Should I train at South Thames College?

[ChanzLue]

I did some training with The Carlton Institute and I was very disappointed. I wish I had saved my money and trained somewhere else. I was thinking of doint the vtct swedish massage course with south thames college but I don't want to make the same mistake twice as after spending all that money with Carlton I don't have anything to show for it. Should I do the course with South Thames or not? I'm going to uni next year to study literature so I can't study full time, I'm doing this so I can hopefully earn some money whilst I'm at uni.

 

[tog]

I see you are a nail geek. .
Why don't you do what one of my client's daughters has done - she applied to Nails Inc and they trained her up and she works a few hours part-time whilst she is doing her teacher training. I think she did a very basic man and ped course first.
Why spend any more money doing a massage course when you are already qualified in nails? ( I presume )

 

[ChanzLue]

That's the problem I'm not qualified in anything (beauty wise). I paid extra to do the nvq units and the ihbc units with carlton but some of the questions were for people working in a salon so I couldn't complete it.

 

[tog]

That's a shame - they should have made it clear that you'd need salon experience before they took your money.
Maybe you should think of something a little simpler to earn some money for uni, to train for anything in the beauty industry does necessitate time and practice from you. And when you start working you'll probably be on minimum wage, so even retail work would pay you as much.
Sorry if this seems negative but if it's just a way to earn money then there are other jobs you could do without having to train first.

 

[ChanzLue]

I know I would need a lot of practice and the pay at the start would be low but the reality is a degree doesn't carry a guarantee that you will get a job. Plus I hate retail and want to do something different. The course I'm thinking of doing is vtct level 2 swedish massage. Would I be able to get a job with this qualification? Thanks for all the advice.

 

[VICKYBROOKES]

That's the problem I'm not qualified in anything (beauty wise). I paid extra to do the nvq units and the ihbc units with carlton but some of the questions were for people working in a salon so I couldn't complete it.

]

hi hun thats a shame u didnt complete the course i have trained with them myself and am doing nvq swedish massage at the mo , i have also done make up . waxing and facials , what questions were for salon based therapists ?? maybe i could help ya ? i havnt come across any questions like this chick , i think they r hypothetical (sp) in many cases , asking you to imagin your in a salon and what would you do . Many people on my courses def were not salon based and still completed the nvqs . I can understand your concern with the carlton tho hun as they never even phone to see how you are getting on with the portfolio .

 

[Bombalurina]

Hi, ChanzLue, in theory yes you would be able to get a job doing massage with a level 2 in Swedish Massage. However, I feel it might be difficult to get a full time job with just this qualification, so if you are qualified in something else too, make sure you try to find a job that lets you practise both (Eg, nails AND massage). The more strings you have to your bow, the better, especially in the current financial climate. Also, until you start on the course it's difficult to appreciate just how much hard work goes into an hours massage!! The more you do the easier it gets, but I certainly wouldn't want to do more than 3 in a day, even now.

Working for a salon will rarely earn you top-dollar, especially considering the effort you will put in with each client; if the purpose of undertaking the course is for you to earn money, (rather than realising a dream, or following a vocation, with the money coming secondary), then I would seriously think about becoming mobile, or self employed...but as I'm sure you realise, even this takes time to build up a good clientele, and to earn a decent wage.

There is no quick fix to getting a decent qualification and earning a good wage in the beauty industry, and it's unfortunate that you've had a bad experience with this company to start with. My advice to you about this new college (though I don't know anything about them), is to go and have a look around, meet the lecturer if you can, and to go with your gut feeling.

I hope you find what you're looking for; good luck

 

[ChanzLue]

Thanks for all the help. One of the questions I'm refering to is the one that asks you to observe a collegue and create a report (or something to that affect) and another was to take part in a fire evacuation and (again) create a report. I just felt I couldn't do either of these without working in a salon. Also I wasn't very good at nails and found it hard to find people to practice on so I decided not to continue. I guess it's back to the drawing board for me then. I just really like the idea of doing something with my hands.

 

[VICKYBROOKES]

how wierd chanz , just realise ,yes we were on the same courses together ! i thought u did really well on the course hun ! Cant believe they didnt give u any help with the nvq query tho , u have done so many courses with them it seems bad they just took ur money and u had no qualification in the end !

Im gonna finish my l3 massage with them and then after that look elsewhere for my training , how local r u hun > if u find some good course i would be up for doing them too money permitting !

i want to do spray tanning next !lol