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Standard Terms & Conditions policies

Payments

Payment is required in full at the time of booking, with the exception of flexible payment options including Klarna, Newpay, Payl8r and PayPal Credit.

Please call Freephone 0800 999 2277 to speak with one of our Course Advisors for more advice on our courses and payment options available.

Should you have a discount code, gift voucher, offer or other credit on file applicable, please ensure you apply this at the time of making payment as these cannot be applied retrospectively once payment has been made. Please note we reserve the right to amend course prices or run promotions at any time, without prior notice. Once a booking is made, the price paid is final and no price difference can be refunded in the event of a later course price reduction.

All classroom based training must be taken within 6 months of the date of booking and online courses must be completed within a maximum of 12 months from date of booking.

Refunds

All course fees are strictly non-refundable and non-transferable.

The Beauty Academy is unable to offer refunds where training is cancelled or postponed outside of our control. An alternative training date will be offered. It is the student’s responsibility to get in touch to reschedule any such postponed training. The Academy is not responsible for any loss of income or accommodation/travelling costs students may incur in the event that postponement of training courses is necessary.

Cancellation of Courses Paid by Finance / Payment Plan

Klarna / Newpay only: Courses purchased using the aforementioned payment methods would be eligible for a 14 day ‘Cooling Off’ period which begins from the agreed date of booking and expires after 14 days, or as soon as any part of the booking is redeemed e.g. attendance of any training day (including within a package), sending of any kits / patch test kits, or accessing the online student portal to begin online learning. When accessing the portal for the first time, you are reminded of these terms and agree to cease your ‘Cooling Off’ period by proceeding. If you do not provide at least 72 hours’ notice in writing prior to a booked training course of non-attendance, this will be considered a no-show and expire the cooling off period as if the course was attended. Rescheduling of such unattended training will be at The Beauty Academy’s discretion at a fee of £50 per day.

Payl8r only: you have a 14 day statutory ‘cooling off’ to cancel your finance agreement and make any payments due in full directly to Payl8r. This does not imply a right of course cancellation. Course bookings remain non-refundable. Any courses cancelled at our discretion, would be applied as a credit on file to rebook or transfer to alternative training within a 6 month period from the original course date.

If you wish to exercise your right to cancel, you must notify us in writing within the 14 day period by emailing [email protected]

We reserve the right to make a charge to cover our reasonable administration costs and would advise if applicable, upon confirming receipt of your cancellation request.

PayPal Credit only: Courses purchased using PayPal Credit would not be subject to the ‘Cooling Off’ period as this credit is for an agreed maximum ongoing credit limit and not tied directly to booking for the course(s). If you wish to cancel PayPal Credit, you would need to contact PayPal and clear the credit account balance outstanding with them directly. This does not imply a right of course cancellation. Course bookings remain non-refundable. Any courses cancelled at our discretion, would be applied as a credit on file to rebook or transfer to alternative training within a 6 month period from the original course date.

In line with new legislation, consumers may wish to visit the following website in the event of any dispute European Online Dispute Resolution.

Klarna

In cooperation with Klarna Bank AB (publ), Sveavägen 46, 111 34 Stockholm, Sweden, we offer you the following payment options. Payment is to be made to Klarna:

Pay in 3: Further information and Klarna’s user terms you can find here. General information on Klarna can be found here. Your personal data is handled in accordance with applicable data protection law and in accordance with the information in Klarna’s privacy statement. Klarna is only available on course bookings totaling over £79 and excludes kits and gift vouchers.

Additional Terms & Conditions Relating to Course Packages & Promotional Offers

  • Discount will be on stated packages only. Any saving stated refers to the saving made against the full, standard individual course fees for the courses included within that package or the usual course package price itself. Discounted packages cannot have any further discount applied.
  • Courses within the Packages must be attended by the same person.
  • Courses within the Packages cannot be changed or substituted with any other courses, only the specified courses will be provided.
  • *Courses booked as part of packages through finance or direct debit plans will be subject to a minimum balance cleared on finance before we can issue certificates. Typically this is a minimum of £200 for courses of 2 days or longer.
  • We reserve the right to amend course prices or run promotions at any time, without prior notice. We cannot retrospectively apply discounts to booked courses.
  • All courses booked as part of the Package deals are non-refundable and non-transferable under any circumstances. Any reschedules of dates will be at the discretion of The Beauty Academy and subject to the rescheduling fee of £50 per training date, where deemed possible.
  • Dates must be selected at time of booking. Training dates are subject to availability at preferred training centre & places are not confirmed until your booking has been processed by our team. All training booked as part of a package must be taken within 6 months of date of booking the package.

Cancellation or Transfer of Training Dates / Courses

Rescheduling Requests & Fees

In the event that you are unable to attend a booked and confirmed training date, we may be able to offer a reschedule of the training (subject to availability and at the discretion of The Beauty Academy), provided you contact us no later than 72 hours prior to the training course date by email to our Bookings team. Where it is possible to offer a reschedule of training, this will be subject to a rescheduling fee of £50 per day. We operate a ‘fair use’ policy for rescheduling and all courses can only be rescheduled on one occasion. Our team will respond to confirm whether a reschedule is possible and if a fee is applicable. We will cancel your training place where we receive requests to reschedule, pending hearing from you to confirm an alternative date. Where reschedule is not possible and the student chooses not to attend their training, you may forfeit your course fee.

