About to train for new career and need advice

[TressW]

Hi everyone.

I start college in January to do level 3 nails and level 2 beauty. Hope to add more courses on once those are finished- maybe level 3 beauty and stuff like lashes etc.

Tough one as I was a nurse. Unfortunately due to something in my private life I'm no longer to nurse any more (won't have a PIN either so won't be able to look into the filler courses etc in the future as a registered professional).

Nursing was dragging me down and iv always had an interest in beauty. Iv no chance of starting a business up that needs premises etc so my goal would be mobile or employed in a salon or self employed in a salon.

I'm not under illusions of making big bucks but what u do want is to be happy and confident in my work. How hard is it going to be to train in something totally new? And then make a living from it? I'm 36 with 3 kids. Does anyone have experinece of starting at this age and if so what courses did you do and how have you gone on to use them?

Thanks x

 

[TheDuchess]

Hi Tress, welcome. 36 with 3 kids is tough but it can definitely be done. If you can train as a nurse you can defo manage this! There are loads of geeks that trained older - I trained at 47! Training when you are older gives you lots of advantages especially as it's determination and motivation that get you through not raw talent. My daughter trained at 30 as a single parent with a child with support needs.

Don't forget that management is another option. That's the route my daughter went down, ok she worked for me, but after a couple of years she could have gone into Spa management.

You'll need to get some work experience as early as you can. I'd contact all the make-up businesses and concessions near you. There will be lots of Uni students giving up their Christmas hours in Jan I live in a University town and I know 2 Uni students who are not doing beauty courses working in make-up. One's a psychology student who started off working for Benefit and now works in a Mac store part-time and the other is doing Sports and she works for Clinique.

The advantage of working on a make up counter is that it will train you in working with the public which is essential to making it in Beauty. You might even be able to talk about your beauty training and potentially pick up clients interested in mobile treatments - staff in the store, their friends, not just customers. If you decide in the future to set up a beauty room in a hair salon, the experience learned on a make up counter will be invaluable.

As you are doing 2 courses you will be quite busy, but there will be overlap between the 2 courses. Try getting some nail practise in an old people's home, residents like having their nails done and you can offer facial hair removal and brow treatments later on. I know a lady who specialises in offering treatments to adults with learning disabilities - she does Indian Head massage and facials and does a few "make a lip balm" educational sessions which go down very well.

Work experience will help you think about which career direction to go down. College can't help you with that - they give you a foundation in practical skills. Good luck

 

[MandyLou]

Hi Duchess and Tess - hope you are both keeping well. I'v just read Duchess reply about about a new career. I am seriously considering training for a new career in beauty therapy and will be attending a college Open Evening next week. I'm confused . . . should I be doing NVQ level 2 at college or completing certificates with a local academy? The local academy said that NVQ's were on the way out! Also, at the tender age of 51 (young for my age I have to admit!) will I be taken seriously by potential employers? I have emailed so many salons etc for advice but no-one has bothered to get back to me to date. I know that work experience is a must but I'm worried that they will not take me seriously - I guess I will need to "drop-in" and ask. I am under no illusions; this will be a huge change for me especially financially as I would be giving up a well paid job but a very stagnant one. I took a basic beauty course at school when I was 15 years old and loved it but listened to the wrong advice and ended up in Admin. My other concern is whether it is a saturated market? I would like to specialise into waxing/massage/facials and particularly male clients where I think there could be an opportunity for the more life hardened, mature therapist. What do you think - any advice gladly received

 

[TABA UK]

Hi All,

There's lot's of ways you can get in to the beauty industry now. There's plenty of short courses which can enable you to learn fast and start offering treatments almost straight away. If you want any more information on this, just let me know.

 

[user 111574]

Hi everyone.

I start college in January to do level 3 nails and level 2 beauty. Hope to add more courses on once those are finished- maybe level 3 beauty and stuff like lashes etc.

Tough one as I was a nurse. Unfortunately due to something in my private life I'm no longer to nurse any more (won't have a PIN either so won't be able to look into the filler courses etc in the future as a registered professional).

Nursing was dragging me down and iv always had an interest in beauty. Iv no chance of starting a business up that needs premises etc so my goal would be mobile or employed in a salon or self employed in a salon.

I'm not under illusions of making big bucks but what u do want is to be happy and confident in my work. How hard is it going to be to train in something totally new? And then make a living from it? I'm 36 with 3 kids. Does anyone have experinece of starting at this age and if so what courses did you do and how have you gone on to use them?

Thanks x

Hi,
I was an RGN before I went into beauty. You will have no regrets and I have found that the nursing knowledge is extremely useful to understanding your clients' health issues. It will make you a better therapist and clients will have confidence in you so make sure that you put it in your personal info when setting up your business. The knowledge you already have of anatomy and physiology will make your course theory much easier so you can concentrate on learning the practical skills. Just think how much you already know about how the human body works, hygiene, client consultation for starters.
Sounds like you've already got yourself sorted to start some good, full courses. Take it one stage at a time and make sure you practice loads on family & friends.
Best of luck, I'm sure you will be fine.

 

[MandyLou]

Hi All,

There's lot's of ways you can get in to the beauty industry now. There's plenty of short courses which can enable you to learn fast and start offering treatments almost straight away. If you want any more information on this, just let me know.

I'm currently looking at NVQ Level 2 at the local college which is an evening course twice a week for 34 weeks, but this seems to be a very generic course. My alternative is Katie Barnes Academy or Concept Beauty Academy both in Warwick. These would give me the opportunity to train in the areas I'm particularly interested in but I worry that they won't give me the grounding in anatomy that I need. Any views - would love to hear from you.

 

[TABA UK]

Hi MandyLou,

Some popular treatments right now are the likes of SPMU and Microblading. These have great earning potential and can be done in a short time. If your not hearing back from anybody, then maybe you should consider going self employed. With these techniques, you can start off by carrying out treatments in your spare time and as you begin to build clientele, take the plunge and look at going full time. It's all about how well you market yourself when it comes to getting the appointments. There are a lot of do's and don'ts. Check out Taba UK (google search) and have a look at some of the courses offered. The tutors are knowledgeable and always happy to help, even if it's just for a bit of advice. I hope this helps Justin

 

[New Spa]

I'm currently looking at NVQ Level 2 at the local college which is an evening course twice a week for 34 weeks, but this seems to be a very generic course. My alternative is Katie Barnes Academy or Concept Beauty Academy both in Warwick. These would give me the opportunity to train in the areas I'm particularly interested in but I worry that they won't give me the grounding in anatomy that I need. Any views - would love to hear from you.

i suppose it depends on what you want to do in beauty. If you want to be employed most will want a NVQ as it fully covers the anatomy and range of treatments in that level. If you wantto be self employed, you can do what suits your business model. I also worry that some academies have a in house certificate of training, that means you may only be insured through them, and may not stand up in court should God forbid you ever need it.

What I will say is, I started with th mindset I only wanted to do massage. So I did a Comp Therapies NVQ then went onto Beauty L3 NVQ, and found I had a keen interest and talent for other treatments.