VTCT or ITEC for work in Europe?

[morgane]

Hi guys !
I guess this question has been asked a billion time, but I didn't find a right a answer.
I'm thinking to take some courses at the London school of beauty & make up, there are some individual module courses level 3 as Swedish body massage, Indian head massage, aromatherapy or reflexology. Next to each module is written VTCT. If one day I go back to France or Italy, would that be recognised ?
Or would it better with ITEC ?
Thank you !
Morgane

 

[skingeek78]

Hi guys !
I guess this question has been asked a billion time, but I didn't find a right a answer.
I'm thinking to take some courses at the London school of beauty & make up, there are some individual module courses level 3 as Swedish body massage, Indian head massage, aromatherapy or reflexology. Next to each module is written VTCT. If one day I go back to France or Italy, would that be recognised ?
Or would it better with ITEC ?
Thank you !
Morgane

I would say both are recognised the same levels in Italy anyway but VTCT/NVQ is possibly more commonly known. My advice is to contact the relevant government department of whichever country you are locating to rather than ask in the UK as a definitive answer is hard to come by, with regard to Italy this would be the Ministero del lavoro. They will be able to tell you what is more easily recognised. In order to be recognised as a qualified aesthetician you will need to have completed a certain amount of hours study etc... I believe it is at least 2 years minimum to level 3 with another year for specialisation. It is well worth checking beforehand and bear in mind that laws and regulations can change all the time. I cannot offer any advice with regards to France. I hope this helps you x

 

[AcidPerm]

Agree with the advice given above. Also, try to contact the equivalent trade body in the country you are interested in working in for more information about the practicalities.

 

[skingeek78]

Agree with the advice given above. Also, try to contact the equivalent trade body in the country you are interested in working in for more information about the practicalities.

Unfortunately we have no trade body in Italy :-( it would make life so much easier if we did. It has to be the government first and then region of where you you want to work then commune, Italy loves paperwork :-/

 

[morgane]

Thank you so much for your answers !
My boyfriend is from in Sardinia, Italy. And maybe in few years we would move there, that's why I was wondering about Italy. If itec and vtct aren't recognized, do you think I could get a equivalence in Italy ?

 

[skingeek78]

Thank you so much for your answers !
My boyfriend is from in Sardinia, Italy. And maybe in few years we would move there, that's why I was wondering about Italy. If itec and vtct aren't recognized, do you think I could get a equivalence in Italy ?

They are both recognised as both follow the national qualification framework in the UK but no matter what you have you would need to go through the process of having them recognised over here, as to which is easier to convert, it would be advisable to contact the government department in charge of doing so. You will need to have very good Italian if it is not already your spoken language. I don't think they will recognise individual modules very easily, you will need to have complete certificates ie level 2 foundation level 3 beauty therapist including anatomy physiology and electrotherapy level 4 salon management/ advanced specialisation. You may need to submit how many hours studied ( this will be on the curriculum of what you have studied and completed along with the units you have covered ) a letter from the school where you have studied might be advisable.

They will want to see that you have completed the UK equivalent of the Italian Aesthetic Diploma. Which I believe is currently 2700 hours. But again check with the dept in charge of recognising foreign aesthetics qualifications.

I strongly advise if it is Italy, that you contact the government department and ask for their advice as to what is more easily converted/recognised before deciding which qualification to pursue. The government dept is in Rome. Then you will need to get in touch with the region in Sardegna and also the commune of where you are going to live to ask what their requirements are once you have your certificate of recognition.

I am only familiar with the regional requirements of Lazio, we are quite strict here, but some regions differ! So cannot advice on what current requirements are elsewhere.

I hope this helps you.

 

[morgane]

Thank you so much skingeek78, you are being very helpful.
I'm not really interested into being a beauty therapy, more a massage therapist. Do you have any advice of which course I should take ?