Where a student is a ‘no show’, failing to attend for their booked training date without a minimum of 3 day’s notice by email to our Bookings team, you will automatically forfeit your course fee and The Beauty Academy will be under no obligation to provide any further training or any refund.

Courses booked as part of discounted ‘last minute offers’ will be strictly non-refundable and non-transferable. These are discounted specifically for attendance on the booked course/date/venue by their very nature and so this price does not transfer to other courses. If you need to reschedule for a genuine reason (medical or compassionate), we may at our discretion, place the course fee paid minus a rescheduling fee, as credit on file valid for 6 months towards booking courses. Any applicable price difference would need to be paid when redeeming the credit on file to book further courses.

The only exceptions to the above, where a reschedule may be offered free of charge or at a cost of £50 per day (depending on reason), on one further occasion only and subject to availability will be in the event of:

  • medical reasons (with a valid medical certificate covering named student/training date).
  • compassionate reasons such as close family bereavement (proof of which may be required) for non-attendance.

In the first instance, please contact our team at [email protected] regarding your reschedule request (or non-attendance), who will respond within 24 working hours.

In the event that The Beauty Academy should have to cancel your course for reasons outside of our control; The Beauty Academy will endeavor to give students at least 24 hours’ notice of any cancellation by telephone and/or email. The Academy is not responsible for any loss of income or accommodation/travelling costs students may incur due to the cancellation of courses. All courses required to be cancelled/postponed by The Beauty Academy will be rescheduled for a further course date within 6 months of the original booked course date. Such courses remain non-refundable but may be transferred to alternative courses if desired, to the same value.

Online Courses

All online courses are strictly non-refundable as we incur a registration fee for the online student portal for all online courses which we remain liable to cover regardless of whether the course is accessed and/or completed. Please ensure online courses meet your training needs, you have a suitable device connected to the internet through which to access the course/portal and are able to source the products/tools/models you require to complete the necessary case studies to pass the course. We may consider transferring students to one of our other online courses to the same value as goodwill, where a course is found to be unsuitable for an individual student; although this may be subject to an additional registration fee. Students are given 12 weeks initial access to our online portal, which can be extended by request to our Support team, usually at a cost of £25 per course for an additional 30 days access. Maximum duration for completing online courses is 12 months from date of booking.

General

All practical training must be completed within 6 months of booking your course, unless otherwise agreed in writing at the time of booking. Should you fail to attend your original training dates for any reason and the course later be retired or amended in content, no refund or difference in courses fees will be offered. You may however, look to use the course fees on file as a credit towards payment for an alternative course of your choosing within 6 months of the original date of booking. Students who fail to book, attend or reschedule training within 6 months of enrolling upon their course (taken from date of making first payment) will forfeit any course fees paid. We cannot offer any refunds, credits or substitute training in such circumstances.

For gift vouchers, these will expire on the date given on the voucher itself and cannot be extended or redeemed beyond this date. Any fees paid for gift vouchers would be forfeit after the voucher expiry date.

Defaulted / Cancelled Payments

Where courses or kits are purchased and payment later defaults once the booking has been processed (training provided or kits supplied by post); this may be due to the finance provider declining your application, you cancelling your direct debit mandate or requesting a bank reversal etc., The Beauty Academy reserves the right to cancel any further booked training / revoke access to online courses. We may also request the return of any kits supplied. Certification for courses completed may be revoked or not issued until resolved. We will contact you by email, to make payment of any balance due in full within 7 days, to cover the cost of any training accessed or kits used / not returned. Where payment is not received within 7 days, this may be passed to a third party debt collection agency for recovery.

Named Student

Booked training is non-transferable to an alternative student. Please ensure the booking is made giving the correct name of the person attending the course at the time of making payment. Amendments to this will be chargeable at £50 per course date/person, where possible for a change to be accommodated and a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to the course date is required, in writing.

Minimum Student Age

We accept all students aged 16 years or over for our face to face training courses. With regret due to insurance reasons, we are unable to accept students aged under 16 years on the day of training for face to face courses, however online courses are open to those of any age as no attendance of our centres is required. Please note most insurers will only provide public liability (beauty therapist) insurance for working with the general public to those aged 18 or over, although some selected companies will accept those aged 16 or over.

Course Times

Please arrive at the training centre for 9.45am for a 10.00am start. Courses finish at approximately 4.00pm. (Unless other start/end times specified in your confirmation email). A short break for lunch is provided for full day courses during which we recommend students remain within the training centre (please bring cold food with you). If you arrive late in the morning or when returning from agreed breaks, you will be refused entry to the training. This is to avoid disruption for other students on the course and ensure you cover all course content/required hours to be successful in achieving The Beauty Academy diploma for the course.

In the event that you are late arriving in the morning and refused entry, please contact our Bookings Team to reschedule by emailing [email protected] – Please note a fee of £50 will apply to reschedule your training. If late returning from breaks you will be unable to complete your course and will forfeit course fees.

