon geek if I don’t receive attacks instead of help.

This is true about the nvq types at local colleges. As a qualified teacher I have experienced this. Not all, but a fair few! Also when I was a salon owner I had many work experience girl from the local colleges with atrocious manners the private school girls did not need taught basic good manners. Not all the local college girls were like this but it would be fair to say a lot of them you are teaching skills such as openings doors for ladies with prams which my five year old son would know e.g don't watch other struggle help!, it did not come naturally for many of these girls, the ones who learned and tried blossomed with confidence. The cream always rises! The problem with the nvqs and huge dilutation on standards to get into these courses has meant the only way many of us are able to make good earning is by being self employed in a specialised area of beauty which requires private training and investment. Which requires money! So has training the masses with no entry requirements benefitted our industry? Personally I cringe when I hear a contestant on the jeremy kyle saying there a beautician. I also get cheesed off at the masses being trained who will just end up working in the Tescos and in reality that was the limit if their abilities. If the colleges cut the numbers and were very selective the standard of the course would be superb. This is the same problem across the board with education University has been devalued with their micky mouse courses aimed at the cognitively challenged spoon fed types usually of aspirational parents, not realising they are wasting their time! It would be better system to cut the numbers so it was exclusive to the brightest so that degrees were of more value. Incidentally the difference between beautician and beauty therapist is a beautician has trainined in beauty without the electrical element!
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[Lilai]

Thank you. that's true !!! and thank you skin geek 78

 

[Hopena23]

hi geeks,
just wanted to share my personal experience with NVQ and private intense courses,hope it is relevant to this thread.
i had passion for beauty since i was 16 but had 0 confidence in myself so did nothing about it until i was 24, i did a very thorough research before choosing what college and what course to go for in Hampshire, after about a month of my research i picked one(not sure i can post the name of the college,so won't do it for now). The college i choose was highly recognisable and advisable by many, many people. So i enrolled for my NVQ beauty therapy level 2 course which started in September 2012(paying over 1500). We had 16 people to start with and after a month 4 of them left. The tutor was very friendly (what turned out to be way too friendly with particular student,what made other student on the course a bit uncomfortable,as it came across as they were her favourite girls and they were getting on with anything)
The best part of this 9 months was 1st month where we did spend good 6 weeks learning facial routine and anatomy and physiology of it,and after it was a complete disaster (maybe only for me)
The following:manicure,pedicure,(hot oil and paraffin) was shown to us once and for the next 3 weeks we were practicing on each other without any guidance or simply attention from the tutor,as she was either having coffee with her colleagues or simply doing her things.
But the worst was two thing: aspect of hygiene and health and safety. We have never ever been told anything in regards to how to sterilise and sanitise the tools what is the difference and things like that. So you can only imagine,we spend 8 months doing treatment without actually knowing how to simply make our tool safe for the use. i did ask couple of times about it especially when we began covering mani and pedi the answer i got was just use Barbecide,but how and in what proportion it was a myth. Later i asked how long can i keep barbecide in my jar before it will lose it power to do the job with the tools and the answer i received was shocking,the tutor said you can use the same barbacide you pour once for the next 28 days,thankfully i am very anxious about this and i did a proper research after.
We have never ever been shown how to do facial wax, even though we were required to pass it as a practical exam,during which personally my client came and unfortunately she had a reaction to product and i could not proceed with the treatment, my tutor still managed to pass me on it, without seeing even a single second what i was doingand it can go on and on,but Thankfully(i know it now) due to my personal circumstances i had to leave just before finishing in may.As i did not expect the situation i had at that time to change so quickly - after 2 weeks, i came back to England and i knew i did not want to give up on my dream of becoming Beautician. However i also knew i will never want to come back to this college and tutor, and after intense research once again i managed to find a private school next to london ,who provided Beauty therapy course not NVQ but still it was accredited by The guild. it was 10 intensive days (covering exactly the same as i did during my NVQ apart from make up) we started at 9am and finished at 6pm every day with only 30 minutes break,and it was only 2 of us,so the amount of attention we were getting is amazing, I could honestly say i was shocked myself at how much more new things i learned during this course and they answered every single question i had and made me do every single treatment until i felt confident in doing them. And guess what the first thing what they covered was health and safety and Hygiene, we went through all possible way of sterilisation,sanitation,disinfection and so on. So basicly what i am trying to say, experiencing both i could honestly say that my personal experience with college and NVQ went unbelievably wrong,however it does not mean that other tutors and colleges are the same,so do not take it as offence or anything like this,as i was only sharing my opinion. In my case private intense course taught me 1000 times better and plus they still answer me if i have any question without a doubt.It scares me only by thinking how many girls are graduating each year with such minimum knowlegde. I wish everyone the best in whatever course or college they choose. So sorry for such a long message,but i felt very disappointed in NVQ,so i just had an urge to share it with someone.