 

[skingeek78]

Thank you so much skingeek78, you are being very helpful.
I'm not really interested into being a beauty therapy, more a massage therapist. Do you have any advice of which course I should take ?

I can try to find out for you, but I have a feeling it differs here, my advice would be definitely contact the dept i suggested yourself and ask them, things change here and it can be so confusing at times the system, if you make contact now then perhaps things might be easier for you, keep records of all correspondence. We have set titles and you are allowed to do certain things according to that title, it is so very different from the UK. So for the most freedom, to my knowledge I would suggest taking full beauty therapy then make massage your specialised area 3 year subject. I am unsure if there is a title specifically of massage therapist here more a qualified aesthetician who then specialised in massage. Other people of the top of my head who do massage would be say a physiotherapist, I am sure that there must be other professions that offer massage therapy.

 

[AcidPerm]

NARIC - UK NARIC

Try the above link. They may be able to provide additional information.

 

[skingeek78]

NARIC - UK NARIC

Try the above link. They may be able to provide additional information.

The UK is so organised! I miss that :-D is this service for foreign nationals having their qualifications recognised in the UK or predominantly for those wanting to work abroad? The Europass part of the site looks promising but I had much confusion and my experience was a long process getting my UK gained specialisation (level 4) recognised, bear in mind that advice given in the UK may not always be so relevant to the department of the country you move to, Italy has its own bureaucratic rules, they have their own processes and usually applications go to commission, it can be complicated, the insurance structure is different from the UK and it is government regulated that is just how it is here! Gain advice from the UK as I did.. but it really is best to speak to them directly in Italy aswell.

 

[skingeek78]

This came up on my Facebook newsfeed! Someone advertising as a holistic massage therapist!! Thought I would share it with you

 

[jcpark]

From what I have heard, only Physiotherapists can do 'massage therapy' in France and you cannot use that description. Spas and beauty therapists use the term 'modelage' and I believe there is no legal requirements for qualifications like in the UK.

 

[morgane]

Thank you so much guys for your answer, I think I'm going to do my VTCT courses and i'll see later when I move out from the uk
I have another question,
If I take the VTCT courses level 3; anatomy & physiology, Swedish body massage, Indian head massage, aromatherapy, and electro therapy. Do I still need to pass the VTCT level 3 in body massage ? Or do you think with all these courses ill learn already the basic massage ?
Thank you again, you are being really helpful !!
Morgane

 

[skingeek78]

Thank you so much guys for your answer, I think I'm going to do my VTCT courses and i'll see later when I move out from the uk
I have another question,
If I take the VTCT courses level 3; anatomy & physiology, Swedish body massage, Indian head massage, aromatherapy, and electro therapy. Do I still need to pass the VTCT level 3 in body massage ? Or do you think with all these courses ill learn already the basic massage ?
Thank you again, you are being really helpful !!
Morgane

I think this is a good choice, I had both but got the impression VTCT was easier for them? in the case of Italy you will have a level 3 qualification of a nationally recognised which should be recognised by them, as to what their equivalent is and requirement for officially recognising/converting would be, I don't know exactly, but you can ask them! Worst case is if you have to wait whilst they establish what you have in comparison to our system or sit an exam/make up some hours here, but it shouldn't be a complete retake of what you have done I would imagine. I am glad you are choosing this route and also to study in the UK if english is your first language this is easier! I would strongly advise (I know I keep going on lol but I know very well how things can be and want to help you!!) getting in touch with them over here with the title you will have in UK and the certificates you will take to achieve it. With regards to your question about massage, I would discuss this with the school where you undertake training. I have not checked the curriculum but does the VTCT body massage cover other forms than just Swedish? If so I would advise you take it aswell, this will be more useful if you are taught different forms and going to be a massage therapist. I wish you all the very best! Let me know how it goes. If you do move to Italy, I am based in Rome and we distribute Aromatherapy products and offer training. We are hoping to offer IFPA Clinical Aromatherapy in addition at some point in the not too distant future!!! Victoria x