If you’re planning on training to become a massage therapist, you’re committing yourself to a significant expenditure of time and money. It’s important that you get what you want and need out of the experience. These five questions will help you successfully select a massage therapy college that’s right for you?

Is The School Accredited?

Don’t be shy about asking this question, as it can affect your financial aid as well as your subsequent licensing. Several different groups accredit massage therapy colleges. Ideally, your school should be accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA). Other accrediting bodies include Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT), Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET), the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), and the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS).

Who Are The Instructors?

There’s an old, somewhat catty saying that those who can, do; those who can’t, teach. This certainly isn’t always true, but some massage therapy colleges, especially the ones that don’t pay very well, end up with massage therapists who couldn’t maintain a practice due to personality conflicts with clients, poor training, or sheer incompetence.

In most regions, the massage therapy community is fairly close-knit. You can probably get the dirt on the instructors by calling a couple of practicing therapists and offering to take them out to lunch in exchange for their honest opinions about the quality of instructors at the massage therapy college you’re thinking of going to.

You may also want to ask how many instructors there are. If there are only one or two instructors, your options are severely limited it, for some reason, you don’t hit it off with a particular teacher.

Is Financial Aid Available?

This can be a very important question if you’re low on funds. If your massage therapy college is accredited by a body recognized by the Department of Education (see above for some examples), you may be eligible for federal grants or loans. Also, ask the school about private scholarships and work-study opportunities.

Have Any Complaints Against Your Massage Therapy College Been Filed With The State Regulatory Board?

Be on guard if your massage therapy college has a number of complaints filed against it, even if none of them ended with official sanctions. Disgruntled students and graduates often file complaints but are hesitant to testify publicly. Even the best school can have a few unhappy students, but if the numbers of people calling in complaints are high, beware.

What Do Other Students Think About The Massage Therapy College?

Interview some students and ask what they think of their training so far. If possible, talk to some graduates of the program. Have they been able to find work? Did they take the National Certification Board Exam, and if so, did they pass it? Do they feel the training they received from the massage therapy college was valuable? What would they like to see changed.

Selecting a college is an important decision that can affect the rest of your professional life. Ask questions and choose wisely.

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