Should I do Beauty Therapy Level 2?

[MeganEmilyy]

I have just finished my A Levels, but have wanted to start Beauty Thepary for a long time now. It's something that I've always wanted to do but I still feel really nevours about not going to Uni but in training to be a Beauty Theparist instead. I can get very anxious and neverous and I'm worried that might get in the way of my training, but this is something I really want to do.

Should I drop Uni for Beauty? I'm really stuck and I only have a few weeks to make up my mind.

 

[Grace_Hair]

If it's something you've wanted to do for a long time, go for it.

 

[NatalieSmooch]

weigh up your options, how many years will your uni course be? Can you do beauty therapy training after you finish uni? or how long can you put off uni? then do your beauty training beforehand.
Theres no reason why you cant do both but prioitise which is more important xx

 

[MissKittyKat]

What is it you would like to do at Uni? I personally had always thought I'd go to Uni, but when I thought about it, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Most of my friends went off to Uni whilst I eventually decided to do level 2 and then 3 in Beauty Therapy. I'm currently the only one out of them with zero debts and working in a job I trained for! Everyone else seems to be stuck with an office job they hate.

Don't be worried too much about feeling nervous and anxious. When I first started college I was very reserved and shy and the thought of actually interacting with clients was pretty terrifying. Gradually, you'll feel more comfortable with it and grow used to it. After fours years of working in the beauty industry I would say I've never been more confident when approaching strangers for new business and interacting with clients. You've already said you've wanted to do Beauty Therapy for a long time now, so I say go for it!

 

[MeganEmilyy]

weigh up your options, how many years will your uni course be? Can you do beauty therapy training after you finish uni? or how long can you put off uni? then do your beauty training beforehand.
Theres no reason why you cant do both but prioitise which is more important xx

My uni course would be two years but before that I'd need to stay on at college and do a foundation degree to qualify for the course, due to it being Art and Design. So in all it would take me three years.

Thanks for the advise, I think as I want to do beauty more, I'll do it first, then if I still want to do uni I can in the future xx

 

[MeganEmilyy]

What is it you would like to do at Uni? I personally had always thought I'd go to Uni, but when I thought about it, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Most of my friends went off to Uni whilst I eventually decided to do level 2 and then 3 in Beauty Therapy. I'm currently the only one out of them with zero debts and working in a job I trained for! Everyone else seems to be stuck with an office job they hate.

Don't be worried too much about feeling nervous and anxious. When I first started college I was very reserved and shy and the thought of actually interacting with clients was pretty terrifying. Gradually, you'll feel more comfortable with it and grow used to it. After fours years of working in the beauty industry I would say I've never been more confident when approaching strangers for new business and interacting with clients. You've already said you've wanted to do Beauty Therapy for a long time now, so I say go for it!

At uni it would've have been Art & Design, but before hand I would do a 1 year foundation to qualify for the course. It's just something that I've always planned on doing, but now as it draws nearer I'm finding myself not actually wanting to do it.

But because I've put so much effort into it and everyone has supported me I feel kind of stupid just switching but Beauty has always been something I've always secretly wanted to do and I have no idea what to even progress into after uni.

Thanks for all your help, I just don't want to make the wrong decision and regret it or disappoint anyone.

 

[squidgernetball]

Funnily enough my daughter got onto a foundation course to do at and design and just piped up one day that she didn't know why she was doing it as she doesn't know what she'd do with an art degree. She completely changed everything and did her nvq 2 and 3 in beauty and absolutely loves working in this field.

Good luck

Vic x

 

[sv1711]

I had this dilemma when doing my a levels and ended up doing a hair part time evening course to start with along side my a levels so I did both might be an option to start with? Mine was only a couple of evenings a wk then added days towards the end once I'd finished a levels it was a lot more work for me to do at home but was worth it

 

[MeganEmilyy]

Funnily enough my daughter got onto a foundation course to do at and design and just piped up one day that she didn't know why she was doing it as she doesn't know what she'd do with an art degree. She completely changed everything and did her nvq 2 and 3 in beauty and absolutely loves working in this field.

Good luck

Vic x

Thank you, it's nice to hear that I'm not the only one that has had such sudden doubts, well today is the final say to decide as enrolment for the foundation is tomorrow & I think I'm going to go with beauty!

