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Just as you must evaluate schools you attend
in person, you must evaluate home study
programs. Today there are three categories.
- Experienced pet groomers who have set up
companies specifically focused on pet care
training through home study alone.
- Experienced pet groomers who have set up
schools and a portion of their curricula is
home study and then you complete an
internship onsite at a specified location.
- Corporate vocational education companies
offering instruction in dozens of trades of
which pet grooming is only one.
We advise the first two only. You will
find several of them consistently listed at
PetGroomer.com for many years (click
here for names). You can build working
relationships with them, and there are
unique benefits derived from groomers teaching groomers.
You maintain communication with the home
study instructors through correspondence.
Some groomers completing these programs have
maintained long-term working relationships with instructors.
Some visitors to PetGroomer.com tell us they
loved the home study alternative and
continued to acquire additional education.
We asked Kathy Sanders, owner of Groomadog
Academy (home study) and former owner of an
onsite grooming school, to share her
experience with home study students. She
replied, “I owned two residence schools for 12
years and I can say from experience that my
correspondence students are doing just as well
if not better. The correspondence student has
an advantage over the residence students.
They’re already over their fear of grooming
without instructors. My students graduate with
confidence. People should also realize that
home study courses can be very different so
they need to choose wisely. Some courses are
videos and a book. Some are much more than
that. My home study graduates open shops, win
competitions and go on to get their masters
with
NDGAA. We have groomers take our home
study course to expand their training
experience. However, by all means I recommend
that all students, residence or correspondence
go on to further their education and
experience.”
Pet owners acquire home study courses to
learn how to groom their pets. I wonder how
many of them quickly discover that grooming
pets is more complex than they first thought
and become loyal clients of local professional
groomers?
If you don't know if pet grooming is right for
you taking a home study could help you to
discover your answer. The cost is
reasonable, far less than grooming school.
If you simply cannot afford grooming school
or obtain financial aid, home study may be
your best first step. In the future you can
continue to acquire more home study aids
like books and DVDs, and find a way to
attend trade shows, seminars and workshops
whenever possible. Never stop learning the
art of grooming.
Click the Next bone to
learn even more about other educational
opportunities.
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