Questions to Help You Interview Schools

A professional school interviews prospective students to decide their appropriateness to handle pets safely and meet the rigorous physical demands of grooming. As the other party involved in a contract for training, interview them. We suggest you ask the following questions:
 

• Is the institution "approved" or "licensed" as a vocational education institution? Schools outside U.S. may have an alternate form of approval or no approval may be required. Inquire with the school if they are subject to governmental approval. A few U.S. states do not license vocational education institutions.
• What is the field-related background of the institution's owner and instructors?
• How many instructors are there per student?
• What is the enrollment limit per class?
• Is the institution accredited?
• If they are accredited, by whom?
• Do they offer government related financial aid?
• Do they offer private financing or payment plans?
• Does the institution provide references from graduates?
• Do they provide textbooks, handouts, videos or other forms of course materials?
• Will you learn to groom multiple breed groups and various types of mixed breed pets?
• Will you learn to groom cats?
• How are the course hours divided between classroom and hands-on pet grooming?
• Is the size of the institution's pet owner clientele, and average number of daily grooming appoints, adequate to supply all enrolled students with pets to groom every school day?
• Do you have to share pets for grooming assignments with other students? If you do share pets how often can you be expected to share them?
• Does the institution offer a job placement program and statistics for their actual placement success?
• If you intend to be self-employed after graduation, will you learn pet grooming business management instruction as well as pet grooming skills?
• If you are attending from out of the area, do they offer housing assistance?
• Are you responsible to purchase a “toolkit?” What is the cost?
• What happens if you are ill and cannot attend a class?
• If you decide that grooming is not for you and you want to terminate your enrollment, are you eligible for a refund?
• If you want to add more training hours at the end of the program in which you are currently enrolled, can you add more?
• Do they provide field trips to trade shows or other extracurricular activities?
• Can they provide references from graduates?

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