 

[MeganEmilyy]

I had this dilemma when doing my a levels and ended up doing a hair part time evening course to start with along side my a levels so I did both might be an option to start with? Mine was only a couple of evenings a wk then added days towards the end once I'd finished a levels it was a lot more work for me to do at home but was worth it

I live in Suffolk so I'm really limited to night courses and things like that. I also work evenings so I'm not sure id be able to fit everything in [emoji17]

 

[AcidPerm]

Try not to get too het up about making 'the right decision'.

Life has a habit of changing the goalposts no matter how much we plan and prepare for things so choose to do Beauty Therapy if that feels 'right' to you for now.

You can always go back to studying Art or something else later on, if you want to.

Plus, it doesn't have to be Beauty and nothing else. You can still pursue your hobbies such as drawing, painting, sewing, craft at the same time.

Also, don't make choices just to please others. That never really works out, in my experience.

Good luck with your next step.

 

[Phoenixeternia]

you get ucas points for doing those courses so i think at the end of it you could still go on to do art and design at uni if you changed your mind, the skill set is transferable there is a lot of art based skills required in beauty therapy, nail art, make up, the eye brows and lashes, even more advanced intimate waxes making the profession your own.

I recently did my level 2 in hair and we had to do a fashion style competition, catwalk and all. The hair and beauty students had to do hair, make up and outfit/costume to a fashion/catwalk standard it was quite stressful but really quite fun once it was all over seeing my model walk down the catwalk.

I think the catwalk fashion show thing was exclusive to our college but the module is the same its creating an image to a set theme within the hair and beauty industry, requires a mood board mapping ideas and stuff
- my point is even if you change your mind later, you have still built up the ucas points to go on to uni ^_^

 

[Jenny Jo]

I have just finished my A Levels, but have wanted to start Beauty Thepary for a long time now. It's something that I've always wanted to do but I still feel really nevours about not going to Uni but in training to be a Beauty Theparist instead. I can get very anxious and neverous and I'm worried that might get in the way of my training, but this is something I really want to do.

Should I drop Uni for Beauty? I'm really stuck and I only have a few weeks to make up my mind.

Hello Megan Emily,

I've done Foundation Art and Design, many years ago and did not progress to the degree in Art, still the Foundation year course was really valuable to me. It forces you to think outside the box, understanding Colour Theory, seeing light and dark, tones, being knowledgeable and developing a discerning palette in Arts, visiting galleries, learning about and respecting other great artists, using a wide variety of mediums you may not have considered you had talent in.

By doing the Foundation in Art you pick up new skills, and really get to know and see yourself in a new light - especially doing self portraits!
Warning - if you like having long beautiful manicured nails this can be challenging when working with pastels, pottery, ceramics as they get in the way!

There are no right or wrong answers with art, unlike studying maths or other academic courses. Sometimes this can be frustrating as you wonder sometimes 'am i doing this right'!

Doing an NVQ 2 in Beauty Therapy would be similar to the Foundation in Art - in that you cover a wide range of treatments using different techniques - some of which you will like, and some you may not. It is surprising the treatments we think are our favourites can change, and sometimes discover the least favourite is most enjoyable. When you have completed NVQ2 you have some options which type of NVQ3 to go for - holistic, facials etc...check which routes your local college offer first, and have a look at the facilities - do they train all the treatments you are interested in ?

Many years later after doing my Foundation in Art, i chose to do short courses in beauty therapy not the NVQ as I didn't like the thought of having 8 weeks of students filing my nails and ruining them and being experimented on! I have expanded in the areas I excelled at. Looking back the foundation in Art has helped me with Beauty Therapy; colour matching with brow / lash tints, spray tan contouring, choosing best nail colours, shape brows (wax and thread) better to suit face shapes, photograph my work.

A wise idea may be to purchase the latest NVQ2 and 3 syllabus 'Beauty Therapy The Foundations' by Lorraine Nordmann. They are pricey but will help guide you through your courses, beautifully illustrated books with the latest techniques. Examine the contents and when you go to your local Beauty College be sure to ask questions relating to the syllabus to make sure they cover everything you'd like to study. If you would like to work abroad one day then the ITEC or CIDESCO qualification may be a better idea. However if you just want to specialist in nails and nails only, or spray tan look for a brand who will support you with training and one you would like to work with.

