Work following a child's bereavement

Phil_at_Home

Hi, I’ll like to ask for advice about what financial help is available during training to start your own business.

Our family has been through a tough 18 months, my pregnant wife was made redundant which was followed by the devastating news that our 2 ½ year old daughter was diagnosed with a tumor. During our daughter treatment my wife was able to claim maternity allowance for 9 months, then carers allowance and I took special leave from work. Sadly the cancer was just too aggressive, and our daughter died in September. We are picking up the pieces of our lives and trying to return to some normality, gladly our 1 year old son has been an amazing help.

My wife has dreamed of running her own holistic therapy business. Following the events of the last year, she now has the opportunity to do something different. So her intention is to enroll on a course and be qualified to practice holistic therapy within a year. The course that has been recommended to her runs over 9 weekend workshops spread over the year.

My wife's carers allowance finished this month, so now we are surviving on my income alone. We are not sure if my wife is eligible for help since I’m employed and have put off inquiring because of the emotion strain of going over the events of the last year.

We would like advice of what financial help is available to help? Are grants offered for holistic therapy training or are any allowances obtainable for people undergoing training? We live in the England if that makes a difference.

Thanks for your help

inmypocketnottheirs

Sorry to read of your devastating loss, and admire you for your positivity, although I am sure you still have moments of utter dispair.

I don't think that there is going to be any support available for a holisitc therapy business in general, but a starting point for any grants that may be available would be to search out your local Business Link. They will be able to give you the heads up on what is available. See https://www.businesslink.gov.uk.

One other source of help (and funding), if your wife is under 30, could be the Prince's Trust, www.princes-trust.org.uk.

Wishing you all the best.

Oldernotwiser

Depending on the level of the course and your wife's existing qualifications, a course at your local college might well be funded, although it sounds as if the course she's looking at may be run privately and so will not.

This is the organisation that validates most college courses, which might be a useful place to start. http://www.vtct.org.uk/

Good luck.

HellsGranny

Nine weekend workshops over a year to gain a qualification in Holistic Therapy seems a little lightweight in the current trend towards well-qualified and certified therapists.

What branch of Holistic Therapy is it, and what qualification does it lead to? Many private courses nowadays charge exhorbitant fees and the qualification is not worth the cost of the Certificate. Some will not be insurable, and are in fact ripoffs. Training in a single Therapy can be a waste of money, as there may already be too many in your area. I have fallen foul of that one myself.

The best bet, as has been said above, is to go to your local college. Their qualifications are insurable. It is also best to take several therapies together, that way, your wife will maximise her possibilities of future success.

It's a slightly iffy thing in the present climate, but good luck!

Cheers, HG

jazabelle

HellsGranny wrote: »

Nine weekend workshops over a year to gain a qualification in Holistic Therapy seems a little lightweight in the current trend towards well-qualified and certified therapists.

What branch of Holistic Therapy is it, and what qualification does it lead to? Many private courses nowadays charge exhorbitant fees and the qualification is not worth the cost of the Certificate. Some will not be insurable, and are in fact ripoffs. Training in a single Therapy can be a waste of money, as there may already be too many in your area. I have fallen foul of that one myself.

The best bet, as has been said above, is to go to your local college. Their qualifications are insurable. It is also best to take several therapies together, that way, your wife will maximise her possibilities of future success.

It's a slightly iffy thing in the present climate, but good luck!

Cheers, HG

I have to say I agree. It's usually around a year training per therapy, not one year for just a general one.

olias

Agree with the above posts. My wife is a trained Aromatherapist and trained at college full time for a year to qualify. She also looked into further training in other specialist holistic areas and the next step would have been a 4 year full time degree.

Olias

paulwf

I'm sorry to hear about your terrible loss.

Perhaps your best course of action would be to find a way of generating an income to pay for the courses. Could your wife perhaps work at a supermarket or similar in the evenings when you are home from work and can provide childcare cover, 4 hours a day could generate 20 hours a week of wages and leave weekends free for the courses. (In case mentioning supermarket work sounds patronising I'm currently working at a supermarket to generate a wage until I can set up my business).

It may be difficult to co-ordinate your work patterns but if you are really serious about starting a business you will make it happen. Grants usually really limit your options so are not always your best options.

Another poster mentioned Business Link. Before looking for grants for training I would go on their business startup courses which are totally free and are available in most areas at a range of times to suit. From there write a business plan and see if the business is viable. Not only will this save you time and money if you find it isn't viable, but it will also guide you as to which courses you require to be able to generate a profit from them.

People planning to go on a few courses then set up a therapy business is a recurring theme on business startup forums. They are inevitably followed up by replies from people who have tried and failed to make a full time income from it. I'm sure it can be done but it is an idea you have to research thoroughly. Gaining the correct business skills will also be as important, perhaps even more so, than gaining the therapy skills.

Having a passion for the area of business you wish to work in is essential, but make sure it is also backed up by commercial reality. Setting up a business usually requires some capital, if you currently can not afford the courses what is your plan to come up with some capital?

olias

Echo the above. As an Aromatherapist, my wife, following her course, required the following:
Massage couch, uniform(s), lots of towels, couch covers, whole range of (very expensive) oils, bottles, leaflets, business cards, adverts, insurance, regulating body fees/membership. All together at least £1500.

Olias

Phil_at_Home

Thanks for the responses, its useful to hear the warnings about private courses. I looked into the course my wife is looking at, and have found the course structure to be more intensive than previously understood. The course appears to be suitably accredited to the General Council for Massage Therapy, details below;

Course length: 9 months
Practical massage tuition: 75 hours
Anatomy & physiology tuition: 60 hours
Massage theory tuition:
(eg business practice, ethics etc) 25 hours
Practise outside of course: 50 hours - 40 hours massages given
- 10 hours massages received
Course to be completed: within 21 months
Exams: Practical exam
Anatomy & physiology exam

Course leads to the Holistic Massage Diploma from the Massage Training Institute (MTI). After qualifying, students may register with the MTI Practitioner Register, obtain insurance and set up in practice.

I welcome any further advice.

paulwf

Thanks for the extra info. My concern is that "Holistic Massage Diploma" sounds a bit (for want of a better word) vague. What I mean by that is as I suggested before you need to put your business plan in place first then work back from there to decide what sort of training you require.

Do many people want a holistic massage? If they do then fine, it may be the right course. However you may find that there is a better market for sports massage, in which case get sports massage accreditation. I also think getting some other strings to your bow is the way to go, the more you can offer the better.

A similar thread on another forum concluded massage was a way to make a bit of extra money but not a living. The real money was found to be made by running courses for people that wanted to make a living out of it Proceed with caution.

HellsGranny

Hi Phil,

I am a trained and qualified Masseuse, but on it's own it won't form a business. Your wife needs to take something like Aromatherapy or Sports Massage in addition to the basic massage course.

I haven't heard of the MTI personally, it might be a thought to check with a few Insurance Companies as to whether they would insure. (In-house Insurances are not always worth it).

Many people take massage as part of a Beauty Therapy Course at College, and I believe there is also a Holistic Therapies Course run by many Colleges, which in addition teach Indian Head Massage, Reflexology, Aromatherapy, all of which would be beneficial if your wife is going to make a viable business out of it. Setting up costs are horrendous. Even going Mobile, as I did, doesn't pay the bills until you are established, and another thing, if you have children, keep them away from the phone, as the word 'Massage' brings all the creepy people out of the woodwork.

Whatever happens, it is going to be a hard few years to get any Holistic Business off the ground, in a recession it is these things that folk economise on first.

Cheers, HG