My first job after I matriculated was as a weekend receptionist at Chelsea Aesthetic Centre. Working in that environment found me envious of how the therapists presented and carried themselves. This is what initially inspired me to pursue a career in the beauty industry. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to complete a Manicure and Pedicure module at Beauty Therapy Institute during the week, while at the same time continuing as the weekend receptionist at Chelsea. Once I completed the Manicure and Pedicure module at Beauty Therapy Institute, I completed the Hot and Cool Waxing module and started working as a full time therapist at Chelsea offering these modalities.
Once I had built my confidence as a therapist I decided to expand my education and enrolled for the part time Manual Facial module at Beauty Therapy Institute. This was where I found my true passion. There is a saying that goes: “If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life”. This I have found to be true.
My proudest achievements are that I had been chosen as one out of ten therapists to receive an incentive to travel to Paris for ten days. The incentive was to apply my product knowledge and I was recognized for the fact that I was modular qualified, and yet, out of 10 fully qualified therapists, I proved to be the chosen one due to my outstanding achievements in my capacity as a modular qualified therapist, and yet showing such potential in the industry.. My experience in Paris improved my confidence and my motivation, with the result that I became the Top Therapist on a monthly basis. In addition to this, for two consecutive years I was awarded first the annual Top Retail Sales award for achieving over R1 000 000 in retail sales alone. Secondly, I received the Top Sales trophy at the Chelsea Aesthetic Centre, one of the best rated salons in Cape Town.
In summary, three modules in Health and Skincare completed at Beauty Therapy Institute proved to be sufficient for me to make my way into the industry. From there, the opportunities unfolded. This is a very exiting and fast growing industry and I am so thrilled to be a part of it.