Visiting Trade Shows is also a good way of learning, there are free seminars on all topics, check out Pro Beauty Manchester 20/1 September and Olympia Beauty in London this October.

There are some great beauty therapists who are Artists in their own right, for example check out Sophy Robson the Nail Artist, is this where you see yourself? It is possible to mix the two areas, and the final parts of the Foundation Art course would allow you to use any medium you liked - so that could mean body painting, henna, nail art etc...really making you think outside the box as to whats possible, which in an oversaturated beauty market can only be a good thing.

Keep us posted with your decision, theres lots of helpful people on here

 

[MeganEmilyy]

Hello Megan Emily,

I've done Foundation Art and Design, many years ago and did not progress to the degree in Art, still the Foundation year course was really valuable to me. It forces you to think outside the box, understanding Colour Theory, seeing light and dark, tones, being knowledgeable and developing a discerning palette in Arts, visiting galleries, learning about and respecting other great artists, using a wide variety of mediums you may not have considered you had talent in.

By doing the Foundation in Art you pick up new skills, and really get to know and see yourself in a new light - especially doing self portraits!
Warning - if you like having long beautiful manicured nails this can be challenging when working with pastels, pottery, ceramics as they get in the way!

There are no right or wrong answers with art, unlike studying maths or other academic courses. Sometimes this can be frustrating as you wonder sometimes 'am i doing this right'!

Doing an NVQ 2 in Beauty Therapy would be similar to the Foundation in Art - in that you cover a wide range of treatments using different techniques - some of which you will like, and some you may not. It is surprising the treatments we think are our favourites can change, and sometimes discover the least favourite is most enjoyable. When you have completed NVQ2 you have some options which type of NVQ3 to go for - holistic, facials etc...check which routes your local college offer first, and have a look at the facilities - do they train all the treatments you are interested in ?

Many years later after doing my Foundation in Art, i chose to do short courses in beauty therapy not the NVQ as I didn't like the thought of having 8 weeks of students filing my nails and ruining them and being experimented on! I have expanded in the areas I excelled at. Looking back the foundation in Art has helped me with Beauty Therapy; colour matching with brow / lash tints, spray tan contouring, choosing best nail colours, shape brows (wax and thread) better to suit face shapes, photograph my work.

A wise idea may be to purchase the latest NVQ2 and 3 syllabus 'Beauty Therapy The Foundations' by Lorraine Nordmann. They are pricey but will help guide you through your courses, beautifully illustrated books with the latest techniques. Examine the contents and when you go to your local Beauty College be sure to ask questions relating to the syllabus to make sure they cover everything you'd like to study. If you would like to work abroad one day then the ITEC or CIDESCO qualification may be a better idea. However if you just want to specialist in nails and nails only, or spray tan look for a brand who will support you with training and one you would like to work with.

Visiting Trade Shows is also a good way of learning, there are free seminars on all topics, check out Pro Beauty Manchester 20/1 September and Olympia Beauty in London this October.

There are some great beauty therapists who are Artists in their own right, for example check out Sophy Robson the Nail Artist, is this where you see yourself? It is possible to mix the two areas, and the final parts of the Foundation Art course would allow you to use any medium you liked - so that could mean body painting, henna, nail art etc...really making you think outside the box as to whats possible, which in an oversaturated beauty market can only be a good thing.

Keep us posted with your decision, theres lots of helpful people on here

Thanks so much for this advise, it's been a stressful few weeks going back and forth on what I want to do. But, thanks to everyone's advise and long chats with both the Art College and Beauty College, I've decided to spend from now till June doing the Foundation in Art & Design and to attend Beauty college next September.

I'm revealed and happy now and plan on spending the year just having fun with the Foundation course. The Beauty College I plan on going to also hosts mini night class on treatments (Only basic few hour courses) but I'm planning on attending a few just to get a feel for it.

Thankyou everyone for your advise, it really helped!

 

[laurakate]

Sounds like a good plan.

It's important to consider that it doesn't have to be one or the other. Uni and an academic path can be embraced at the same time as beauty. I've lived by this since doing nvq2 whilst finishing an MA (twas stressful in hindsight yet worthwhile and doable).

Don't feel that you have to give up one for the other. You really can have both. Besides, skills in art could seriously lend themselves to makeup and nails