Ep. 90: Essential Tips For Selecting The Best Aromatherapy Program
SHOW NOTES
In this episode of Vetiver Vibes Nikki and Rachael draw from six years of experience running their aromatherapy school, Essentria Aromatherapy School, to share must-know tips for selecting the right program. Whether you're a beginner or advancing your studies, they break down key factors to consider in your journey.
First Impressions Matter:
Assess how responsive a school is during initial contact.
Look for schools that offer personal connections, such as Zoom meetings, to evaluate their fit for your educational goals.
Accreditation is Crucial:
Confirm affiliations with reputable associations like the Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists (CFA) or the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA).
These connections lend credibility and provide professional support.
Course Structure & Content:
Understand the distinction between foundational and advanced certifications.
Ensure programs include essential components like anatomy and physiology.
Instructor Expertise:
Research the qualifications and teaching styles of instructors.
Ensure their background aligns with your learning style and goals.
Financial Considerations:
Evaluate the value of tuition fees alongside material or exam costs.
Final Advice:
Take your time, ask questions, and find a school that resonates with your learning preferences and aspirations.
Connect with Nikki and Rachael for personalized guidance on your aromatherapy education journey.
Listen now to make an informed decision about your future in aromatherapy!
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Helpful Links
Join the free introductory to aromatherapy course at https://www.schoolofessentria.com/en/free-online-aromatherapy-course
Get Free Safety Labels https://www.schoolofessentria.com/safety-labels
Email us any questions you might have and we will answer them in a future Q&A episode info@schoolofessentria.com
Join our Facebook group Love Essential oils with Essentria https://www.facebook.com/groups/loveessentialoilswithessentria
Follow Essentria on Instagram @schoolofessentria
This podcast is for information purposes only. We are certified clinical aromatherapists and holistic health professionals. If you have a medication concern, please refer to your health team. Everyone’s health is unique to themselves, so the topics and suggestions stated may or may not apply directly to you. Please reach out to an aromatherapist to work with or consider training to become one yourself!
Show music: Happy Dreams - By David Fesliyan
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Transcript
Nikki:
Welcome to this week's episode of Vetiver Vibes. Nikki Fraser here with Rachael Dean, and we are talking about what to look for in aromatherapy school.Rachael: Yes. We've run this school now for six years almost. Yeah. And so, you know, we know what we look for when we look for our schools, our various schools that we've been working with. And then we also kind of know what people are looking for when they come to us. So we thought we would kind of discuss some different highlights and have a conversation about that.
null: Yeah.
Nikki: And I know I take a lot of training. I'm a lifelong student. I'm that shiny object of, ooh, course, what? Yes, please. And so I do. I love contacting different schools for different modalities. And the responses back always make huge difference to me. It's one of the best ways to kind of gauge if I'm going to connect with them instantly on when I reach out to a school, how they respond back to me. It's that first point of contact. And I think that can make it or break it when looking for a school.
Rachael: Yeah, and I think that a lot of our students, when they do come to us, too, it's the same kind of thing. We get a lot of people that they've taken our free intro course, so they're able to kind of see you, Nikki, because it's mostly you, I think, in those videos, and kind of get a feel for how we're going to teach, how the whole course is outlined and set up. And then some people will just sign up at that point because they're happy with what they see. Others will then send us emails, and I feel like then we start having a lot of conversations with people, and I feel like exactly that's it. When we connect with them, that's the best time. And whether that's us as a school or somebody else as a school, I think that you're right. That's probably when people understand when they're in the right place.
Nikki: Yeah, and also how, not just how they respond, but the time, but the level of answers. Is it a short, quick, to the point? Have they, like I love, typically when I respond to students emails, or inquiries I should say, potential student inquiries, I always like to give full details of their questions they answered, obviously. But I usually, you know, if I follow up with them to see if they have more questions, I also love offering a Zoom session with them. I love meeting with our current students, potential students over Zoom. It just adds that extra level of connection because we are an online school. For us, we don't get to see people in person. So that Zoom aspect, at least, we can put faces to names and really have those deep conversations of, is our school right for you? What is it that they're looking for in their education journey? Because our school might not be the best either, right? That's where it's important to find the school that best fits their needs.