Please therefore ensure you allow sufficient time for travelling and returning from lunch. Make use of Google maps or What3words on smart phone or print map/directions from our website when planning your journey beforehand, to assist you in locating the centre on the training day.

All students must attend the full training day until 4pm. Should you choose or need to leave a course before the approximate end time of 4pm, please contact us prior to the course to discuss this. If you leave before the end of the course on the day, without prior agreement, you will forfeit any course fees and may not achieve your diploma.

Confirmation of Bookings

Once you have booked a training course you will receive an email within 24 working hours to confirm the booking.

If booking a course online, please note that your booking is not confirmed until a Confirmation Email has been sent by our Booking Team to acknowledge your booking. The online payment receipt does not form a guaranteed or confirmed booking.

If booking last minute courses or courses scheduled for within less than 48 hours, we recommend you call to book so that we can confirm availability to you prior to payment.  Where booking online less than 24 hours prior to a scheduled course date, please call us at 9.00am on the day of the training to confirm your booking has been received and chosen training is available. Where a course booked online outside office hours is unavailable or cancelled, we will reschedule your training to the next available date where possible or refund your course fee. No reimbursement will be made for travel/accommodation/childcare costs for cancelled/unavailable courses booked at last minute online.

Should a receipt for payment be required, please request this by emailing [email protected] at the time of booking or within 6 months of completing the training. Beyond this time, receipts cannot be issued and only VAT invoices will be issued on request to VAT registered business customers to meet legal requirements.

Diploma Certificates

Diploma certificates are issued by email within 2 working days of attending your training course(s)*. Certificates are provided as a digital certificate to meet the needs of insurance providers & reduce our carbon footprint. Students are responsible for ensuring they contact us by email within 30 days of attending their training course, should you fail to receive their diploma certificate for any reason or should there be any error in the certificate received. Beyond this time, the below fees for replacement certificates may apply. If you require your certificate to be reissued in a new name, we would require evidence for the reason for change of name plus the standard replacement certificate fees.

Students wishing to purchase a replacement digital certificate or hard copy of their diploma may do so by emailing [email protected] so that a link can be sent to allow you to process your diploma request charge securely online through our website.

  • Replacement of certificate(s) by email only (digital copy) is charged at £10 per certificate. Certificates as a printed hard copy by post is charged at £25 per certificate. Where purchasing a hard copy replacement certificate at £25 each, we will also send a free digital copy by email if requested at time of payment online for replacement certificate(s).
  • For hard copies, please note the diploma will take the identical format as the PDF diploma provided to you by email and will be simply a printed copy on plain card for your convenience. For this reason many students will find it more economical & convenient to print their diplomas at home where required for display purposes etc.  Many beauty insurers prefer to receive the digital diploma supplied by email.
  • Replacement certificates for courses completed more than 5 years ago from today’s date cannot be issued due to limits on student data that can be held under GDPR regulations. We would recommend such students to contact their insurance provider to see if they hold a copy on file or would recommend completing some refresher training to gain an up to date certificate for which you may like to look at Last Minute Offer courses or Online Courses

Once your payment is received, your request will be processed and your certificate(s) sent to you within 5 working days.

Online Courses / Student Portal

Students who book online beauty courses through our website will receive an automated email with option for instant self sign-up. All students will receive a full confirmation email within 24 working hours of booking which will include details of how to access the Student Portal & unique login information (if you didn’t already self sign-up). We recommend students to access the portal and download/save a copy of any additional reference documents available for your course such as the practical assignment pack as soon as possible.

Access to the online course(s) through the portal runs for 12 weeks initially, during which time you work through the online learning resources at your own pace, completing the multiple choice theory tests and to download course resources. Beyond this access, students have up to 12 months to complete and submit their case studies which can be sent to us by email. If you find you require additional time to view course resources online and access the portal beyond the initial 12 weeks, simply contact our team at [email protected] who can provide a further 30 days access for £25 per course. Students have a maximum of 12 months from the date of booking to complete online courses.

Should you have any difficulties accessing or completing the course(s), please do not hesitate to contact our Support team for assistance. In rare cases where a transfer from online to classroom based training is preferred or required at the discretion of the Support team, an additional fee of £100 per face to face training day required will apply (where classroom option is available) and in some cases may be deemed necessary for a certificate to be issued.

When you first login to the portal you will be asked to check the details we have for you. Please amend any errors but also email our team so we can update our central system. You will also be presented with terms and conditions around use of the online portal and the ‘cooling off’ period if applicable to your booking.

Students are responsible for keeping their login details secure and private. Students must also ensure they have suitable access to the internet and hardware (pc, mobile phone, tablet etc.) in order to access and complete their course. No refunds can be issued due to failure to ensure this before booking. Any issues with gaining access should be reported to our Support team to ensure you are able to access and complete your course within your enrolment period.

