Advice Please

[Dubharllach]

Wow. Hi everyone, this is my first time posting on here and it all looks pretty impressive.

I am looking for some advice, I am nealry 31 and I currently work in an office, I have decided that I dont want to do this anymore and I would like to do on-site acupressure massage. I realise that this wont happen overnight and I am looking into doing a course on massage which obviously includes A&P, the trouble is I am a single mother and it is difficlut to commit to college for one night per week, can anyone advise me on a home study course which would be suitable.

Thanks.

 

[TEL BOY]

Hi Shazza
My honest opinion is that if you want to be a good therapist with good qualifications then if you are doing a course which involves practical work then you need to go in and be taught the hands on stuff, watched and corrected...it is hard to find the time but it will be worth it in the long run...from the previous discussions here at HP re home study i'm not sure that that many people are in favour of it.....there are some courses which run at weekends so whilst you will be out of the house for an extra few hours this is only generally once a month so can be easier to get people to help...also when you offer them free massage in return they may start queuing to help!!!! alternatively can you find a part time day course or use your holiday entitlement from your current job to do the course.....also if your child is under a certain age you are entitled to 13 weeks leave unpaid over the duration of these years so a day course may be the answer...you do have to give work as much notice as possible though if you want to take parental leave....it is bound to be a struggle but believe me it will be worth it.

Hugs
T
x

 

[SeanT]

Thanks for that advice.

Can you let me know what you think of this course. It does recommend hands on work.

http://www.kevala.co.uk/courses/massage.cfm

Thanks again.

 

[ferret_lover01]

Hello and welcome!!!

I to am a single parent, my job was a national account manager in an office, however I decide to give this up to become a holistic massage therapist. It was hard work with 3 children and I dont think i could personally have done it with a full time job as well. I did the ITEC course, which is 1 day a week.

Im on new deal for loan parents and they have set me up with a business advisor who is helping me start up on my own.

I looked at this site and it seems quite expensive, you could email them to see if you could get some recomendations of former students to see what they thought of it.

Hope things go well

Much love

Alison

 

[*Chona*]

Hi Shazza,
here is a copy of an e-mail i received this morning, maybe it will help you .
Rocky.

http://www.dti.gov.uk

In April 2003, laws for working parents changed

But these laws aren't just for the benefit of employees - employers recognise that parents work best when the right balance is struck between work and childcare responsibilities.


Flexible working
Parents of children under 6 and disabled children under 18 now have the legal right to ask to work flexibly and employers have a duty to consider their requests.
The law is not an automatic right for employees to work flexibly. It won't be possible for an employer to agree to every request - an application can be rejected when it cannot be accommodated within the needs of the business. Acceptable business reasons for refusing a request are set down in law, and must be explained in writing.

Experience shows that an employee who clearly understands the reasons for refusal will be more likely to accept the outcome and be satisfied that their application was treated seriously.

For more information click here.


Arrangements have been simplified and mothers can now take 6 months paid maternity leave and up to 6 months more unpaid leave. Fathers can now take 2 weeks paid paternity leave for the first time.
To help with cash flow, employers can now claim statutory maternity and paternity payments in advance of when they are actually paid. All businesses get back 92% of what they pay out, small businesses reclaiming 104.5%*.

For more information click here.

So everyone can benefit. Parents get to spend more time with their children, and employers get more motivated staff. In turn, you'll see improved productivity; reduced absenteeism; improved morale and retention of staff.

That's good for business.

For more information on how the working parent laws can help your company click here or call 0845 609 9988 and quote DM.

For confidential advice on employment issues call 08457 47 47 47

Bookmark the DTI website for future reference -
click here

*paying £40,000 or less gross annual NI contributions (£45,000 from 6th April 2004)