Studying a ‘fast-track’ course – how long?
We are often asked whether or not it’s possible to complete this massage diploma course in three to four months successfully – our answer is an undeniable ‘YES’.
We have been teaching massage courses on a fast track basis for a number of years now and we are proud to boast a pass rate of 99% – the other 1% is made up of students whose personal life circumstances changed during their time with us forcing them to leave the course.
Of course you should prepare yourself for a busy few months and it requires application and hard work; however, as we always say – it’s only three months or so out of your life and the rewards at the end are certainly worth the effort!
We have found that the drop out rate on a course that takes more than 4 months to complete are high!
We have found that most people want to achieve their qualification within a reasonable amount of time, so that they can register themselves as a licensed massage therapist and start earning back some of their investment.
So if you are looking to start a new career, or just a way to earn more money, then our nationally and internationally recognised massage diploma courses are for you. You can read from our course testimonials just how happy our past students have been with their course and how it has changed their working lives, not mention their earning potential.
However, there are some things we won’t offer and here’s why…
We don’t offer this course in less than 3 months as some schools do – Why? Because there’s a lot to pack in and we feel that our course spans just the right amount of time to be able to do this. We urge you to be aware of course providers who offer courses that last for just 5 to 10 days – even if the days are spread out.
Although it’s possible to learn a massage routine in this time, we feel it’s only enough to pass an exam – we’d even go so far as to say “scrape through” an exam!!!
It’s the difference between leaving your course as a highly skilled and knowledgeable massage therapist, or as someone who has passed an exam but feels less than confident in their limited abilities with a limited massage routine. This is something that future clients will most certainly pick up on during a treatment.
In terms of covering the whole syllabus and the additional theory which forms a required part of diploma courses, what isn’t learnt in class has to be studied somewhere else – namely at home in your own time – there simply aren’t any short cuts as some providers would have you believe and we’ve been doing this long enough to know.
So we feel that our course which takes place over 15 days (one extra full day is devoted to a Business Awareness Studies) is the right amount of time to develop confidence, skill, repertoire and awareness of your future clients’ treatment needs.
What about studying Anatomy and Physiology courses ‘on line’ (described sometimes as ‘Distance Learning’)?
It’s an option and certainly some course providers do offer on-line or distance learning for those who have an exceptionally busy life – but therein often lies the problem.
When someone’s life is so busy, how motivated can they be to find the time to sit down in front of their PC or laptop and study effectively? It can also be an isolating experience too.
Who can they ask questions to, in order to clarify something they don’t understand? You miss out on so much discussion around the subject matter and how it relates to your practical treatments.
That’s why we advocate class based learning over everything else. Our anatomy and physiology sessions take place in the morning when we are more likely to absorb information and are fun and interactive – one of the best ways to learn and RETAIN information!!!
It’s a proven fact that most people benefit from kinaesthetic learning – that is to say interactive study where we draw something or do something physically which trains the brain and ensures that it retains this knowledge deep into our memory.
Often people have the same questions in a classroom and, if one person asks the question, others will identify with this as well. So what happens next?
A real person…your tutor, will be able to clarify this for you and go over the subject until you are clear. We ensure we use everyday analogies to explain technical vocabulary so you don’t need to have a science-based background to get the most out of our courses at SNT.
To demonstrate this, take a look at one of our interactive sessions – you can see that students are enjoying the subject matter, rather than staring at a complex image on a screen and trying to make sense of long and unfamiliar words and processes. The class is enjoying the content as well as the humorous interaction that you don’t get studying “online”.
So please do think about whether distance learning for Anatomy & Physiology is suitable for you, or whether you would benefit from supportive, focused and clear learning with instant access to a knowledge expert!!
Lastly, our class days are divided into two halves – In the morning you will study Anatomy and Physiology – in other words the theory element of the course….
After lunch we focus on the practical element of your course, whether it be Massage, Sport and Remedial massage or Reflexology – therefore there’s a clear mix of theory and practical to keep things focused and more balanced as a learning experience – especially useful if you haven’t studied for a while.
Short courses to develop your massage
We also offer short weekend courses to advance your massage skills once you have qualified – for example many people learn the safe way to offer a deeper massage to suit some of their clients needs, others want to offer massage safely to pregnant women.
Again, there are one day courses out there which promise lots, but it goes without saying that in order to learn, absorb and develop these skills and practice safely, it needs to be studied over a weekend and not in just one day! Allowing for theory sessions, break times and lunchtime – ask yourself how much direct tutor contact you will get in a typical 6-7 hour training day? So you see why we offer weekend courses for qualified therapists only.
So please do feel free to contact us to discuss your learning requirements – we’re only a phone call or an email away.