One of the biggest decisions you will make during your training will be choosing where you’d like to study your beauty course. For some budding students, it may be that they aren’t sure what environment is best to learn in.

As with any form of studying, it’s important for you to choose the best place that’s right for you to learn, succeed and develop within the role, ensuring you’re ready and confident to begin work once you have qualified.

Your experience and qualifications will show your future employees that you’ve obtained the knowledge to carry out the job but also to show your work is recognised and assessed by an accredited beauty training course.

In this post, we take a look at the different places that you might choose to study beauty therapy at.

College

If you are fresh from school, the natural next step is for you to continue your studies at a local college. As you will not have been out of education for long, the chances are you will probably still be in the mindset to learn and begin planning your beauty career path.

Many college courses tend to run on a full time basis, although some might offer part time or evening classes, which will allow you to gain your qualifications.

The course will be an introduction to the skills that you’ll need for the beauty world. Most of the activities that you’ll find yourself covering and learning about will range from facial treatments, spa massages, nail treatments and make-up.

Alongside the academic studies which you’ll be carrying out, many college create an environment that’s very realistic to real salons that you’ll find yourself working in. It will give you an insight into the real working world and allow you to become used to it. For many college courses, students have to be over the age of 16 to enroll.

Beauty School

For those who wish to study beauty, but are unable to commit to a full time course at college, you can train for this role within a private beauty school. You will learn the same course, same skills and techniques as what you would in a college environment but in hours that will suit you such as weekends and evenings.

It’s important that you ensure that college you’d like to study in offers the qualifications that you wish to to obtain and if it specialises in any specific area you’d like to learn about during your time there.

Within this environment, you may experience learning on a more intimate basis than you would in a college as there may be fewer students on the course.

Apprentice within a Salon

If you’ve managed to gain work experience within a local salon, you could continue working here as an apprentice and be trained on the job. In some salons, the manager can take on an apprentice and allow them to learn new skills that they’ll require for the industry.

There are three different levels that students will need to learn- intermediate level, advanced levels and higher. The manager of the salon will set out a training plan for you and will monitor your progression throughout your training.

With this option of training, you’ll be working the hours the salon require and you’ll be paid for the hours that you provide to them.

How do I know if it’s the right place for me to study?

If you have spotted a course in college or a beauty school that you’re interested in, there are numerous ways for you to get a feel for it to make sure that it’s the right place for you to train.

For colleges and beauty salons, check any open days or evenings that they might be hosting for potential students to have a look round. You could speak to a tutor and find out more about what activities they carry out. Ask to speak to a student who is studying there to ask how they’re finding the process, the teaching and if they’d recommend it to you.

You could always contact both places to find out how many students pass yearly and how many of those gained jobs as a result and even the career path it may have lead them on too!

It’s important to remember that it’s your future and it’s vital that you make sure you have chosen a place to study where you will grow and develop into the role of a beauty therapist.

Make sure you check back next for our blog post which looks at the best piece of advice you could give a trainee beauty therapist.

Head over to our Facebook and Twitter page now for our #BeautyStudentTalk hashtag for useful hints and tips for those budding beauty therapists.