Rachael: And I think one of the things, you mentioned the Zoom meetings that you'll do with people, and I think that's something that some online schools don't offer, and we do. probably don't even highlight that we do, but it is something that you do regularly with people. So whether they're still inquiring about whether we're the right school and fit or not, you do it then, but you also will do it with students who need help. So we'll work with people kind of back and forth via emails and communicating that way. And then if people are stuck, then 100% you always are the first person to be like, let's jump on a Zoom call and have a conversation because whatever it is you're stuck on, I'm sure we can clear it up via an actual conversation. And I think that that's something that can really help people as well. So it's good to know.
Nikki: Yeah, and especially if you're someone who has a learning disability, we have a lot of students with learning disabilities. Some we know, some we don't know, because it's not something that needs to be disclosed by any means. But looking at that learning style when you are looking for a school, if you know that you might struggle with accountability, or you're struggling with studying, or you know yourself best as a student, and The one thing I do like to stress though is don't look at yourself as how you were in high school or even elementary school student. You're an adult now. My learning habits are so drastically different from high school where I had to bust my butt to get a C. I struggled. I was not that A student. My sister, she could Look at something, breeze through it, get straight A's without batting an eye." And I'm like, how is that possible? But now as an adult, I'm nothing like I was in high school. Things click so much better for certain things. Chemistry is always still going to be a struggle for me and that's okay. But I love studying now because I'm choosing the subjects. I'm choosing what I want to study and dive deep into. And I know my learning strategies that way. So if you know that you do struggle in whatever aspect, though, we are always happy to meet over Zoom, as you said, Rachael. And so that's something you need to look at in a school. So if you are in person or online to school, and you do have questions, how are they going to address those questions? And if you still don't understand it, how are they going to address it, right? Because that's going to be really, really important.
Rachael: Yeah, definitely. One of the other really big important things that we think is important by choosing a school is, is it connected to one of the aromatherapy associations or a few of the aromatherapy associations? There are many globally and Centria personally belongs to both the Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists as CFA, as well as the NAHA, which is the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy.
Nikki: I have to say the letters in my head also.
Rachael: Yeah, exactly. And both of them are great associations, and they both offer different things. So Canadians, definitely we think that being part of the CFA is a great fit for everybody. And it offers a lot of education, and it offers a lot of continuing education. They really support that now over the years. They do webinars and stuff regularly to make sure everybody's up to date. it brings credibility so both of those associations and the other big associations in the world bring credibility to the aromatherapy industry as a whole and that's super important to make sure that if you're going into this world and you want to actually have a business that you have the association behind you that supports you as an aromatherapist as a professional and you know, not everybody gets that. And fortunately, there's, you know, there's some history in the world as to, you know, what aromatherapy might be and different aspects of that, that are definitely not what the current aromatherapy professionals are doing. Let's dive right into it. I was gonna say dive right into it as far as the massages and stuff like that. And different, uh, you know, we do aromatherapy massage, which is, you know, maybe just a step below or equal to a registered massage therapist as an example. Um, you know, if you are a registered massage therapist, it connects perfectly. Yeah.
Nikki: Yeah. A lot of RMTs take the aromatherapy education because they want to add that safely with their clients. And the associations had, especially the CFA, at least here in Canada, had huge impact on bringing recognition to our industry as we are professionals. We are not a fly-by-night masseuse, because we were lumped in with the rub-and-tug category, unfortunately, for many, many years. And there's still parts of the world that are struggling. with getting that distinction. That's not at all what we do. We provide support. We do full medical, not medical, health-related histories to actually ensure that there's no contraindications. It's 100 hours of courses, of education. So we're not a fly-by-night school. No schools aren't fly-by-night schools when you register with associations. And that's what those associations really, really do is give that credibility because they've been lobbying and sometimes, you know, working with government officials for years so that we get that credibility. And, you know, CFA has been around since 1993. NAHA has been around since 1990. They're the two biggest associations in North America, and they are always looking to support their members. It's, you know, we've both been on the board with the CFA. I'm the Canadian director with Naha. It's, they're, they're, they both have amazing benefits. And like you said, CEUs, but also just that networking. You know, we've met so many great other aromatherapists by going to the CFA conference or just going in on the, the webinars. I know CFA also does like little jingles or meetups throughout the year, social meetups. Oh yeah, those are so fun. I love them now. They are. They've recently started doing them and they're absolutely amazing. It's fun just to see other aromatherapists and being able to connect that way.
