Aromatherapy / perfumery courses in South Devon UK, and associations query...

Did you find this in your investigations?
[url]How to Make Your Own Perfume Home Study Course by Sally Hornsey[/url]

I knew a woman once who studied as a Parfumerie in France - long gone, sadly, but she was the most amazing woman and so knowledgeable.

Hello and thanks for the link. 🙂

I would prefer to study to gain qualifications that would help me to eventually become a practitioner, plus I want to learn in a group setting, as I work from home already and it can be very isolating.
I suppose to get my search going properly, I just need to know what qualifications I need, as Googling isn't bring up any definitive answers :confused:

I hope this makes sense!

P.S.
I spotted this emoticon and just had to use it:dogrun:

Hi Tara and welcome!

Usual route in the UK is people either have a massage/basic anatomy qualification and then go on to study aromatherapy or begin with an aromatherapy course that includes massage/anatomy. To get practitioner insurance you need to look for a course at City and Guilds Level 3 or above.Both ITEC or VCTC are acceptable level 3 practitioner level qualifications and a good starting point. Don't know about Devon schools but there are good and bad ITEC/VCTC courses and quality is heavily dependent on the individual teacher and class numbers so asking for feedback as you have done here is a good move.

This will qualify you to work with individuals. If you want to make products for sale to the public then there are no recognised qualifications but plenty of regulations. Search for "making products" on here to find a couple of useful threads. Briefly there are rules about labelling, which ingredients you can/can't use and in what quantities plus product formulas must be approved by an independent chemist (google "cosmetic assessment") and very lately we have to register on an EU database with details of every product. There are good courses around which cover these areas but they're usually run by individuals.

Hope that helps

Hi Jinx

That's really useful info, thank you very much.

I forgot to ask earlier, so if you don't mind, can I pick your brains.... :p
Can you tell me which is the recognised governing body for aromatherapists please? When I've looked into this, there seem to be a few organisations claiming this status (IFA, IHAF, AOC and others) How confusing!

Also, could you have a look at the two Devon Academy links I posted in my opening post, and let me know your thoughts please? If you prefer, you could PM me about this bit 🙂 I'd be happy to enrol on a course, but only if its a good one.

Many many thanks again!
Tara

Hi Tara

I'm semi retired from treatments these days so others may correct me but here goes:-

AOC used to be the name of the umbrella body that supervised oil sellers, training organisations and therapist organisations. Not sure it still exists any more?

Main therapist organisations specialising in aromatherapy that I'm aware of are IFA and IFPA. Most therapists only join these bodies to get insurance so they can practice. There are others that cover a range of therapies eg Embody/Complementary Therapists Association (CThA).

Had a quick look at the course. Looks like they offer a separate Massage/A&P and Aromatherapy ITEC . Seems ok to me but always better to talk to the school and people who have studied there. They're asking for volunteer bodies for student practice so might be worthwhile going in for that so you can get a feel for the place and maybe chat to students.

I've looked more in depth at these courses, particularly the Level 3 diploma in Aromatherapy, and I can't believe that the course runs over just 9 days 😮

Similarly, the Level 3 anatomy, physiology and pathology course runs over just 5 days.

How can this be enough time to learn to safely use products on the public?
I expected to study for 1-2 years, and don't understand how an employer such as the NHS for example, would find these courses sufficient to allow you to work for them?

I expected to study for 1-2 years, and don't understand how an employer such as the NHS for example, would find these courses sufficient to allow you to work for them?

You are right to be concerned - that timetable does seem to be very 'short', unless participants have past comp therapy qualifications, and these are being used as an add-on.

If you want more thorough training check out university complementary therapy courses - usually called BSc Complementary Therapies - which seem to incorporate massage, AP&P, reflexology & aromatherapy. Can't see it advertised anywhere in the west country (but I've only had a quick search) - it is available in Cardiff - [DLMURL="http://www3.uwic.ac.uk/English/StudyAtUWIC/Courses/Cardiff-School-of-Health-Sciences/Pages/Complementary-Therapies-BSc-Hons.aspx"]Complementary Therapies - BSc (Hons)[/DLMURL]

The NHS rarely, if ever, employ complementary therapists - although I do know of two - both are BSc Comp Therapy graduates, working in a hospital - but funded by a trust fund.

Most courses are part time and assume you do a lot of follow up study in your own time. You'll see a fair amount of debate here about the balance between home study and face to face training and how much training you need to make a living as a therapist.

Most successful therapists I know have taken courses in a range of disciplines such as Holistic Massage, Sports Massage, Aromatherapy, Reflexology etc and continue studying to extend their skills.

I did my aromatherapy training at [url]Aromatherapy Diploma training courses, London – The Institute of Traditional Herbal Medicine & Aromatherapy[/url] in London in 1996 and they're still going. As you can see it is more thorough than an ITEC but also more expensive.

Most therapists are self employed. Main full/part time employers for aromatherapists are spas/beauty salons who tend to pay pretty close to minimum wage, maybe with commission added.

Hope that helps

I am hoping to start ITEC Level 3 Aromatherapy in September. It is a generously funded course through "Bridges Into Work" which means that I can essentially do it for free (just completed ITEC L3 Massage under the same scheme). There are prerequisites (e.g. massage, A&P etc.) but the course will run for an academic year (approx 38 weeks) one evening per week 3 hour sessions. There will be a portfolio to compile (including a business module), case studies to complete & a practical exam next year. The whole scheme is run through our council run community education system. Is there anything like that in your area?

Hi,

I can comment on the course you mentioned i'd prefer to via PM, but can't see any option to do so, if you contact me i'll give you more info

Thanks

Hi Moonbeam1

When you have been on the forum for a few days and made some more posts, then you will be able to make use of the pm function of the forum. 🙂

Hi Tara

I realise this is an old thread hut was wondering what you decided to do in the end? I would be able to comment privately on the training college you mentioned if interested
🙂