Getting Started with Online Courses
Updated 1st November 2024.
Achieving a recognised beauty qualification couldn’t be easier with our Accredited Online courses. Learn at your own pace, in your own time and start your own business! If you’re new to Online Courses this blog will be a useful guide through getting started with your Online Course.
What’s Involved
Our online courses are completed through our industry leading, user friendly Online Student Portal. You receive access to a wealth of high quality learning resources, written by beauty professionals including comprehensive e-manuals and detailed step by step video demonstrations. You can watch the videos as many times as you need. We include fun multiple choice online tests which are great for checking your understanding and can be retaken instantly, as often as you need to pass.
When you feel ready, you will practice on friends / family or training hand / head as relevant to the course. You need to provide evidence of 3 case studies which are submitted easily by email and assessed against industry standards to ensure your proficiency with the treatment skills. Individual feedback to help you improve and you simply resubmit as needed until you are at a successful level to achieve. Typically students complete these courses within 2-6 weeks (committing around 2-10 hours per week to study), although you have 12 weeks to access the course resources on the portal should you need to go slower. Students can take up to 12 months to email over their case study evidence for certification, so plenty of time to practice your skills to full confidence.
The Student Portal
Once you have registered for your course you will receive an email with your link to access the Student Portal. The Student portal can be accessed through desktop, tablet and phones. If you are using a tablet or phone there is an app available to download, simply visit the App Store and search SAP LITMOS. When prompted for a domain enter: thebeautyacademy followed by your log in details.
We recommend your first point of call when you log in is the additional resources tab in your course, here you will find your practical case study materials, including consultation and feedback forms. Save this pdf file to your device or print for use when ready to start practising.
Guidance on Case Studies
You will receive a detailed list of required products and equipment as part of your online course resources. Optional, selected kits are available to purchase through our website. Other beauty wholesale companies are available such as Salon Services or websites like Amazon, to allow you to source basic items to get started. Courses are not brand-specific so you can use any brand / supplier you prefer for case studies.
When you have completed your case studies email in to [email protected] and attach your before and after photos along with your client consultation form and feedback form for each treatment required.
Your case studies will be evaluated with your certificate and/or feedback provided by email within no more than 7 working days.
Getting Started Once Qualified
Once you’ve achieved your online course certificate(s), you can purchase public liability (beauty treatment) insurance to begin offering your services to paying clients. We do not provide insurance ourselves but recommend several leading insurers. You can find more about our recommended insurers on our website. You’ll already have your products from completing your case studies.
You’ll need a brand for your business – a solid name and logo. You also need to decide what basis you want to work on – from home, mobile etc. You’ll also need to register for self-assessment if starting your own business with HMRC for tax reasons. You will also need to keep records of any income earnt and any costs (along with receipts). You may want to seek advice from an accountant to get this set up initially. If you’re new to running a business, you may find our Starting a Business in Beauty Course useful.
For marketing, you’ll need to set up social media profiles on Instagram, Facebook and even Tiktok to begin promoting your beauty business. You can also get word of mouth promotion by networking with other local businesses (e.g. hairdressers, wedding suppliers etc.) or local organisations (schools, parents groups, charities etc.) to promote your services, perhaps with an open evening offering taster treatments or gift vouchers for raffle prizes. You may want to print some business cards and a price list to share with them. Always remember to take before / after photos of your results to share online and encourage clients to share their lashes or nails on social media tagging you to help gather word of mouth. It will take a little time and patience to build a loyal client base. It is recommended to promote discounted block bookings for a course of treatments or encourage clients to book their next treatment before they leave each appointment. This helps plan future business and get your appointment diary full. Gift vouchers are also a great way to get some initial income flowing, especially around seasonal events like Mother’s Day or Christmas. If you need help with your selling skills, you might like to consider our Sales Skills for Beauty Course.
From client feedback you gauge what future treatments you might like to learn and offer, taking on further Online Courses as required to develop the skills to keep your business going from strength to strength. Typically it takes around 6-24 months to establish a new business. For inspiration, why not take a look at some of our previous students’ success stories.