Rachael: Well, especially because when you become an aromatherapist, unless you were like joining a spa or you're already part of like a team of, you know, other like modalities or something, a lot of people are starting a business that is just them. Um, and they're creating this. And so their connection is with their clients, but they don't have the, the, the team around them and the people to like, you know, do the water cooler talk and all that kind of stuff. Right. So I think it's, it's, uh, having the association, the connection to that, like, you know, the CFA does have a Facebook group and stuff like that, too, where we can connect if we needed to, if we had questions, you can reach out that kind of thing. So and then yeah, the conference, I think we all started like a WhatsApp chat kind of thing. And so, you know, generally, I've seen some people share some different ideas in there and some of it's just sharing, you know, hey, you know, it's almost, you know, New Year's and holidays and stuff like that. So sometimes it's just something as simple as that, but it's nice to hear from people.
Nikki: Absolutely. Absolutely. And the other important thing with associations is that some cities actually require you to be part of an association to have a business.
Rachael: I know.
Nikki: I believe Toronto does. And I think where you are does also.
Rachael: Where I'm at, it doesn't. Well, in Hamilton, where I am in Ontario, when I opened my business years ago, I did have to get a business permit and everything like that. And I had to have an interview with two men from the city, and they asked me tons of questions. Literally, they needed to make sure that I wasn't a rub-and-tug shop. That is what they needed to make sure. It took them a while to get around to that, and finally, I just put it on the table, and I was like, this is not what I do, and continued to explain what it is I actually do. And they were like, lovely, happy to sign this paper, and you are approved. This is great. But yeah, so it was something that I had to, experience and make sure that I had that connection with and show that I was an actual professional. So I do think it's very important to be connected to the associations for sure.
Nikki: Yeah, and I'm pretty sure if I recall correctly, because I don't live in Toronto, but I've heard from other aromatherapists that when they apply for their business license in Toronto, They have something similar. I don't know if it's an in-person interview or a phone interview or something, but they have a lot of documentation that they need to go through. And one of that is not just proof of insurance, but proof that they are registered with a recognized association. So it adds that credibility on so many different levels. But again, not every town needs it. And that's where it's important to know your own town, what is needed, what isn't needed, where I'm at. I need to show my insurance papers, all of that type of thing to have a business. I'm registered with the Ontario business. I have an Ontario business license. Once you hit a certain amount, I have my HST. All of that I needed to have to show all that stuff. But that specific town meeting like you went through, I didn't have to go through that, thankfully. But that's where you need to know your town, even province, state. Wherever you are in the world, everywhere's going to be slightly different. So you need to recognize what they recognize and what's needed that way. Because it's better to be safe than six months down the line, they approach you and I don't know if you would get a fine or slap on the wrist or what it is, but you won't avoid any of that type of thing. So it's important to have that credibility, just that aspect.
Rachael: One of the other things that we think is important is knowing and understanding the length of your course, what it is exactly that you're signing up for. So we currently offer two levels of of aromatherapy certification, and in 2025, we'll be launching a third level, level two. So currently offer level one and level three. This is the first we share of this. I know.
Nikki: Sneak peek. We're launching a mid one. So stay tuned for that if you don't want the full certification.
Rachael: Exactly. Um, but yeah, like it's important to know what it is and like there's different levels and sometimes the levels are based on like level one. I think we generally think is good for people that already have, like if you're already a registered massage therapist or if you're already a naturopath and you already have some of that training already, then this will help like bring just the specific aromatherapy training into it and gives you something that you can just work with your, um, with your practice with at that level, but if you want to be like an actual aromatherapist where, well, you're an aromatherapist at level one as well, so I don't want to diminish that, but if you want to be like a clinical aromatherapist, thank you, where you're working very closely with your clients and at a higher level, like as far as you might be working, I don't know, how do you, I want to describe that.
