FAQ's

FAQ's Answered

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Yes, we still go ahead with the class if only 2 people are booked for our one day courses - please note for the longer ITEC courses we require more, however we have not had to cancel a course yet for the longer courses.

If you are the only one booked and the course is cancelled by your tutor due to lack of numbers (we require at least two students to run our one day courses), you will be offered another date with the same or a different tutor. However, if we do not have at least two other dates to offer you, we can offer you a full refund.

We specialise in small classes to ensure one-to-one tuition, which we feel is very important. Many other courses on offer will have between 25 - 35 students on them and as a consequence the teacher will take much longer to supervise the class, making the course itself longer and of course more expensive.

For our one day courses we usually take 6-8 students (for some courses only 4) at a time, ensuring individual attention at all times and of course you will learn the same techniques as you would learn on longer courses.

Many students tell us they learn more in one day with our tutors (due to their experience and their clear teaching methods) than they have learnt elsewhere on a 2 or 3-day course in the past. We take small numbers per class, which also ensures individual attention.

Other schools' training courses will also include Anatomy and Physiology, making the course a lot longer, but A&P is not always needed to gain insurance. The tutors will cover the relevant A&P in your course manual when required and we also send you an accredited A&P manual by email which is free of charge, before you attend our course. You are NOT required to read this beforehand but it is great extra information for you to save you having to buy books on the subject - this is our gift to you. Some students have found this is a great reminder if they studied a long time ago and for beginners it is a fantastic introduction to the subject.

We follow the guidelines of the professional therapy associations and insurance companies and only ask for massage and A&P if it is required. For many of our one day courses, it is not a legal requirement to have massage or A&P to attend; this allows our courses to be shorter and more affordable.

Please note if you wish to join FHT or Embody their regulations state that you must have a level 3 qualification in full body massage and A&P, however those of you without this can join another professional body called ThinkTree, who both do not require this. Information about Insurance and Professional body cover will be explained by your tutor on the day of your training.

Often colleges will offer these courses with Anatomy and Physiology included or even ask students to undertake case histories; however this is not a requirement or a legal prerequisite. You are able to take private courses and obtain a recognised certificate and get insurance as a practitioner (which allows you to use these therapies with the general public and charge for it). We do however include all the essential A & P you will be required to know in your course manuals.

YOU WILL BE SENT AN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY MANUAL BEFORE YOUR COURSE - THIS MEANS YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE A BOOK ON A & P BEFORE YOU ATTEND OUR CLASS WHICH WILL SAVE YOU HAVING TO BUY BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT.

YOU DO NOT HOWEVER HAVE TO READ THIS BEFOREHAND IT IS THERE WHEN YOU REQUIRE IT AFTERWARDS AS OUR FREE GIFT TO YOU.

Colleges often place the massages they teach under one umbrella which is easier for their administration which means they teach it with A&P which is not a requirement for many courses and makes it a lot longer than is required. This is why our one day diploma courses are so popular as they are insurable making them accepted to use professionally.

Many massage courses, for example, the ITEC Holistic Massage course or Reflexology do require A&P as part of the training programme and it is easier for them to offer all courses with Anatomy and physiology, even though it may not be required.

We make it clear on each course page if A&P is a legal requirement or not.

In larger classes of 25-35 students, tutors have to move around the class checking their techniques; on our courses you will learn and easily absorb the same techniques but in a smaller class, allowing tutors to observe you closely at all times.

We teach you the same courses in smaller classes, allowing you to absorb the same information in a shorter period of time and of course you spend less money. We want to allow these courses to be available for everyone & you have the reassurance of professional teaching as all courses are registered with many professional bodies like The FHT (Federation of Holistic Therapists) CTHA - EMBODY, Thinktree and many more.

All the courses that are accredited with many professional bodies are recognised by the councils, who have many of them on their list of approved qualifications to accept. However please be aware that some councils have different guidelines so you will need to contact the council direct before signing up for a course as they are all different, so it is best to check first.

We have been informed by the accrediting bodies in the past, that they are not really sure of each one’s criteria, they said that certain disciplines aren’t required to even get a licence i.e. chiropractors, osteopaths etc. They advise each individual student to speak direct to the council as they will only deal with individuals (the student) and not the training school as sometimes the therapist may have something that they will not accept as it is not always down to the qualification, but the individual.

