Choosing a grooming school can be a daunting task. These are a few steps you can take to help you make an informed decision in choosing a grooming school that provides everything they say they do! Below is a list of questions to specifically ask the Director and Instructor of any school you might think about attending.
1. Is the Director actually a groomer or someone from another profession?
2. How long has the Instructor been grooming and do they compete in dog shows or grooming competitions? If not, why do they not compete?
3. What accomplishments does the Instructor have other than being hired as instructor? Just about anyone can be an instructor if they meet the required minimum the state requires. This does not in any way mean that person is an accomplished or educated groomer with exceptional skills. It simply means they completed a form and have the bare minimum required by the state.
4. Ask to see work done by the instructor of breeds that are traditionally done incorrectly such as any of the Terriers that require legs scissored cylindrically. Are they leaving a harsh ugly straight line across the side of the dog instead of smoothly blending the underline? Are they giving the dog a skirt? (which is very incorrect) Are they leaving huge legs that have not been blended smoothly by scissoring into the correct cylindrical shape? If so, guess what? That is what you are going to learn as well. This industry has enough mediocre groomers out there. Don't pay to become another one!
5. Ask to see how the instructor does Cockers. If they are leaving that horribly ugly straight line down the side of the dog without blending the front and back legs and skirt into a beautifully flowing smooth sillhouette, then the instructor is not going to teach you the correct way to groom either. Grooming has no harsh lines on any breed!
I know of one school that actually teaches this and have seen pix of this online. How on earth can you expect to learn to groom correctly and understand the superior techniques of grooming and the fine art of professional grooming if the instructor at your chosen school does not know how to groom correctly?
6. Ask how many deficiencies that school received when the state comes to do their yearly audit for that school. The reason I mention this is because this will tell you if the school is adhering to the state policies and procedures that make schools accountable. If they are not, run away from that school!
7. Ask how many students have gone through the refund process. If a school refuses to give you this info, I would be very suspect and choose another school.
8. Ask how to contact previous students so you can speak to them directly. You might find out a lot more than the school is willing to give up when you speak to actual students off-campus, in private. A good school should be happy to provide that for you.
9. Ask what the student:instructor ratio is. I know from experience that more than 5 students per instructor is too much. There is no way an instructor can give each student the hands-on time they need on a daily basis to produce a superior level of grooming technique needed to become something more than just another mediocre groomer. If the school is a cattle-call school and crams more than 5 students in per instructor for the duration of the course, you seriously need to speak to the individual students. Ask if they get enough one-on-one time daily with the instructor. This is how dogs get injured and students do not get what they pay for.
If there are people joining and leaving the classes during your semester, how is the class structured? Each class needs to have a progression level that is reflected by the students on a daily/weekly basis. If the students do not feel their confidence level rising each day, something is wrong.
10. Last but not least...if the school stinks and is nasty choose another school. You are going to be in this facility for 11 - 12 weeks so keep in mind your daily comfort.
Prior to opening my own school, I visited a school locally that literally gave me a migraine headache due to the stench of cigarette smoke and urine odor saturating the facility. This is not good and certainly should not be representative of any school you choose to attend.
Do your homework and don't be afraid to ask direct, specific questions before making a commitment. There are a lot of good schools out there and there are a lot of schools that see a lot of turnover due to unhappy students. Going to school is a life-changing event for most people, so make sure you go to the best school in your area if you have a choice of more than one.
Plan ahead so you can choose which semester you want to attend. If you wait until the last minute you may not get into the next session at that school. I would plan at least 3 months in advance to ensure that you are able to attend the time of year that fits your schedule and lifestyle.
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