Student Case Studies

Beauty Therapy Level 2 Diploma - Nicole

Former School(s): Merstham Park School

Nicole joined ESC after completing her GCSEs. She chose to study at the College as she was a high achiever in hands-on subjects at school such as Photography and Art.

Why did you decide to study at ESC?

The building is not too big, and everything is in one central open space. It’s a big step up from school and the environment is a lot different, but good different.

What led you to choosing this course?

I have always performed very well studying hands-on subjects and completing my assessments with coursework. I passed all my GCSE’s, and my strong subjects were Photography and Art. So, I believed that the vocational route was perfect and suited me the most.

I chose to study Beauty as I wanted to make people feel good about themselves and I want to follow a career that makes me happy. The course at East Surrey College offers training in a wide range of skills and gives you a good foundation of knowledge.

What do you enjoy most about your course?

The course offers a fantastic opportunity to grow a variety of skills and build confidence, it requires just as much hard work and study as any other course.

I get to work on actual clients. Reviewing their feedback and their critique is helpful. It’s nice to know your clients individually; one may want a deep massage, whereas another may only want a relaxing one.

I also love learning all about the body, for example, learning about fat cells and the hair growth cycle is fascinating.

How are you finding the teaching/support?

The teaching is really good, especially for my dyslexia. I have coloured books, coloured paper and if I need someone to read it out, they will read it out to me, plus if I need extra support, they will break it down.

It’s also really nice to have the technicians, they teach you in a different way as they are still working in the salons whereas the tutors are working in the College environment. It’s nice to have both as one way may suit you better.

Have you done any work experience during this course?

I work at Cosmetic Aesthetics, in Purley. I learn different things to what I'm learning in College which I’m so happy about as there are so many different aspects to beauty to learn.

I’ve learnt lots of extra things that I don’t necessarily need for my course, but I will need later in life. The way things are run in a working environment are different to how it is set up in College which can be challenging switching between, but it’s positive to gain the experience.

What are your future plans?

I don’t want to go to university, so I’ve applied to John Ruskin College (East Surrey College’s sister College) to do Body & Spa Therapy Level 3.

Would you recommend ESC to a future student. If so, why?

Definitley! It's very friendly here and everyone knows everyone in a different way. I like the whole salon set up - it’s been done really well.