Please note - we are not able to contact the council on your behalf as they will not deal direct with the schools, only with the therapists applying.

The council usually say that although they issue the licence they refer applications to the environmental health department for approval of qualifications – FHT for Westminster and other councils, we assume other councils are the same but it is advised to check first.

We have also spoken to the environmental health department (Tel 0207 641 3161) and they said that the qualifications are considered individually and if they are rejected then they will be sent paperwork listing the reasons why. They mentioned that a student should not go to the training school if a council have rejected their application to find out as they will not be told, it is between the student and the council and nothing to do with the training school and they would be happy to advise where necessary.

When a student has been rejected before (which is rare but can happen) we were told it is advised that the student speak to the council direct as they should have received a notification (if you get rejected for any reason) with the rejection paperwork as to the reasons why. They have the information regarding what qualifications the therapists have and they should have the information from the council as to why they were rejected.

It unfortunately has nothing to do with our training as it is to do with their criteria with regard to the individual student and this is out of our hands, however usually most councils will accept students' qualifications but will let them know why if there is an issue.

Accrediting bodies have stated the following:

Insurance versus Councils & Special Treatment Licences:

It is really important here that we split insurance and Council Licences so as not to risk confusion. Insurance is obviously a recommended (but not compulsory) undertaking for Therapists to protect them in the event of a claim.

Councils are unfortunately a different matter; because the beauty industry is unregulated, there are no centrally-agreed legal or Government guidelines for the industry. As a result, Local and District Councils have the autonomy to decide expenditure, priority, standards and approach to beauty therapists in the local area. They will decide this based on the number of complaints, insurance claims, the opinion of the person running it, if their constituents have demanded it etc. As a result of this diversity, the standards and requirements across the UK vary wildly and there are no definitive measures therapists can achieve.

What this means is that where possible, we (the accrediting bodies) will work with Councils to ensure that our membership can be used as an alternative to special licences or can at least help to reduce fees. Our success with the Councils varies Council by Council for example Westminster currently recommend us, but others don’t. Acceptance by Councils is not something we promise, nor are we likely ever to be able to promise, but neither can other accreditation providers; in fact, ours has the most penetration with Councils. We are also working on building relationships with more and more Councils each month.

Unfortunately, the decision makers in the Council do not always have relevant or current information to make their decisions; requesting an NVQ or City & Guilds is naive given that a) there are other Awarding Organisations and b) there are many treatments which have bespoke qualifications because they are so new, yet no C&G qualification. This is where we will work to help out / educate.

The accrediting bodies have said when they get the following email this is how they respond “I got our courses accredited with you as I thought you were an approved body by the councils”. Our accreditation scheme does not claim Council acceptance but does enable your students to be insured by us. Many Councils do recognise us as one of, or the only professional association in the industry, but not all. From here, we will get in touch with the Council and see what we can do to resolve the situation.

So, it is advised if this happens to any students to get in touch with the professional body they are a member of and have insurance with, for them to help you.

Code of Ethics and Practice

The information contained within our courses are for informational and educational purposes only, once professional training has been completed. It is not an attempt by the writer, course tutor or Gateway Workshops Ltd to diagnose, prescribe, or use such techniques taught in an inappropriate manner. We are a professional training company and do not condone inappropriate contact or unprofessional behaviour at any time.

Once qualified Gateway Workshops Ltd would expect our students to conduct their therapies in a way that is a credit to the professional industry. We have provided some guidelines below on the expected conduct of therapists whilst carrying out treatments with clients.

Maintaining an appropriate and professional relationships with a client is crucial.

Therapists must never use their position of trust to exploit or manipulate the client in any way, maintaining professional boundaries between the therapist and the client at all times. The Therapist must ensure that the client feels “safe” and minimise the risk of a misunderstanding or complaint.

Therapists must avoid inappropriate touch, dress or conversation with their client.Therapists should use extra caution when treating near an intimate area of the body, if a treatment requires touching the client near an intimate area, the therapist must explain this to the client in a clear and professional manner.

