Qualifications in Beauty and Holistic Therapy

As far as qualifications are concerned, you have two main alternatives and the choice is yours:

Upon successful completion of your course with us you will be awarded The Beauty Academy Diploma. This Diploma is well recognised and regarded within the industry and enables you to join beauty associations and get insurance cover for your treatments.
The combination of a high level of training quality and small tutor groups ensures a high pass rate. Even if you do not pass immediately The Beauty Academy will offer you free extra tuition until you do.
In addition to the above you may also decide to train for an external and internationally recognised qualification. This will give you greater credibility within the beauty market place. To qualify you will need to build a portfolio including evidence of the treatments you have carried out. When your portfolio is completed you will return to The Beauty Academy for an assessment. This process can be completed within 12-20 weeks but once you are registered, you have two years to complete the award. The awarding body we use is the City & Guilds as they are the leading provider of vocational qualifications in the UK.

So, the choice is yours, we have helped thousands of past students reach their own objective and we are here to help you too!

For information on choosing the best route towards City & Guilds qualification for you click here.

For more information on City & Guilds and our short, Intensive courses click here.

There are many different qualification bodies and associations within the beauty business and sometimes it can be a little confusing as to what they actually do.

We hope this information will allow you to make an informed decision on the best place to train in beauty therapy and avoid you making an expensive mistake. There are several different qualifications available to students in Beauty Therapy.

The standard of the qualifications offered by most reputable schools and colleges are set and regularly monitored by the various examining bodies. These are:

C & G - City & Guilds of London Institute
BTEC - Business & Technical Education Council
CIDESCO - Le Comite Internationale D�Esthetiques
ITEC - International Therapy Examination Council
CIBTAC - Confederation of Beauty Therapists & Cosmeticians
VTCT - Vocational Training Charitable Trust
NVQ - National Vocational Qualification (offered through C & G and VTCT)

Schools and colleges providing these qualifications are regularly visited by external inspectors to ensure quality training, qualifications of tutors, adequate equipment and premises etc.

Many potential students ask, "Which is the best qualification for me?" The answer is quite simple - it really does not matter. The syllabus and standard of tuition is the most important aspect. All of the above qualifications are well regarded within the industry and recognised by potential employers worldwide.

Some schools are only able to offer qualifications such as a practitioners diploma. This is not a recognised qualification within the industry and will seriously limit your beauty career. Some insurance companies may accept these diplomas but that could change in the future. It is a good indication that the school offering it is not regulated.

BABTAC and The Guild of Professional Beauty Therapists are not awarding bodies but are associations that you can pay to join.

If your aim is to be a professional and successful beauty therapist, you should choose a training establishment that can offer you one of the above qualifications from an awarding body. This is an assurance that your training will be of the highest standard.

Do not allow 'late availability special offers' and cheap prices to influence your decision. Remember the true saying, 'you only get what you pay for'.

Please remember that the standard of tuition you receive will directly affect the quality of the treatments you can provide to your clients and therefore the long term viability of your business.