Making the Right Choice
Few industries value knowledge and ongoing
education as much as professional beauty. Not only is it essential to be always ahead of the curve when it comes to the newest and most effective treatments, but with more and more information available to clients about skin and beauty, it's also necessary to have an excellent knowledge of how the body and skin works and reacts to various ingredients. Put simply, a therapist must be ahead of his or her client in terms of knowledge and skills – no easy feat in today's fast-moving informative world.
The key to this is education. If you're just starting out in the beauty world, you may find yourself becoming overwhelmed by the sheer volume of
courses on offer, and wondering how to make the right choice. Our first piece of advice is to not panic. Education is a career-long process, as Marie-Louise Coster from All About Mi Beauty Training School explains. “Training should be an inspiring and informative experience and something that should be repeated regularly. Whether learning something new or updating and refreshing skills, it is only the naïve therapist who thinks their initial training at college is enough to keep them ahead of the game and make them the very best therapist they can be.”
Making the right choice
But before we can even contemplate continuing education, there's the small matter of the initial training – and that nerve-wracking job of choosing a college. Derek O'Kelly of Waverley College has the following advice: “There are a number of considerations for choosing a college, particularly if you are going to be spending time and money completing a course. At the end of the day, it's important the college meets your expectations and standards. You could start by asking yourself the questions ‘Do they have a good reputation?' ‘How long are they established?' After that, first impressions may be enough for to help make
your mind up. For example:
• Is their website of the standard you would expect?
• Can you get all the information you need from the website?
• Can you speak to someone over the phone if you have additional questions?
• Do you get a satisfactory response when you send emails?
• Is there an online system for accessing notes when you are training? You could also research online and social media for college reviews – or chat forums – where you might get feedback from people who have trained at the college.”
Sometimes your first impression is a good sign of what to expect. If the college is open and responsive to your questions, there's a good chance that the level of help and interaction on the course itself is good – especially important if you encounter any issues.
Accreditation
Another key issue is to make sure that your chosen course leads to a recognised qualification, such as ITEC or CIDESCO. “The college should also be registered with a reputable awards authority so as their courses lead to a recognised qualification,” explains Derek. “For example – is the qualification valid and mapped into a framework (Ireland, UK, Europe)? Is
the qualification recognised by insurers and employers? The last thing you need is to find out that the course you have completed is not valid. That being said, a lot of short courses, such as nails, tanning, lashes and waxing, may not be mapped into frameworks but colleges should still
have in-house standards for all the training they deliver.”
Marie-Louise agrees that this is a key point. “If the course you enrol on is not properly accredited you won't be able to gain insurance, therefore
you won't be able to offer the treatment and the whole expense and exercise would have been pointless. Check that the course and training
provider are accredited with the likes of ABT etc and that your insurance company will accept the qualification and cover you for insurance purposes. Some companies are very clever with their wording so if you aren't sure, ask them to clarify who they are accredited by and check with
that accreditor that they are in fact accredited.”
Cost
A final word about cost from Marie-Louise. “Although cost is probably going to be the main influencing factor, please do not let it be the only
factor when making your choice. The cheapest option is not always the best option, equally I acknowledge that it may not always be the worst.
The most important factor when choosing a training provider is researching exactly what is covered in the course. Often a cheaper course may be shorter in length and therefore there isn't as much content to the course. It is usually a case that the practical hours are sacrificed so you don't get to practisethe skill as many times – and as we are a practical industry the more practise we have during training the more confident and
proficient we will be in doing the treatment – in turn making the treatment more successful. Don't be afraid to contact the training provider and ask
them exactly what is covered in the course to ensure that it will meet your needs.”
Top Tips
Lynn Dowling, proprietor at Kilkenny College of Beauty and Sports Therapy (Tel 056 7761 891), gives us her checklist to help when making that allimportant choice.
Research the accreditations held by the college. Ensure the college is accredited by major examining bodies. These colleges are subject to high standards and regulations set by these boards and so lend themselves to superior level and quality training.
Choose a college offering as many qualifications as possible for the time you spend training. The more qualifications you can get the better
when you seek employment. The beauty business is changing so rapidly and the bar is constantly being raised so it's important you're as employable as you can be.
Choose a college that offers additional courses. Some of the most popular salon treatments at present do not form part of the basic syllabi for accreditations by major exam boards yet they are sought after by employers. Basic qualifications are no longer enough for many employers, with many now seeking employees qualified in shellac/gel polish application, spray tan, lash lift training etc.
Ensure your qualifications will be insurable. It seems obvious but is not
always so. Many colleges offer their own qualifications and sometimes these can be difficult to gain insurance with, so always ask are these certificates accredited by an insurance company or if required check directly with insurance providers.
Check class sizes within the college. Smaller classes are a major benefit
when studying such practically orientated modules. Smaller class groups lead to higher standards. You get more personal attention and more correction of your techniques
Research the college. Colleges that are well respected and have a good
reputation among employers constantly receive communication seeking their graduates, therefore your employment opportunities are greater.
