opinions please, good and bad and the ugly.

[Susie H]

Hi all, I am thinking of taking the NVQ level 2 beauty therepy course.

It has to be at a collage so that I can get the course paid for by the job center and it has to be around Northampton.
So Northampton, Milton Keynes, Coventry, Birmingham, Bedford.
I have found a fast track course at Bedford collage which looks good and is 39 weeks long. I have found one some in Northampton but they are either BTEC or RVQ (which does not appear to be worth my while doing)
So can everyone please tell me the good the bad and the ugly, of their own experience of following the NVQ2 in this part of England, and or funding help they have had, how hard was it to get etc.
Many thanks:hug:

 

[AmeliaR]

i did my NVQ level 2 n 3 straight from school!
and really found more bad and ugly than good!!
my class was fulll of well chavs! girls that didnt know what the wanted to do so picked beauty "cus its easy and we do false nails" they were nothing but disruptive and the tutor spent more time trying to exsplain the basics and trying to control then then she did teaching the rest of us that actually wanted to learn!!
my advice would to do it as a night class as this is mainly mature students ( most that has paid to do the course so arnt going to **** about and are very willing to learn)
i felt held back by all the people that really didnt wana be there as they would just moan! and there was 20 in the class so as long as u could pass your assesment they wasnt botherd how good you actually was at doing the treatment!

the good thing about it was i realised i actually did want to be in the beauty and nail industry and that pushed me to do other training!

but if i was you id deffinatly do the night classes and ask lots of questions before you pick your college! ask about class numbers and about how many younger students will be in your class!
but i hope you really enjoy it! and get the right college! x

 

[SJK]

I didn't train at Bedford college but I have heard really good things about it.

 

[Susie H]

Thank you both, I too have heard good things about Bedford collage, which is why I searched their web site, so good to know someone else has too:hug:
Right, I'll add size of class and avarage age to my questions for Monday, thanks for that.:hug:
Has anyone heard of a collage evening class in or around Northamptonshire?
Has to be with a collage, so I can get it paid for and has to be a full beauty therepy NVQ2.
Help please geeks:hug:

 

[Susie H]

Anyone?:cry:

 

[dee]

even though i did my training in leeds , i would think most colleges do a night class hun , i did mine at night school twice a week for 9 months i think , but mine was itec not nvq ... i do know they did do nvq though and they even had the option of going in on a saturday :lol:
am sure you will be pleasantly surprised as colleges are getting more flexible now a days :green: let us know how you get on x

 

[vics]

Hi hun,.... just a quick opinion, as I'm still a student myself. If you want to do a Level 2 to be able to do a Level 3, and considering you only need facials and eye treatments to finish your level 2, as you already have nails, waxing and tan, I would try to do the facials and eye treatments private in the next few months, and be ready for a full level 3 in September at college, with the funding you need. Basically that is what I did, started with nail treatments, nails tech, make up and eye treatments at college evening classes, then finished off my facials and waxing on private VTCT trainers, ready to start my full time level 3 last September, which I love. By the way VTCT standards have changed this year, and make up and eyelash perm have been withdrawn from Level 2 (at least in my college), so I would see what services you really want offer before going to college. Best of luck xx

 

[Susie H]

Hi hun,.... just a quick opinion, as I'm still a student myself. If you want to do a Level 2 to be able to do a Level 3, and considering you only need facials and eye treatments to finish your level 2, as you already have nails, waxing and tan, I would try to do the facials and eye treatments private in the next few months, and be ready for a full level 3 in September at college, with the funding you need. Basically that is what I did, started with nail treatments, nails tech, make up and eye treatments at college evening classes, then finished off my facials and waxing on private VTCT trainers, ready to start my full time level 3 last September, which I love. By the way VTCT standards have changed this year, and make up and eyelash perm have been withdrawn from Level 2 (at least in my college), so I would see what services you really want offer before going to college. Best of luck xx

Thanks for this, I wasn't sure, but was ready to argue my corner:lol:, if they would accept my quals or try to make me re do them.
I'm getting on the phone tomorrow to have a chat with Northampton and Bedford.
So class sizes, funding, what do I need to complete level 2. If done privetely will they accept and let me do level 3. Can I attend just the bits I am missing for level 2 and do the assesment for the lot (possibly, just thinking out loud ) Do they have night school, the web site doesn't say one way or the other How much is the kit going to cost me, can I buy my own from my own suppliers, or must I buy from theirs.
Anyone think of anything else I should ask?
:hug::hug:

 

[dee]

if you explain you are already trained and have most of the supplies i dont think they will make you buy the kit , there for you can buy your own , thats what i did , as they bought the products from the same place i did but they add their own bit on top !! so i wasnt gonna pay £x for a kit when i could buy the same exact kit fromt he same place for however much less, for beauty its stuff like bloomin tweezers , make up , nail stuff ,
i think they will be fine with you hun , xxx

 

[Susie H]

if you explain you are already trained and have most of the supplies i dont think they will make you buy the kit , there for you can buy your own , thats what i did , as they bought the products from the same place i did but they add their own bit on top !! so i wasnt gonna pay £x for a kit when i could buy the same exact kit fromt he same place for however much less, for beauty its stuff like bloomin tweezers , make up , nail stuff ,
i think they will be fine with you hun , xxx

Thanks Dee, I will update and let everyone know how I get on, just incase theres someone else in my boat:lol:

 

[AmeliaR]

when i got my college bit (baring in mind i did it straight from school how didnt have any beauty stuff) it stuff in the kit was very poor quality and very random! got like nail files cuticle tools and a random tube of cheap foot mask! :S and most of the stuff in the kit we didnt use because college had loads of supplies for us to use! i would try and get your own kit! x

 

[jaimee]

I did my NVQ2 at Booth Lane College about 7 years ago 1 night a week for 2 years, i think you get out of it what you put in, it worked out alright for me as i have 2 children who were very small at the time and i also got funding for it although i think i still had to pay for the book and kits i m not too sure how much the courses are i would ring the college, i think they do a few different nights. Hope that helps
Jaimee

 

[Susie H]

Thanks to everyone for your info:hug:
I rang Northampton collage today who were very helpful, but unable to help me.
They no longer run an evening class for nvq 2 beauty therepy, it is now run as seperate modules which do not receive funding and my pockets are not that deep.
The full time course starts in September, the classes are quiet large and are mostly made up of school leavers. The course is 16 hours a week.
The job center say that I can do a collage course and so long as it is shorter then 16 hours a week, i.e. up to 15 hours and 59 mins it does not affect my benifits, but they do not include lunch breaks, so anyone looking to do something like this, needs to ask about lunch breaks before thinking they cant do it.
Anyway, I then rang Bedford collage who do a fast track level 2 course and excluding lunch breaks this course comes in at 15 hours a week.
This course is usually filled by mature students, receives funding up to £1000 which leaves a balance of £355, which I can pay over 3 months, although by September I will be able to save that much.
Because of the fee and the shorter study time not only does it attract mature students but also has fewer numbers wanting to attend.
So I've requested an application form, after that I'll need to have an interview and then hopefully I'll be accepted for the September start.
If not I'll bite the bullet and do the Northampton one.
Once again thanks to all:hug:

 

[dee]

aww it hink it will be great for you hun , it will get you out and feeling a bit more back to normal i hope the silly people give you the funding for it xxx

 

[jaimee]

Oh thats a real shame isnt it! I have to say i did a few days with the level 3 NVQ that were doing camouflage make up i was about 25 at the time and i found it really hard work, have you looked at the Vanessa Horne (i think thats what its called) Beauty school thing in Towcester i m not sure how expensive it is... but if you have to pay anyway it might be worth having a look at that one? Good luck
Jaimee

 

[Susie H]

Oh thats a real shame isnt it! I have to say i did a few days with the level 3 NVQ that were doing camouflage make up i was about 25 at the time and i found it really hard work, have you looked at the Vanessa Horne (i think thats what its called) Beauty school thing in Towcester i m not sure how expensive it is... but if you have to pay anyway it might be worth having a look at that one? Good luck
Jaimee

Thanks hun, yes I did look and they want a lot more then £300 just for the make up course, never mind the whole nvq, so I'm happy, I'll get the bulk of it funded; get the whole course, and have the choice of Northampton or Bedford for the nvq 3 the following year.
And, it's my choice to do it this way, if I was willing to do the standard course, I wouldn't have to pay a thing but I want to do the intensive one, it's over less time:lol:
Dee I'm blaming you and Gigi for this, you're resposes to my blog when I was feeling very sorry for myself helped me pick my self up.
Love you guys:hug: