Selecting a Grooming School

Your choice of grooming school couldn’t be more important for a stable and more profitable entry into the pet grooming industry. Education isn’t about instant gratification; it backs careers of several years and even decades. Think long-term. If you work 20 years or more as a pet groomer your gross wages could easily exceed $1,000,000. In fact many of our consultation clients will earn close to $2,000,000 in a 20 to 25 year career. Perhaps tuitions charged by grooming schools will look all the more reasonable when you consider that college educations cost many times more than even the most expensive grooming school tuition and their graduates may earn less than you as a skilled groomer.

Because you may lack the funds to pay cash for tuition doesn’t mean it’s overpriced or expensive. How many careers earning $1,000,000 or more in gross wages can be achieved with an initial education that costs a few thousand dollars? Not many.

Pet grooming schools and their curricula vary like night and day. “Caveat emptor” is Latin for “Let the buyer beware.” That adage applies to the broad variety of educational opportunities in grooming. Be aware once again that grooming is a profession without vocational licensing in any U.S. state. A great deal of latitude is given to school owners designing curricula even when the schools must secure state licensing as a vocational institution.

State licensure is not the government’s certification that a school’s program will ensure your ability to be employable or self-employed. It does imply that the government is reasonably convinced that graduates will achieve those goals. Therefore, we assure you that curriculums vary greatly from school to school; no two are the same.

Our intention is not to scare you. Our goal is to make you a more informed buyer, and that's what you are doing, buying an educational opportunity. Become a wise shopper. Most grooming schools are reputable. However, not every program serves the needs of every new career seeker. Be very clear and know what your educational needs are before you enroll.

If you ask us the most common mistake students make in selecting a school, we wouldn’t lose a beat and say, “Selecting a school based solely on the positive aspect that it’s the closest one to where you live.” Based on our experience as career counselors we can tell you that location is the number one determining factor in selecting a school. The odds that the best curriculum to meet your educational goals is also in your neighborhood wouldn’t get you far gambling in Las Vegas. The industry is not yet that standardized and evolved; it’s a goal for the future. Keep in mind there is no consumer information organization for vocational education schools for pet grooming. There is something you can do. Ask for references from graduates and talk to them.

We have heard every excuse why students cannot travel outside of their area to attend school for several weeks. Some are very good excuses too. It is your choice, and we are simply giving you our best advice. At least fight the limitations preventing you from getting the best education to meet your career goals. Realize that we also hear buyer’s remorse from students that wished they had traveled to their first choice school. So there you have it. The decision rests with you. Let’s move on.

Ensure that the institution you select is properly approved to provide pet grooming vocational education in accordance with the laws applicable within the jurisdiction where it exists. Except for a small handful of U.S. states, "vocational schools" must be “state approved” or “state licensed” by an agency of the state in which they reside. It is your responsibility to ensure your school is currently state licensed (where required by law) before you enroll in the institution. Several U.S. states require vocational schools to provide all prospective students with the name and contact information for the state agency which licenses them. You can contact that agency to ensure if the school is in good standing. Most schools outside the U.S. are not formally licensed like most U.S. vocational schools, but sometimes they are certified. Do your investigation please.

“Accreditation” and “state licensing” are different. Achieving accreditation usually requires the school to have been successfully state licensed for at least two consecutive years. The school creates a working relationship with an accrediting agency and completes a great deal of proof that it meets the standards required for accreditation by the agency. School owners seek accreditation to qualify for offering their students state or federal financial aid and to participate in various occupational or rehabilitation programs. Many top schools are not accredited because they do not offer government related financial aid, and instead they may offer private financial assistance.

The PetGroomer.com Yellow Pages has a Grooming School section listing schools around the world. We do not give our endorsement to any one school and instead provide you with our school directory for informational purposes and convenience. Not all schools are listed. Some school owners ask us not to list them because our huge popularity overwhelms them with interest and they can only accept a few students each year.

Your next step is to contact schools that interest you and request their brochure (sometimes called a “catalog”). Once you’ve reviewed their materials try to narrow your candidates to two or three schools. Call them and schedule an interview and tour of their facilities. If you need housing be prepared to visit those facilities as well. Some have housing onsite and others have leads to reasonable or shared housing alternatives. The school tour is mandatory in some U.S. states, and you must sign an acknowledgement that you did indeed take a tour. Now what does that tell you about the importance of touring a school before you enroll? Our advice is to tour institutions before you enroll whether required or not.

Here’s another important piece of advice. If several courses are offered take the longest course. Successful pet groomers know the learning mode continues for at least the first five years of their careers. Many graduates and apprentices promoted to full-charge grooming attend continuing education for many years. Therefore, a longer period of upfront education should ensure you a greater variety of experience on a broader cross-section of breeds and mixed breeds of all sizes, shapes and styling objectives before you groom on your own without the supervision and reinforcement of instructors onsite. Your confidence will be tested when you first start grooming pets on your own, and confidence is always based in having adequate knowledge and experience.

Click the Next bone to learn even more about selecting a school.