Online courses require completion of theory tests and some case studies at home (for which you will need to work on friends/family and have access to basic products at home). Theory tests are completed through the online portal. A pass mark of 70% or above is required for each test but these can be retaken online for free and as many times as needed until you pass. Case studies can be submitted by email to [email protected] or sent by recorded post to The Beauty Academy, William James House, Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WX. Once case studies are received, these will be evaluated by our Assessor. You will receive feedback and/or your certificate by email within 10 working days of submission.   Our Support Team are on-hand by email to assist you throughout your studies and beyond.

Online Courses provide a certificate issued by The Beauty Academy and accredited by IPHM (International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine). They are insurable on completion with a number of leading insurance providers including IPHM, Radius, Insync and others.

During your training

During your training you will usually be required to give and receive treatments.

The only exceptions to this are Acrylic and UV Gel Nail Extension Courses where you will be working on a Nail Trainer Hand; or Eyelash Extension Courses where you will be working on a Mannequin Head.

Please note courses may be mixed sex groups. Male students are required to provide a female model for waxing courses. If you have personal or religious reasons where you require training in a same sex environment only, please discuss this with our Course Advisors before booking.

Photography / recording of training (both audio or video) is strictly prohibited while in attendance of the training centre. This is to protect the privacy of other students, meet Data Protection requirements and avoid disruption to training. Tutors may occasionally take photos of student work during training with express permission, for marketing/promotional purposes. Comprehensive training notes are provided at the time of booking and our Support team are available to assist with any queries after training, therefore this should not be required. For those with additional learning needs, we can usually arrange access to our Online Student Portal to access additional resources such as training videos to support you and extend / refresh your learning beyond your training day(s). This is available on request, although a fee may apply.

All courses are taught only in English. All students are therefore required to have a good command of the English language, both written and spoken. This is essential so that the tutor is able to assess a student’s competence of all required aspects to achieve The Beauty Academy Diploma. Students must advise of any language issues at the time of booking as we may recommend one to one training as a more suitable training option (for which additional cost applies, see below).

Should a student be unable to demonstrate the required level of English to participate fully within the course, they may be refused the diploma and would unfortunately forfeit any course fees paid. Therefore it is important to discuss this prior to booking if you feel this may be an issue affecting your learning and course participation.

Students will need to bring along their own cold food for lunch and are recommended to remain at the centre, rather than go off-premises during agreed breaks to ensure you are available promptly for when training resumes. Currently we are unable to provide refreshments in line with Covid-secure measures, although toilet and handwashing facilities are available at all centres.

Medical Conditions

Please make us aware of any health conditions and/or medications currently taken that may affect your practical training or assessment days. All students are required to disclose any medical conditions at the time of booking, which will be dealt in the strictest of confidence. Some conditions may impede ability to participate fully within a course. An important part of training is to deliver and receive treatments. Adjustments will be made to accommodate medical conditions where possible and practical. A medical certificate may be required in line with our insurance obligations. Where students are unable to receive treatments for medical reasons, a female model may be requested to be provided by the student for each training day.

Due to health & safety / insurance obligations, students within pregnancy may be unable to partake in practical training days or assessment days, to receive treatments. This applies to all students within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy or anyone considered high risk in pregnancy. Where possible to attend, you may be required to bring a female model to your training to practice upon, please call us before booking so we can confirm course suitability for you. The only exception to this would be training courses where you are working on a training hand or head e.g. nail courses, lash extension courses etc., although the cut-off is usually 32 weeks pregnant.

Failure to disclose known medical conditions at the time of booking or to provide a female model where requested, which later prevent participation in a particular course may result in forfeit of course fees.

Special Training Needs / Requirements

It is very important you make us aware of any special needs you may have in order to make your practical training or assessment days run smoothly.  Where possible we seek to include students with special requirements within our main course delivery.  However for some students this may not be possible. Many students with special training needs prefer and gain the most benefit from tailored training on a one to one basis. Feasibility depends upon the course you are wishing to study; however where possible adjustments or special arrangements will be considered. Please note an additional cost will apply for training on a one to one basis.

Waxing Courses

In consideration of other students participating in the course, you must be prepared to give AND RECEIVE the waxing treatment.  If you attend the course with less than 5mm of hair growth or are unprepared to receive the treatment, you will not be allowed to take part, resulting in the loss of all course fees. Male students are required to provide a suitable female model upon which to practice due to the nature of these treatments.

Manicure & Pedicure, Luxury Manicure & Pedicure and Gel Polish Courses

Please ensure any nail extensions or enhancements such as gel polish are removed prior to attending the course, as you will give and receive treatments working on the natural nails. Failure to remove such before the training day may result in being unable to participate within the course and a rescheduling fee being applicable.

Highly Defined Brows, Brow Shaping & Tinting, Brow Lamination and Lash Lift Courses

Prior to training for this course you will be required to complete a patch test for the lash lift &/or tinting products at least 24 hours before your course commences.

It is mandatory to purchase a patch test kit with the Lash Lift & Tinting Course, Brow Lamination, Highly Defined Brows and Brow Shaping & Tinting training courses. These enable you to complete the patch test at home. For the Lash Lift and Brow Lamination courses only, these products are also required on the training day for use at the centre.