Nikki: It's just doing like that one-on-one, right? I look at it as when you're level three, I mean, you can product formulate, you can do all kinds of other things, but you're also, to me, I always compare to my naturopath just because that's when I go see my naturopath, it's kind of like that of, okay, so what is the issue? What are we looking at today? What are we diving into today? And how can I support you with that ailment today? And so that's the same thing, right? When I see clients, it's okay. What are we tackling today? What is bringing you in? We've already, if they're new, I'm doing a health history. If they're not new, I'm just making sure nothing's changed. And then great. So let's see, how can we tackle this? And then we go through and look at different oils and all that. So you can actually dive deeper into that, you know, supporting that your person in front of you, your client, to whatever extent that they need with the clinical certification course versus, I found the foundation one also is just great if you're a parent, or not even just a parent, someone just wanting to use oils themselves, and you just want that base education, right? It's 50 hours, so you learn the basics of safety, a handful of oils, carrier oils, what you need to know to ensure that you are using them safely for yourself, and anyone else within your home. And that's what's most key in that 50 hour one versus, you know, I know CFA, I think the requirement is 400. Naha, their level three is 300, but that doesn't include A&P. So that's something else you need to look at when you're looking at the length. What is included? Does it include A and P? Because it's like for a full education. Which is anatomy and physiology, just to be clear for people who don't know what A and P is. Yes, I always forget that. Thank you. Because you do need to know, you know, if you're working to help support the respiratory system, what does that all entail? When you're looking to help support the gut, what does that all entail? The skin, all of that. So you do need that anatomy, physiology education. And if you don't have that, does that school offer it?
Rachael: One of the other things I think it's important to know about with your school is what are the teachers' backgrounds. So what brought your teachers that run these schools into aromatherapy? Are they staying current? Are they still learning? What is it that their strengths are? That kind of stuff and trying to get to know a little bit about them. You know, some places I've looked at online, there's very little information about the people that are actually running the school. Sometimes the teacher might change every session, you know, like it might be just somebody they hire for that session, which is fine. You have to still be qualified to do it. but you might not get that same connection that you want. In our case, I have more of a business background and fell in love with aromatherapy kind of when my kids were younger and when I was going through a rough emotional time myself and found that it was just something I loved and that I needed to know more about. So I needed to know and understand all the things about it so I signed up to be an aromatherapist and you know then I opened up a practice and ran that for a few years as well as I did reflexology and all that and then I kind of returned back to the corporate world as well but at the same time we had created this lovely business that we run and I get to kind of do best of both worlds. I get to do my corporate life, which is not really corporate, I guess. It's still a very small business, but it's a business. It's crazy. I'm a talent agent in my other life and very busy, but I get to do this and come back to my my roots and smell the oils and enjoy myself and find like the grounding that I need to do something that's just for me. And, uh, and then, you know, so I run all the backend stuff. So, you know, and then Nikki, you're constantly out there learning, you know, and I'm still learning and reading and listening to the podcast and doing all these things, but Nikki's taking extra courses all the time and. you know, just go, go, go, like she said earlier.
Nikki: Yeah, well, and that's just my personal being a course junkie. I just one for myself, because I'm always just wanting to uplevel my own education, how to support my own family. But also then transferring that to our students, you know, how, how can I share this information with our students. But that's where, you know, I, I don't shy away from it. I hate computers, I hate technology, I hate the internet, I would say 50% of the time I If I could live in the 1800s with today's women's rights, though, I would. I honestly would. Because computers crash on me. Electronics hate me, and they crash on me. Anytime I try and do things, it never works out. So this is where I bow down to Rachael, and I'm like, please fix this. Please do this, because I'm going to check my computer at the window.
Rachael: And I love all that stuff. Love it.
Nikki: So she excels and does amazing at all the business, the background, the website, the everything, social media, all that aspect that I can't wrap my head around to save my life. Whereas I specialize in pregnancy and women's health. Being a school counselor for 15 years, I love diving into mood management, anxiety, stress. know, polyvagal theory, all of those things, I dive into those things. And I feel that transfers out into when I am, you know, writing the curriculum and course or presenting on things like that, where I bring that out in to my teaching. I love being in front of the camera. That doesn't bother me whatsoever. I am a little bit more shy.
Rachael: This is completely outside of my comfort zone and has been. How long have we been doing this course, this podcast for now two years?
Nikki: Two and a half years. 2022 I think it was we launched. I love being the front where that's my comfort zone.
Rachael: And our New Year's resolution is that there's going to be more of us in this upcoming year. So get used to me. Here I am. I'm going to be here outside of my comfort zone. You guys will get to know me a lot better too.