If a client does not wish to have an area of the body treated as they do not feel comfortable or safe, no pressure or force should ever be placed on the client. You should advise the client if avoiding this area may potentially impact the benefits of the treatment.

It should be outlined in the consultation form that working near an intimate area was discussed, which the client in turn must sign to confirm that they have understood and are happy to proceed with the treatment.

Therapists must establish and uphold clear sexual boundaries with clients, to avoid breaking trust, compromising the reputation of the profession, and potentially committing a criminal offence.

By signing up to a course with Gateway Workshops LTD you are legally agreeing to adhere to our code of ethics and practice.

We reserve the right to update our website at any time (including the prices of our courses which are subject to change) and our terms and conditions are subject to change.

Any complaints or concerns are to be addressed to Sue Bailey - Director/Owner of Gateway Workshops email:

sue@gatewayworkshops.co.uk

Tutor Cancellation Policy

If for any reason you have to cancel your place on the course, please provide your tutor with at least 10 days written notice and you may be required to produce medical evidence if you are cancelling for a medical reason.

If a student has paid a deposit to Gateway Workshops and then wishes to cancel their place on a course, they must give not less than 10 days’ notice in writing to the tutor, to expire at 9am on the morning of the course they have booked.If a student has given the notice required under point 2 they will then be entitled to a refund of 50% of the balance payment of the course fee owed after payment of the deposit.

If student fails to give the notice required under point 2, they will not be entitled to any refund of the course fees paid unless the tutor is able to fill the student’s place on a course.

If you do not turn up on the day or you cancel your attendance on the course day and/or have given no written notice that you will not be attending the course, then the full course fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

You have/ have not paid your final balance by previous arrangement with the tutor and do not arrive for the course; you will still be held liable for payment of the full remaining course payment.

YOUR TUTOR (their name will appear in this section for their terms and conditions in the confirmation they send to you) cannot accept responsibility for students’ changes to work commitments, illness or personal circumstances within this 10 day period.

If a course is cancelled due to low numbers or for reasons beyond our control, we will endeavour to transfer you to another course date or offer you a full refund.

Please note the balance payment is paid to your tutor, who is solely responsible for refunding your balance if your course is cancelled and not that of Gateway Workshops LTD and they will refund any balances due in a timely manner. This includes if the course is cancelled for any reason, including if they leave Gateway Workshops, so you are legally covered for any balance refunds by your tutor.

Gateway cannot be held responsible for any transport issues or transport cancellations, weather problems, if you have to work suddenly, cannot find a child minder or if you or your child become unwell and you cannot attend a course. We can only refund students if you cancel a course place within the 14 days cooling off period or if a tutor cancels a course.

We are always flexible and fair so if enough notice is given, we can consider each request on a case-by-case basis.

By ticking you agree to our terms and conditions on the payment page (before your deposit payment can be accepted), you fully agree to our terms and conditions with regard to the above transport, work, weather, illness, childcare or council issues you may have which would be out of our control and always the responsibility of the student and not that of Gateway Workshops LTD.

We trade under the trading standards laws and regulations. In the same way if you buy a theatre ticket and you are not well or have to work, or you get stuck in traffic or have public transport cancellations you cannot change the ticket for another date, we trade in the same way as other training schools and adhere to the trading standards rules and regulations - our site has been checked by them and passed as using the correct terms and conditions.

If enough notice is given, we can refund part of your balance paid to your tutor (please check the tutors terms and conditions on this page for the balance payment).

We are as flexible as we can be when it comes to one off situations - for example if there is severe snow and you are unable to get to a class and enough notice is given, we can in extreme situations give a transfer and another date choice.

We are unable to refund outside of 14 days if your train or plane is cancelled due to a disease like Coronavirus or similar - The general advice is to make sure you are covered by your travel insurance for any current diseases that may be causing issues with travel, so you can claim back any losses via your insurance company as Gateway Workshops cannot be held responsible for any travel cancellations and cannot refund or transfer a place booked on a course outside of the 14 days required to inform us of any changes.

We are unable to refund you if you find out you require a visa and you do not have one in time to travel or attend with us, we are not able to get involved with a student application for a visa as this is not something we can legally help with as you would be required to organise this ahead of time independently.

