In the summer of 2006 at the age of 20 I was working for $7.15 an hour at my local Starbucks. I never thought I would have a full time job that actually caused me to lose more money than I made but that was in fact my situation.
So, in the fall of 2006 I decided to make a change and I embarked upon what I thought was going to be a positive step towards a successful and rewarding career in esthetics. I researched a handful of schools in the greater Denver Metro area but decided on The Aveda Institute of Denver based on the promises that I received from the admission staff.
When “interviewing” schools I had a variety of experiences from the very casual to the incredibly high pressure. Aveda, on the other hand, offered an experience in their student consultation that was different from the others.
Though I didn’t schedule an appointment I was offered a tour of the school on the spot and sat down with an admissions representative right away; she even offered me a customized essential oil “sensory journey” with a sample size to go.
I was walked through the history of the Aveda Corporation and read their mission statement more than once; I was told that Aveda was the leader in the industry and that I would be guaranteed placement upon graduation whether with Aveda or another spa/esthetic company. It was made very clear to me that the possibilities with an esthetics education from Aveda were endless; the sky was the limit.
So, the admissions representative slid the Sallie Mae student loan application across the table to me and handed me the pen and, naively, I signed my life away – or at least that is how I feel now. The tuition itself was $10,000 for a 600 hour program and the admissions director convinced me to take the additional $1,200 in living expenses out as well for a total loan of $11,200! I had never taken a loan out in my life and thought that this was just what you had to do to get an education.
Also, since the other schools I had looked into wouldn’t disclose their rates I didn’t have anything to compare the tuition to. Then she gave me the extra security of acknowledging that “most estheticians have their student loans paid off within 2 years” even though it is a 15 year loan. (15 years! Yikes! How did I get sucked into this?) That was it. I was going to school to be a professional esthetician and I was truly excited.
Throughout the schooling we learned a lot about Aveda. We knew the history of the company, we were required to memorize the mission statement and be able to repeat it back at a moment’s notice, we knew the products inside out, and had to be fully engrossed in the Aveda Experience. The points of service were clearly laid out for us and we were being molded into carbon copies of the Aveda Professional. What I came to find when I graduated is that this (Aveda) was the only thing that we could be upon leaving school.
Due to the nature of Aveda’s philosophy we, the students, were taught only those treatments/modalities that Aveda approved of; i.e. basic facials, manual gommage techniques, botanical based treatment masks, aromaology (aromatherapy), and Aveda’s signature massage techniques.
This being the case, we were left without training on chemical peels, microdermabrasion, high frequency machines, electrolysis, and laser treatments. So, the Aveda education was not in line with the demands of the esthetics industry today. But, we were promised that we could make a career in esthetics with the education that we received at Aveda and I kept on trying.
Once I graduated I was left to my devices. Aveda has a career resources page on their website with job postings but to this day the majority of listings for estheticians require duel licensure with either massage or cosmetology.
I have even contacted the school directly; desperately seeking placement and they offer what is listed on their web site and nothing more. So, my options are either to work as a receptionist at an Aveda spa/salon or go back to school for massage so that I can get a job as an esthetician.
The last commentary that I had received from my previous instructor was “well, many of our estheticians just end up working front desk.” This was maddening! Why would someone commit to an $11,200 student loan and 4 months of full time education to work front desk at a spa?
Ironically enough, this is the exact situation that I found myself in when I landed my first position with Aveda. I worked front desk at an Aveda salon/spa in Arvada while holding on to the hope that I might be an esthetician there. Once I was told that I would not be able to do so I completely lost my motivation and transitioned into being a full time waitress – might I add that I made much better money doing this than working as a receptionist for Aveda.
Over the past three years I have continued to seek employment in the field of esthetics and have not had a single offer. Either I am not educated enough – this is the primary issue – or I am not able to spend $200-400 per week in booth rent and provide all of my own products and equipment at a contracted spa.
What am I doing now? I am sitting in a cubicle typing this letter; my dreams of being an esthetician are only dreams, my $100/month school loan payments aren’t even making a dent. I still owe just under $9,500, and I have been paying on this loan for four years – a total of $5,500! I had at one point been paying $130 per month when I could afford it. The equipment that I did invest in I had to sell to buy groceries. I haven’t done a facial in over 3 years and – again – I am sitting in a cubicle and not working with clients in a spa.
To top things off, I was looking for continuing education courses and found a school in Golden, Colo., that offers esthetics courses (the same 600 hours) for $4,800! That is less than the amount of money that I have paid out on my own student loan; I would have my loan paid off had I known there was a better route rather than maintain the massive amount of student debt that I currently have for an inadequate education.
Also, this particular school teaches the microdermabrasion and chemical peel treatments that my education is lacking. The continuing education tuition that I will have to pay to get to a point where I am employable is an average of $2,000; not to mention the time investment and loss of income since I have to work a full time job.
I can’t help but wonder how many graduates are in my position. My own esthetician had to close her doors because she couldn’t afford the industry. If you don’t have the finances to support your independent business or the education to get a job with an established spa you are basically out of luck with a useless license and a ton of debt to boot. Such is my case and I am confident that I am not alone.
I would still love to work in esthetics and remain passionate about the industry which is why I wish I could afford the continuing education. However, I don’t qualify for a loan or a credit card due to the student loan that I have. And I most definitely don’t have the cash to pay for it out of pocket so my timeline for even this is a few years out at best.
It is my wholehearted belief that the Aveda Institutes are doing a disservice to their students in not providing a complete education; currently, the Aveda Institute Denver only offers a duel licensure esthetics/massage or “spa” program – apparently they got some clue. I hate to think of how many are suffering the consequences of a poor private education as I am. I need compensation or vindication of some sort for the damages that I have incurred though I know that I will never see any help from Aveda.
Sarah Brandow lives in Arvada. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