Please ensure that eyelash extensions have been removed prior to any training involving eyelash tinting or lash lift. If false lashes or lash extensions are to be learnt as part of your course, please note these would be completed on a mannequin training head therefore no patch test with the glue will be required beforehand. Those who have undergone facial cosmetic procedures to include surgery, dermal fillers of any kind or semi-permanent make-up / facial tattooing or micro-blading within the last 12 weeks may be unable to participate within these courses. Failure to disclose these treatments prior to booking your course may result in loss of course fees.

Facial Massage & Skincare, Electrical Facials & Microdermabrasion Courses

Please ensure you have removed any eyelash extensions before attending these courses. You will be required to remove any make-up as part of giving/receiving treatments on these training courses. You must ensure you are able to receive treatments and have notified us of any medical conditions / medications which may prevent you receiving treatments. Those receiving certain treatments for acne (such as roaccutane) or who have undergone cosmetic procedures to include surgery, dermal fillers of any kind or semi-permanent make-up / facial tattooing or micro-blading within the last 12 weeks will be unable to participate within these courses. Failure to disclose these treatments prior to booking your course may result in loss of course fees.

Students booking Electrical Facials &/or Microdermabrasion training courses will be sent a document outlining medical conditions that may affect your suitability to participate within training.  Please read through this thoroughly and respond by return email to confirm yes (with specific details) or no to indicate if there are no conditions applicable to you. This allows us to ensure you are able and safe to give/receive the treatments due to the Electrical aspects involved with these treatments. Once your response is received, we will then be able to confirm your training dates or will contact you to discuss further.

If taking Facials / Electrical Facials training with specific intention to progress to Level 4 Aesthetics, please note it is the responsibility of the learner to check with both their chosen further training provider and insurance company that this qualification meets their requirements.  We offer full awards in both Level 2 & 3 qualifications which may be more suitable for your needs. Please discuss this with a Course Advisor before booking, if unsure about this or have any queries.

Starter Kits

All equipment and products are provided for you to train with on the day. However, if you are studying for a course requiring home study and case studies such as VTCT qualifications or Online Courses; you will be required to purchase products for the home study aspect of your course (and for Assessment days with VTCT). Kits are delivered direct to your home address within 3-10 working days.

Selected starter kits are available for our students to purchase through our website. These are provided to students directly from the wholesale supplier.  Contents listed are typical but may vary, dependent on stock levels as required by the supplier. The starter kit contents also give you some idea of the minimum basic items you will require, however there may be additional items you will look to add beyond the starter kit(s) once you begin practising to enhance your treatments. Kit orders will only be processed where the student has already booked or attended to complete the relevant training course with The Beauty Academy, as we provide kits only for the purposes of training, practice and gaining qualifications to our own students. Orders from those who have not completed training with us may be refused and result in cancellation / refund of the kit fee paid.

Kit prices quoted on the website include postage and packaging.  We only ship products to UK Mainland addresses.  Unused kits which do not meet your requirements may be returned within 5 days of receipt, at your own expense and a re-stocking fee of 25% applies to any refund. The supplier will check the kit upon receipt to confirm it is in unused, re-saleable condition before a refund can be agreed and provided.

All kit shortages or damages should be reported by email to [email protected] within 48 hours of receipt. You will then be advised of the process to receive any shortages, return the kit or for kit collection by the supplier. Please note kit contents is stated as typical contents but may be subject to change or substitution by the supplier without prior notice, for which we are not responsible. Returned kits must be sent by recorded post or collection by the supplier will need to be made possible. Refunds or replacements will only be issued upon receipt of the returned kit(s) and confirmation of any reported damages / faults by the supplier in order to confirm and issue the refund. Any kits not found to be as reported may be refunded minus a restocking / return postage fee at the supplier’s discretion.

Equipment and products are also available from online wholesalers. We do not insist that you buy from us, we recommend Salon Services and Capital Hair & Beauty. House of Famuir (HOF) Beauty are recommend suppliers for electrical facial and salon equipment.

Discount Cards

Many of our students gain discount cards with leading beauty wholesalers and cosmetic brands following completion of our training courses using The Beauty Academy diploma along with proof of valid insurance being held; or on presentation of the qualification certificate (e.g. VTCT certificate) as proof of their eligibility to purchase professional products. However we can accept no responsibility and have no control over individual student eligibility or ability to acquire these discounts. We make no guarantee over eligibility and this is at the discretion of the individual supplier / wholesaler.

Beauty Insurance (Public Liability Insurance)

Following your practical training, you will receive The Beauty Academy diploma by email (as discussed above) which will allow you to apply for beauty insurance to allow you to begin working on members of the public. This will allow you to begin working on a self-employed basis (mobile) and to take payments should you wish. Our face to face & VTCT courses are covered by a number of insurance providers including ABT insurance and Balens insurance.

We highly recommend Balens insurance with a discounted cover available for The Beauty Academy students. Click to get a quote now. Alternatively you may obtain insurance through ABT insurance and receive a 10% discount off your policy when you quote ACADEMY99 at the time of policy purchase. For online only courses, these are accepted by both Radius and Insync Insurance but also selected other insurers. Find out about Radius Insurance here.