Nikki: And so that's what you need to look for though in the teachers of the school is to, is it one person who just has like one education? And I don't mean that in a bad way whatsoever, but it's just what are they bringing to the table as the instructor of the school? You know, for ourselves, our curriculum was originally written by three people, we had a third partner, but there's the two of us, and we bring our 110% of not just our aromatherapy education, but all of our other background also. registered reflexologist. We both have training in multiple other modalities that we bring all of that to the table. And it's looking at the schools you're looking at, what are they bringing to that school? What are they bringing to the education? What transfers through?
Rachael: For sure. What are some of the other things? Oh, cost. I think it's important to understand the cost of the school and maybe some of the differences as to the cost of the school, why the schools might have different fees. So some of that is the different levels, of course, obviously are going to cost less to more as you increase your education. And a lot of it, after that, I find is where you're located, where the school is located. So we have a lot of our students come from North America, so a lot are from Canada, a lot are from the U.S. We also have lots from other places like the UK and Australia and, you know, Philippines, I think, and other places as well. But the cost differs based on, you know, how strong is your dollar versus this other dollar, you know. So if you're comparing all of North America's costs, you know, sometimes you might look at compare us or any other Canadian course to the U.S., and their dollar is very strong. So if you're an American, we look really cheap. We're not. We look really cheap because when you start converting the currency, you're saving like 30 to 40 percent.
Nikki: Oh yeah, it's typically between 35 and 39% our exchange rate. It really sucks.
Rachael: Yeah, exactly. It hurts. It does, it hurts. It hurts when we go to the States. It does. And so then it just depends on the market as well, right? So we have a Canadian market that we are working with and we want to make sure that we stay, we're accessible.
Nikki: Stay within the boundaries and accessible to Canadians.
Rachael: Yeah, to Canadians, right? If you're coming from somewhere else, we are a great deal, just as other places are. So that's something to keep in mind. I don't think that a cheaper price necessarily means that you're not getting exactly the same quality. So it's just good to keep that in mind as you're shopping around and what works for your personal bank account circumstances. Within your budget. Budget, exactly.
Nikki: And looking also, you know, what level of education is it? Is it a level like looking at, just to look at Naha, because they have the three different levels, you know, is it a level one, a level two, a level three, because a 50 hour course, should not be the same amount as a 400, 500 hour course. They're just going to be different. Also, if you are an in-person school, you have to cover cost of your location. You have to cover cost of all of those things. So that's going to make a big difference. Also, that that just natural overhead cost.
Rachael: Yeah if you're an in-person school too like your instructor has to be available for you at exactly the time that they've promised you to have those courses each week whether that's in person like physically or even like actually live online right so something you know that a zoom meeting every you know Tuesday at seven o'clock you know whatever time zone you're in. That's important to know, because then you're having a live conversation. Our course doesn't work like that. Ours is go at your own pace. And there's videos, and there's tons of written, obviously. But you get that personal aspect if you need it. We'll support you that way if you need it. But many students find that they don't, and that's totally fine, too.
Nikki: Yeah, and that's just it, right? Look for what's within your budget. Don't discount something because it's cheaper. It all depends on the location, like you said. But also, is a school really worth $8,000 for a 300-hour course? That's something you're going to have to decide. What does that all include? that's what you need to look at is those details because that's going to make the help you make that decision as to what is all included and some schools include you know the essential oil kits, roller bottles, personal inhaler like they have everything in there versus you know like us we don't have that because we do have students worldwide we just can't ship those products worldwide. One, some places you actually can't ship them. So even here in Canada, you have to have a certain amount and there are slight different aspects on how you ship.
Rachael: I also love the mindset that if you've decided you're going to take aromatherapy courses, you actually probably have essential oils. You have essential oils and you can get your roller bottles and stuff off of Amazon or or different products like different places like that. Yeah, you know, there's a lot of easily there's a lot of it's very easy to get these additional You know supplies now even then it was like, you know 10 12 years ago. Absolutely for sure. So, you know like I supplying those like as a part of the course doesn't make sense for to us also just from the perspective of yeah you know do you need another lavender probably not most people start with something like a lavender or a peppermint and things like that right so i would hate to know, force somebody to spend money they don't need to spend on that.
Nikki: Yeah.
Rachael: And also, as they want.
Nikki: Absolutely. And also looking at, you know, are there extra books that you need for studying? Does it include all studying material? Or do you have to pay additional afterwards for the books? Because I know some schools do. So you sign up for the school, but then you have to pay an extra, you know, whatever that is.