We train thousands of students each year and we get a lot of returning happy therapists; this is because we are fair and understanding, so if you have a medical reason and you have to cancel, with supporting evidence and enough notice given - we can always review your case for you.

If you have to self-isolate and you are unable to attend a course with us we will require proof and if given we can offer you a last minute cancellation place so you do not lose your money. We can only offer this with proof and no refunds or specific dates can be offered unless you cancel within the 14 day time period required.

By booking a course with us, you fully agree to our full terms and conditions outlined on this page of our website, which are fully available to view before you book a course with us.

What happens if a course date is cancelled by us

This is rare but the good news is that there are usually more dates available to transfer you to, which legally means the contract we have with you the student can be performed. We are legally required (if a course is postponed and not cancelled) to offer you another date (a minimum of two other options) to fulfil our contract with regard to your booking and by having other dates on offer, this means this course is still being offered and we are able to transfer you to another date. If we are not able to offer you at least two other date options for any of our tutors, you are then entitled to a refund under the trading standards distance selling regulations of your deposit and any balance payment you have paid to the tutor will be refunded in full.

However, if we are able to offer you at least two other date options and you do not accept them and decide not to transfer, we are not liable to refund you as the course is deemed legally to still be running (postponed course and not a cancelled course) as the course is still being offered on alternative dates.

If we cancel a course and it is no longer running with no alternative dates available then we will refund you in full.

We do also allow students to transfer their payment to not only the same course (different date) but a different course completely if preferred. Please note we cannot be held responsible for any travel plans made by students when a course is cancelled by one of our tutors, if you have bought train tickets or taken time off work etc we cannot be held liable for any refunds of travel tickets or monies lost for time taken off from work or money paid to child minders etc. We are unable to reimburse any students for any outlays lost when a course is cancelled.

Transferring to a new date must be taken within 6 months from the cancelled date, this also applies if you are wishing to change your date within 14 days of your booking - the new date can be taken within 6 months of the original course date. However if the tutor cancels a date and is unable to run any further dates within a 6 month period (which may run into the following year if you booked a course near to the end of the year), the tutor is under contract to refund the student the full balance but also the deposit payment as it was their decision and not that of Gateway to cancel and they are legally under contract to refund the student in full.

If we are shut down by the Government for COVID-19 or any similar virus or situation beyond our control, the 6 months is extended to 12 months to allow us to be able to run courses when we are allowed to open so we can fulfil our bookings with any students that booked before a lockdown or regional closure. This means that if you booked a course in March and we cannot offer new dates until the following year, this is seen as reasonable due to being possibly shut for months at a time and the 6 months not being possible due to closures.

However, if a course is postponed and we are able to offer at least two other date options within a 6 month period from re-opening, then no refund is given if the course is still able to go ahead - transfers will be offered instead or a credit note option given for you to choose another date within 6 months at your convenience.

By ticking our terms and conditions box when booking a course with us, you fully agree to our full terms and conditions outlined on this page of our website, which are fully available to view before you book a course with us.

Beth Cook

I really enjoyed the MLD course with Beth. She kept it very interactive and has a lot of knowledge in the area. This was my first gateway course and she made it a positive experience.

Alison Baker

Really enjoyable and fun course with Alison, I have learnt some great techniques which I have started using in my salon and the clients love it! I look forward to attending another course with Alison soon she is so lovely and very knowledgeable! Thank you 😊

Reiki and Seichem Courses 1 and 2 - Accredited Practitioner Level

Maxine is a knowledgeable tutor with a warm and welcoming attitude. All material is explained in a clear and understandable way and a safe space is provided to ask questions.

Maxine was the perfect tutor, friendly and supportive Maxine makes you feel so comfortable she is very approachable if you have any questions, Maxine explained the course so well I enjoyed the course from beginning to end. Thank you Maxine. I�ve herd nothing but good things about gateway and it�s close to where I live.

Myofascial Release Massage - Practitioner Accredited Diploma Course

Esther is very knowledgeable and professional. It was a pleasure to be in her group. Esther delivered the course well, clearly demonstrating the technique and ensuring everyone practiced well and understood the physiology behind it. I feel confident that I can now use this technique on my clients. Thank you Esther. The professional accreditations and proximity to where I live.

FAQ's Answered

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