Please note if you wish to obtain cover with a specific insurer, you must check with the insurer prior to booking your course that they will accept our Diploma. Most insurers will however accept the qualifications such as VTCT awards. Insurers work to their own discretion over preferred training providers and this is beyond our control. If you hold an existing policy, you are responsible to ensure the insurance provider will extend your cover to include the new treatment(s) and for covering any cost to make changes. The Beauty Academy cannot accept responsibility for issues resulting with insurance companies where students fail to check this prior to booking.

If working self-employed, you must also ensure you register with HMRC regarding any tax/national insurance applicable to any income earned on this basis. If intending to run a business from within your home, you must check your mortgage / deeds / tenancy to ensure there are no clauses to this. You may also need to enquire with your local council if seeking to change use of an area of your home or to open business premises to check their requirements and if any special treatments local authority licensing is applicable. We recommend checking these factors prior to booking to enable you to make suitable plans for your new career.

Refresher Training

Following training, students should begin practising treatments as soon as possible while the knowledge and skills are freshly learnt. Students are recommended to ensure they put public liability insurance in place before taking on paying clients. Students are advised to refer to the Practical Training notes provided with the Booking Confirmation email following training to refresh your knowledge and assist you with the treatment routines etc. Students are welcome to contact the Support Team with any questions. Should you be unable to practice your skills and/or require additional training at a later stage, please note additional fees apply per training day required. Alternatively our team may be able to arrange access to additional learning resources through our Online Student Portal to support your learning, for which an additional fee may apply.

VTCT Qualifications

Once booked, you have 12 months to fully complete the qualification including training, coursework and assessments from the date of booking. You would be unable to complete or resume any studies, outside of this period. All course fees are non-refundable and remain applicable even in the event that you do not achieve the qualification.

It is important students keep their knowledge and practical skills up to date by refreshing their knowledge using their training notes and continuing to practice their treatments ready for assessment days. Students have access to our Online Student Portal where they can access learning resources including e-manuals and training videos on the treatment skills. Additional fees will apply should you require further training at a later stage, beyond your initial training days. You should ensure you revise and prepare thoroughly ready for assessments using the learning resources provided to you.

Qualification Programme Structure

All training should be completed as soon as possible, but within 6 months of date of booking to ensure best opportunity to complete the award. Written modules (coursework) should be submitted by email to [email protected] only once fully completed and ideally within 6-12 weeks of booking on to the programme. The portfolio of treatments should be submitted ideally within 20 weeks of booking onto the programme to ensure you are working to develop confidence & competence as soon as possible following training. The portfolio of treatments is required to demonstrate you have taken time to develop your confidence within your practical skills, to meet the required level to achieve the assessment standards. You will need to source models (or purchase insurance to work with paying clients) to complete the portfolio, along with access to products/tools at home to practice. All students must aim to arrange and attend assessments as soon as possible after submitting their portfolio, once notified they are ready to do so.

Please note portfolios will only be retained for 20 weeks from submission and after which time will be disposed of through confidential waste, unless you progress to assessment. Failure to arrange and attend assessments promptly, will require additional treatments to be submitted to update your portfolio so that we can demonstrate you are continuing to maintain practice and treatment competence.

Written exams are completed online from home on a scheduled, agreed date. Students will require access to their own pc or laptop with webcam (or access to a mobile device with camera, alongside their pc/laptop) with stable, high speed internet connection in order to complete the VTCT written exams. You must pass the written exams before practical assessment days can be booked.

Practical Assessments are available at selected centres, on scheduled dates each month. Students will need their own product/tools and female models to complete each day of practical assessment. The Beauty Academy will support you with your studies however cannot accept responsibility for learners who fail to complete their qualification(s). Students are responsible for all costs in completing and submitting required work to achieve qualifications.

Read more about Written Assessments and Practical Assessments.

Support for existing students is available from our Support Team by emailing [email protected] – Monday to Friday, 9.00am – 5.30pm. All emails are responded to within 2 working days. You may also request a call back by email if preferred.

Assessments

VTCT Written exams are now completed online from home using student’s own pc/laptop through Zoom and the VTCT exam website. Students will need a stable, high speed internet connection to complete their written examinations. Online written exams will be scheduled for a full day 10.30am – 4.30pm. You must achieve 70% or above on every exam paper to pass. We recommend students take time to revise thoroughly using the extensive learning resources on the online student portal (including study guides and course notes) to be best prepared for exams. If you do not achieve 70% on all papers, you need retake only those exam papers where the minimum 70% pass mark was not met. On attempts 1-3, you will sit Paper A (so the same exact paper for first 3 attempts) which some students gives reassurance as you can focus your revision better on those aspects found more difficult. After that, you will sit an alternative paper, Paper B. Once written exams are passed, you will be offered practical assessment dates. Exam resits are scheduled as a half day (3 hour) session, where a maximum of 3 papers can be taken per session.

Practical assessment days for VTCT are offered at our London Kings Cross, Cambridge, Birmingham and Manchester Training Centres only. You will be given a schedule of treatments for each day required and need to bring along your own female model(s) plus products and tools to complete those set treatments. The Beauty Academy will provide any larger equipment required e.g. treatment couch, wax heaters etc. Due to Covid-secure measures, to minimise number of attendees, with regret no surplus persons will be available at the centre to act as student’s model(s). Due to GDPR, we are unable to provide any lists of contacts for potential models, students must take steps to source these before booking their assessments.