Rachael: Yeah, similar to like university, some people have to do that.
Nikki: Exactly, yeah, where you have to buy your textbook separate. So, you know, those are the little things that you have to keep in mind when looking at schools, is just really getting that full picture of what entails.
Rachael: One of the things we didn't talk about when we were talking about associations, what I think is important, is schools that offer exams. So when you're part of the CFA, the CFA has their own exam. It's kind of their entrance exam. And so they work, the schools that are approved by them have access to this exam and it becomes kind of part of your graduation finalizing of your course that you take with us. Um, so the CFA has their exam and it's pretty intense. It's, you know, it's about. How many hours, like three of up to three hours to write one and then three hours to write the other, I think two hours, five hours in total between both exams, because it is split between, um, materia aromatica and anatomy and physiology. Yeah, but that's a lot, that's a, it's a big exam. Yeah, it is, it is, absolutely. It's a big exam. I remember writing it, when I wrote it, it was much more complicated than it is now. We had to get proctors and we had to find, like, it was, you know, find a place.
Nikki: We had to write the botanical names. We had to properly write each botanical name.
Rachael: Oh my goodness, yes, yes.Nikki: I remember writing, I remember sitting there in my office writing and rewriting and rewriting just to get The correct spelling, yeah. Spelling, exactly. Whereas now it's all multiple choice.
Rachael: We think it's very important to know what the right spelling is, but we don't think it's necessarily important that you can't just type it in and fix it. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Which is why it's now… You know when it gets a little red squiggly line underneath? If it's spelt wrong, great, fix it. That's good.
Nikki: And that's why now it's great that it's multiple choice. As long as you know what it is, if one letter's off, it's not the end of the world. It's not going to change anything in that part.
Rachael: No, I still think you could be a fabulous aromatherapist and not be a good speller. Exactly.
Nikki: Especially of Latin names. I don't know. I can't pronounce them, let alone expect everyone to spell them properly. But no, that is a great point. And we get the question a lot, actually, of, you know, if I don't want to register with the CFA, do I still need to take the CFA exam? And our question to that is yes, because we've built it into our curriculum. But we've also and it was also part of the determining factor when when we were recognized with Naha that we had this exam in it. And the thing is, though, is that that exam is actually recognized worldwide. Like when other countries see they know that the CFA has that board certified exam. And it adds that added level of, again, that credibility of, okay, I have completed this exam. So, and you don't need to be just Canadian to join the CFA. Also, you can join it anywhere else from anywhere, from anywhere else. But we've incorporated into our course because it is such a high level exam. It really is thorough, it goes through everything and you know it's just that that last check mark of yes I fully understood everything. So making sure that your school does have an exam is going to be really really really important.
Rachael: Yeah. Also, don't be scared of the exams. I remember being petrified of our exam years ago. And then once I took it, even though we still had to write out the names and stuff like that at the time, it was nowhere near as scary as I thought it was. And I will say that Nikki, when she was on the board, she helped streamline that exam and make it a better exam based on feedback from multiple, multiple people. Um, and, uh, yeah, like our students, when they take the exam, they are flying, passing it with flying colors. They are, um, they're killing it. Like we, we honestly have never had anything negative as far as the exam goes with our students and our graduates. So, um, just, you know, just. don't freak out that, oh my gosh, you still have to take an exam. Because I know that sometimes you go back to those high school days of that exam, and it's very overwhelming and anxiety-driven.
Nikki: Absolutely. And that's something, and that makes me think also of, what does your school do to help you prepare for the exam? You know, are there quizzes throughout the course? Is there, some places do prep exams. So you have like a mini exam before the main exam to help you prepare. Study guides. Yeah, you know, all of that. So, you know, inquire with your potential school, with your school. What is it that, what are you providing to help me ensure that I can succeed in this exam? And I know for us, we have multiple things. We have quizzes after every lesson. We also have crossword puzzles that students can do to help them because we want to bring some fun into it as much as, you know, studying isn't always fun, but we tried to find a fun way of doing it. And so many different things that you can do. So inquiring with your school, you know, what are you doing to help ensure that they succeed? Because it's not just, you know, pumping out aromatherapists, it's we want to make sure that you're a successful aromatherapist.
