Since the premiere of
this site in May 1997 we have been contacted by a surprising
number of graduates of pet grooming schools who were unsatisfied
with the training they received. NOT
every complaint about a grooming school is valid. Indeed,
disgruntled students often are displeased because they did not
adequately review the schools of their choice and its programs
before they enrolled. Don't make impulsive decisions when choosing
your trade school.
Some complaints we have
heard are very worthy of review here to help you select the
correct institution to meet your educational objectives. The
complaints that caused us the most concern were the following: 1)
students did not learn grooming on all major breed groups or were
told that wasn't important! (Ed. note: Yikes! Though most pets may
be mixed breeds, each mixed breed pet has a dominant breed in
their appearance, and often the dominant breed appearance is the
starting basis of how to select an appropriate trim style for a
mixed breed pet. True! A great school will teach you that
concept.), 2) two or more students had to regularly SHARE
pets due to slow grooming bookings, and 3) the ratio of
instructors to students exceeded 1 per 8 students (our recommended
maximum, but we believe that 1 per 4 to 6 is much better). We even
had a student say one school didn't have hot or warm water to wash
pets!
|
This Info Menu is
Sponsored by: |
|
|
 |
 |
These complaints are
nothing less than heartbreaking to us at PetGroomer.com. The
graduates may suffer in the job market or operating their own
business as a result of these complaints. Ask the questions we
suggest on the next page! Too many of you tell us that you intend
to select the school closest to you, and its proximity is your
main criteria for selecting it. If you want to be sure that you
will achieve your educational and professional career objectives
you NEVER select a grooming school simply because it is closest to
you. Ask the Clinton's, rich or poor, sometimes it is necessary
for the student to travel out-of-state to attend the appropriate
school. Your pet grooming training is what you intend to earn
income from, and perhaps fund your retirement plan. It's so
important. Find a way to travel to the school that you desire.
Many offer reasonable housing alternatives.
To become a master
groomer some day you must learn to groom the major multiple breed
groups, and if you intend to operate your own business following
graduation, you must have multiple breed group experience prior to
going into business. Therefore, you also want as much hands-on
experience as you can on pets that you do not have to share with
other students. That means you should attend a school whose
grooming business is supported by a large clientele. Perhaps the
owner has found other ways to bring pets in for grooming, such as
from an animal shelter.
We do recommend that you
attend at least 500 hours if your goal is to become a master
groomer one day, and which will require substantial experience
after graduation too. Some schools that have programs totaling
less than 500 hours may allow you add on extra hours.
Below you will find a
list of questions you should ask about every school you are
considering for your important career training.
On the next
page is an important list of questions to help you determine
which schools can help you to reach your career goals. You are
getting very close to the Directory of Schools here.