Assessment Fees:

With every enrolment, we include 1 initial online written exam day and 1-2 initial practical assessment day(s) as required for the relevant VTCT course, as standard within your course fee.

Should you need to retake your online written exams, the following fees will apply:

On 2nd / 3rd exam attempt (resit):

£25 per paper. (3 papers max. per 3 hour resit session).

On 4th – 6th attempts (Paper B resits):

£50 per paper. (3 papers max. per 3 hour resit session).

Should you need to reschedule your online exam session or practical assessment day(s) due to cancellation, lateness or no-show:

£120 per session/day required.

The fee to reschedule can only be waived in the event of medical emergency of the named student only; where a medical certificate would be required. All learners are required to arrange their own suitable female models for each day of practical assessment and provide their own products/tools to attend practical assessment days. The Beauty Academy can accept no responsibility for learners who are unable to arrange such, to achieve their qualification.

Qualification Certificates

Your Qualification certificate will be claimed from the awarding body (VTCT) only once you have successfully completed your final day of practical assessment and have been confirmed as fully complete. Certificates can take up to 12 weeks to be issued by the awarding body. Once received, you will be notified and asked to confirm the full address where you wish your certificate to be posted. Certificates are sent by 1st class recorded post so must be signed for upon delivery. Qualification certificates can only be issued in the name given at the time of submitting your Assessment Request Form when booking onto your assessment days. A fee will apply to rectify any errors beyond submission of the Assessment Request Form. Replacement certificates are chargeable and can only be ordered by contacting the Awarding Body directly after 30 days have passed since receiving your certificate from The Beauty Academy.

  • Portfolios

Portfolios submitted towards assessment will be retained on file for an initial period of 6 months pending progression to assessment days. Where the student fails to progress to assessment as soon as possible after submitting their portfolio (and therefore where the portfolio is no longer valid evidence, as treatments within it date back to more than 20 weeks prior), we reserve the right to dispose of the portfolio through confidential waste collection without further notification. This is unless the student contacts us to request & make payment for its return within 5 months of its submission.

For students who progress to and complete assessment, portfolios must be retained awaiting internal verification by the awarding body as required and periodic external verification visits (where portfolios are sampled), which can take up to 12 months. Once released, it will be disposed through confidential waste without further contact. The only exception to this is where request for portfolio return is made within 5 months of the portfolio submission, with payment made of £25 to cover courier cost. Such portfolios will be sent to the last address we have on file for you. If your address changes, please ensure you update us as soon as possible as we can accept no responsibility for loss of portfolios returned to students in the post.

Complaints

We are keen to ensure all students gain the most from their training experience. In the first instance, please raise any difficulties or concerns with the tutor on the training day(s) as most issues can quickly be rectified at the time. However, in the unlikely event your training course with us does not meet your expectations and you feel unable to raise this with the tutor on the training day, please email [email protected] with the details of your feedback or complaint. This email must be received in writing within 5 days of your training course. We take all feedback and complaints very seriously and this will be investigated as required. You will receive a response in writing within 5 working days.

For all other enquiries please contact:

For existing student support regarding coursework or assessment related issues/queries: [email protected].

For all queries relating to existing bookings, rescheduling dates, diploma certificates or kits: [email protected]

Code of Conduct:

To ensure all learners are given the best opportunity to learn, we would ask the following code of conduct is adhered to at all times:-