Rachael: Yeah. So I think wrapping up some of the points that we were talking about today were that we think you should look at, look for when you're joining, choosing your school is, is it connected to an association, one of the aromatherapy associations? Does it have exams? What is the cost of it? And how does that compare to other places? And why does it have the cost? And what does it actually include? What does your course include that justifies that cost? And are you going to have to spend more money? Is it going to include books? Is it going to have everything already there for it? Who are your teachers? What are their teaching styles? What do the teachers bring? What is their background? more about them just to know and understand who it is you're learning from and why you chose them. Um, is your course online? Is it in person? Is it online and in person? Like, um, as far as, or not in person, but online Zoom, I guess.
Nikki: Online live versus online independent.
Rachael: Online live versus, yeah. Um, and how are you supporting, how is your school going to support the students, um, that you choose? So like if you're, struggling, how are you going to get help? I think that's important.
Nikki: Was there anything else that we… No, I think that's everything. So if you could leave our listeners with one parting tip when they're searching for a school, what would that be?
Rachael: I think it's important to choose the school that you connect with. I think that, you know, I think that that comes down to that. Like when I chose my aromatherapy school, I chose it based on how I was connecting with the school and the teachers. And I think that that, um, started me off in a very positive way. And, um, You know, and I think that that's how I've continued. So like whenever I am taking extra aromatherapy courses or other courses, I am doing it based on who am I going to learn from and what are they bringing to the table for me and why. So like, you know, what's their reputation in the industry? Are they doing well? That kind of thing. So yeah, for me, it's that connection. I think that's important.
Nikki: Awesome. Awesome. Yeah. See, and for me, I look at it as all of that, because that's absolutely one of the, but equally as important for me, it's value and not the monetary value, lifelong value. So if I join them, what else am I going to get? I joined a lot of programs. that and almost infomercially, but it's not, but it's like, you know, if I'm a student, do I get loyalty from you afterwards? So if you launch another course, am I offered a discount on that course? Is there something else included when I join your course? And it doesn't necessarily need to be free either by any means, but it's that you know, that thank you of, hey, you joined us. So as a thank you, we are now launching this additional program and you can join it at, you know, 20% off or so, or you get to join it before everyone else gets to join it, different things like that. Those little tiny perks is often what I look for because it makes me feel appreciated. It makes me feel valued. It makes me feel like they, you know, they, respect that I chose them originally and this is their way of thanking me. So I always look for that additional value on top of the course that I've signed up for. What can I get in the future with them if they have multiple other Courses that I can pick from and again, I get that student discount. Awesome. I Like all of that aspect of it because because I'm a course junkie It's I'm always looking for you know What what else is out there and if I can stay within the same school to take multiple courses with that same school I've already have that rapport. It means that I'm already liking their teaching styles typically and right? So that connection is there and I just want to keep learning from them. And so that's what I really look for is those, you know, is there something else I can learn from them on top of this original course that I signed up for?
Rachael: Well, and I'll tie to docentria quickly for there too, just because we offer our certification courses and we have our mini courses. Um, and I don't think that we, publicly say this, but I'll say it here now is that students do get a discount on the mini courses when they launch. So, you know, that is something that we offer and I guess maybe I should make it live so people know that that's a perk that they get, because they don't know that now. But they definitely, every time there's a new mini course, everybody gets, all the students and graduates get a discount on that.
Nikki: Yeah, and we make it very clear to our students that when we do launch a new mini course, like, hey, sign up. with this because then you do get that discount, absolutely. And that was something important for me each time we do because I know that's what I often look for. I really want to make sure that we offer that because it is a way of saying thank you for choosing us and continuing to choose us. It's just that it's something small, but to me, it's a big impact when I feel that the schools I choose have that recognition. So I think that's a great spot to wrap this up. But the biggest thing is take your time, do your research, and reach out. Biggest thing you can do is reach out and have your questions answered. So thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of Vetiver Vibes. Nikki with Rachael signing off. Have an amazing day.
Rachael: Bye. Thank you for spending your time with us here at Vetiver Vibes. This episode was brought to you by Essentia, a leading online aromatherapy school. Don't forget to check out some of our free resources at www.schoolofessentia.com.
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Rachael: This podcast is for information purposes only. We are certified clinical aromatherapists and holistic health professionals. If you have a medication concern, please refer to your health team. Everyone's health is unique to themselves, so the topics and suggestions stated may or may not apply directly to you.
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