KEY POINTS:
Qualification: Diploma in Beauty Therapy (Level 5).
Institute: Cut Above Beauty Institute, Auckland Central.
Contact: Ph: (09) 309 0689 or Freephone 0800CUTABOVE. Email: info@cutabove.co.nz. Web: www.cutabove.co.nz
Entry Requirements: Applicants must be at least 17 years old. All applicants are interviewed. Proficiency in English is essential.
Intakes: February, March, May and July.
Course length: 48 weeks.
Fees and Costs: $14,000 plus $1000 course materials (approved for student loans and allowances).
Starting Salary: $24,960-$31000 ($12-$15 per hour) plus commission on skin care product sales.
The demand for facials, pedicures, manicures and other beauty therapies is growing, amid a shortage of experienced and talented beauty therapists.
There are a number of beauty therapy courses around the country. Cut Above Beauty Institute offers a diploma in beauty therapy, which consists of three national certificates in beauty services (Beautician Level 4, Body Therapy Level 5 and Electrolysis Level 5).
Students start by learning beautician skills: skin analysis, manicure, pedicure, waxing, facial techniques, make-up and Swedish massage. They also study chemistry, nutrition and human biology. Students slowly progress from practising on models to working on clients in Cut Above's day spa and beauty therapy clinic.
Advanced training covers holistic therapies including herbal wraps and body scrubs, alternate spa massage techniques, electrolysis, introduction to IPL treatments (intense pulse light) and other medi-spa treatments.
GRADUATE
Toni Spray (19)
Chrysalis Emerge Beauty Salon
Beauty Therapist
I have been working here 19 months. When I first finished the course I worked at a friend's home salon while looking out for a position in a good salon close to home.
I have always been keen on the whole make-up/hair thing and also like relating to people and helping them feel good.
I chose beauty therapy over hair styling because the work seemed more varied.
Every day is different. I do lots of waxing, especially over summer. I do lots of massage, facials and electrolysis. I find electrolysis very satisfying. It is such a cool buzz when you permanently remove hair that a client has been dreadfully self-conscious about.
The course prepared me well for the basics, although I did more training when I got here. I really enjoyed the practical training in the course but I also liked learning about anatomy and physiology. I found it fascinating to find out how the entire body works.
Practising on real people is important because it helps you learn about dealing with clients. A couple of girls in our course were quite shy at the start but they had come out of their shells by the end.
Another reason I wanted to get a qualification was because I wanted to travel. I am heading to Perth in April, then to the UK and I've been told I'll be able to get work easily with my qualification and experience.
It is an awesome industry. You're constantly learning something new. I also like to push myself with my clients to provide that extra "wow" factor, whether for an eyelash tint or a more complex treatment.
EMPLOYER
Chrysalis Emerge Beauty Salon Owner
Louise Dickinson
As well as knowledge of beauty therapy, I am looking for personality and attitude. I want someone who is a people person and has maturity - which doesn't necessarily mean an older person. I need someone who can cope with the job, which is more labour-intensive than people think.
A qualification suggests you have the basic skills and knowledge, which is good, but I always do a two-week re-training programme with new staff that involves them working alongside me non-stop.
I am very happy with Toni and she seems to be happy with her training.
She was willing to learn, has a good memory and came to me knowing the basics well. Toni is the first graduate I've had from Cut Above and she's brilliant.
Unfortunately, not all applicants are like Toni; some are good and some are not. I recently interviewed 20 applicants for a job and some of their trade tests were terrible.
Schools can set up great systems but at the end of the day I believe the calibre of a course depends on the passion of the trainers, the amount of practical hours included in the course and the amount of tutor-student interaction. The best learning comes from one-on-one time with tutors.