  • Punctuality is essential with all learners to arrive for 9.45am for a 10.00am start and training to finish at approximately 4.00pm. Allow adequate time to travel to the training centre. Lateness is very disruptive for other students and may mean you miss fundamental aspects of the training. You will be refused entry if you arrive late for training. There is a transfer fee of £50 per training date to reschedule your training if you arrive late. Please do not break from the training unless instructed to do so by the tutor. A lunch break is provided along with short refreshment breaks throughout the day, timed as is appropriate for the course. Taking excessive or unauthorised breaks may mean you miss vital training that impedes your success on the course. Students are advised to remain in the centre during agreed breaks (please bring cold food). Should you leave the centre and return late from break(s), you may be refused entry and be unable to complete your course.
  • Attendance of training days is compulsory to VTCT qualifications & achieving ABT diplomas. Failure to attend scheduled training can result in removal from your programme. Genuine reasons will be subject to the discretion of The Beauty Academy and handled under our above policy on rescheduling of training. This may be subject to rescheduling fees.
  • Learners are required to purchase at their cost & wear a suitable beauty uniform (tunic) to training / assessment dates. Nails should be short, hair tied back. Eyelash and Nail extensions should be removed (where appropriate to the training course being attended). For health and safety, all jewellery should be removed. Only exceptions are a plain wedding band and one small pair of stud earrings.
  • All learners are expected to fully participate, including giving and receiving treatments. Any exceptions (e.g. medical reasons) to this must be agreed at the time of booking and a suitable female model may be required to be provided by the student in order to participate.
  • Please ensure an enrolment form is handed to the tutor. Please make the tutor aware of any medical conditions or learning difficulties which may impact your learning (these should previously have been discussed at the time of booking to ensure suitability for the training). This can be discussed with the tutor upon arrival at the centre, in confidence. This will allow the tutor to best support you throughout the training day and make any adjustments possible to assist you to gain the most from your training.
  • We can accept no responsibility for any loss, damage or theft of personal property; however rare. Therefore we encourage students to leave all unnecessary valuables at home, remain vigilant to their belongings during training and take all property with them when leaving the centre. Any property left behind will be held for 7 days, following which it will be disposed as appropriate. Students are responsible for collection of lost items from site, by appointment. We cannot post or deliver any lost property.
  • Products / tools provided at the training centre remain the property of The Beauty Academy and should not be taken from the training centre at any time. Such will be treated as theft and reported to the authorities. Please work with the tools / products and within the facilities provided taking care to avoid causing deliberate damage or loss. Students may be held responsible for the cost of such loss / damage. Please wait until items are provided to you and no time should students access any staff only store cupboards or storage areas without express permission of the tutor and/or without supervision. For reasons of health, safety and hygiene; please use products / tools / equipment only as directed and when prompted by the tutor. If asked to ‘down tools’, please ensure you comply with any instruction by ceasing immediately.
  • Use of mobile phones is prohibited during training and should be turned off outside of agreed breaks.
  • No use of e-cigarettes/vaporisers, smoking or chewing of gum within the training centre.
  • Students must not consume or be under the influence of alcohol or drugs at any time during attendance of the training or assessment day(s). You may be asked to leave the centre where we have reason to suspect such influence, and the police may be contacted if appropriate.
  • The training centres operate a mixed sex basis for training days and you must be prepared to give and receive treatments from students of the opposite sex. If there are any reasons of belief, faith or religion which prohibit this, please advise before booking. Male students will be required to provide a female model for the waxing courses and assessment days.
  • Be courteous and respectful to tutors and other learners. No use of foul language. Abuse of any kind including racism will not be tolerated. Please avoid discussion of any sensitive or unrelated topics during the training which may distract other students or at any time, which may cause offence to others. While we operate a welcoming, friendly atmosphere on training days, student conduct should reflect that which would be expected by a beauty professional working within a salon environment since you are undertaking a professional skills course. Please ensure you work cooperatively and respectfully with all and take feedback / guidance seriously to allow you to acquire and demonstrate the required level of competence upon the training course(s). We appreciate learning new skills can sometimes be challenging but outbursts or disruptive behaviour (which may affect other students) will not be tolerated. Tutors will support you as best possible so please work with our staff to assist you, trusting in their professional knowledge and experience.
  • Verbal, physical or written abuse will not be tolerated at any time and will result an immediate verbal warning from the tutor. Should the conduct continue, you will be asked to leave the training immediately. You will not receive your diploma and will forfeit all course fees paid.
  • Should an issue arise on your training day in relating to other learners on the course or if you are experiencing difficulties with the course, please immediately notify your tutor so action can be taken or advice given to support you as required as it is sometimes difficult to rectify issues later and this will allow you to gain the most from your training day experience. Any issues will be handled in the strictest confidence but will not be permitted as grounds for any refund of course fees or for additional training, where this is not raised on the training day to enable remedy.
  • Learner feedback forms are to be completed at every training session and are compulsory where requested.
  • Photographic ID must be shown to the tutor at every training day to gain admission to the centre, if requested. Entry may be refused without this.
  • Students must not take any photographs or make any recordings (audio or video) of any kind while in attendance of training and/or when within the training centre premises. This is to meet Data Protection legislation, to protect the privacy of our students and avoid disruption to training. Photos may occasionally be taken by tutors with the express permission of students, for the purposes of marketing/promotion.

About Us

The Beauty Academy LTD

Registered Office: William James House, Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WX – 01223 420666

Registered in England Number: 04176214        VAT Registration Number: 812312968

  • Established 1990: the Original Private Beauty Training School

    I made a last minute decision to attend the ‘dry manicure and gel polish’ course and so glad I did! The tutor (Donnamarie) was so passionate and inspiring that she gave me the confidence I needed. Everything was well explained and the group was small enough get the best out of the day.

    Gemma Hacker

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  • Established 1990: the Original Private Beauty Training School

    Brilliant course. Tutor Leanne was so helpful and friendly and made me feel totally at ease. I was nervous as I have never done any beauty training before and she put me at ease straight away. Brilliant service and I will one hundred percent be using again. Thank you very much!!

    Ellie Hood

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  • Established 1990: the Original Private Beauty Training School

    I have done a few courses at the Cambridge and London venues and loved all of them. Staff is very friendly and professional at the same time which makes it easy to learn the theory and also the techniques. Teachers pay attention to each student and gives honest advises and support. I highly recommend The Beauty Academy for everyone.

    Ernesta Davailyte

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Our expert team of tutors based across our 10 Training Schools are all qualified to the highest levels, still practising in the industry keeping their skills up to date and with years of industry experience to share with their students. All tutors are friendly and welcoming, making you feel totally at ease whether attending for your very first course or your VTCT qualification assessment days.