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FAQ

What is holistic massage?

A holistic massage is an individual massage treatment that is specifically tailored to each client. A true holistic massage is unique, following no fixed routine and focusing on more than just superficial aches and pains.

A holistic approach treats the body as a whole, and a holistic massage practitioner takes into account a client's emotional and spiritual wellbeing, as well as their physical body. For a holistic practitioner, a wide range of massage techniques must be mastered, including gentle massage, stretches, relaxation work and deep tissue techniques.

Flexibility in applying this breadth of knowledge is paramount since their appropriateness must be determined by the client's needs at that particular time.

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Where can I train and how much does it cost?

Each of our centres is independent in terms of timetables and fees. For further information about our schools, timetables and costs, go to the individual school pages.

Locate the most convenient school for you, under its geographical region. Direct contact details for the school are given, including its website. The school or centre themselves will be able to advise you of the pre-requisites, appropriateness, costs, and time needed for their course.

If you would like to talk to a tutor, our tutors are very happy to be contacted, and they may be able to offer other proposals to find out more, such as attending a typical class, or even having a massage if current guidelines permit this.

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How do you access the MTI APP exam Past Papers?

Students who want to practise past papers before their APP exam need to:

  • Click on 'Member log-in' on the home page, and enter their log-in details for the Member Area
  • Go to Resources, then Student Resources, then Syllabus and exams
  • Past APP papers are in a blue box at the top of the page. Click on this and the papers are then available to download.

 


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Can I see a copy of my exam paper, after the exam?

No. It is strict policy not to allow students to see their completed, marked papers. MTI doesn’t allow this as an examining body. It’s worth remembering that all papers falling between 60% and 67% are automatically second-marked, sometimes third-marked. MTI’s reasons for not releasing the completed exam papers are as follows:

  • It is considered best practice (and common educational practice) for the summative, completed script to be withheld from students
  • There are essay questions in the paper, which contain both pure APP and the application of APP theory to massage practice. The markers can only award marks for what is actually written, and their interpretation of that written text. They have no access to the thought processes behind what is submitted, and what the candidate 'meant' as opposed to what they wrote. Disagreements around this can generate hard-to-resolve arguments. All our markers have been individually trained, and also teach APP, and MTI considers that they are in the best position to judge and mark such questions
  • The MTI APP papers are recycled in their entirety, which makes it very important that papers aren’t released into the public sphere. It would invalidate the paper.

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What if I have a complaint that I’d like to take to MTI?

MTI expects most student complaints to be resolved at school level following the School's own complaints guidelines. If you have a complaint that needs to go to MTI, please ask your tutor for a copy of the MTI Student Complaints Procedure. You need to take into account the Learning Contract and Student Code of Ethics you have signed. Otherwise, please follow the guidance in the Procedure. Please do not contact the GCMT or the CNHC, as these bodies will refer the complaint back to MTI.

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Is there a student clinic offering reduced-price treatments?

Please contact the individual schools to ask about student clinics.

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Can I work abroad with my MTI Holistic Massage Diploma?

There isn't an international qualification for massage, you have to check standards and insurance in each country that you plan to work in. However, Balens, who supplies our block insurance scheme, provides cover overseas in the following countries:

  • Spain
  • Greece
  • Cyprus
  • Malta
  • Holland
  • France
  • South Africa
  • Republic of Ireland

More countries will be added soon, contact Balens to find out more.

The MTI Holistic Massage Diploma is also recognised in New Zealand, however every other country (and in the USA, each state) has its own requirements and an MTI qualification (or qualification from any other massage training organisation) may or may not be recognised. We suggest you contact the country's Chamber of Commerce or Consulate who may be able to advise who to contact in the country concerned. Alternatively, a working massage practitioner in your country of interest might be able to help.

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I qualified abroad and would like information about practising massage in the UK

You need to make sure that you can get UK insurance to work with the public, and to do this you need to contact a few insurance companies and see if they will accept your qualifications. Different regions of the UK have different regulatory and registration requirements, and some have no requirements at all, as this is essentially still a voluntary-regulated industry in the UK.

Our Practitioners Association has a route to membership for non-MTI graduates, and this would provide a UK-acceptable benchmark for your massage standard. If you would like to apply please email register@massagetraining.co.uk . Alternatively, you can contact the CNHC to find out whether you can register with them.

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I’ve lost my qualification certificate

Email mti@massagetraining.co.uk (or call 01462 458 225 if you don’t have email) with your request. Please be aware that we thoroughly check all available records to ensure the certificate is in the right name, at the right level and going to someone who has properly qualified with MTI.

An invoice for £35 will be raised and sent to you with our bank details. When the invoice is confirmed as paid, your replacement certificate will be posted to the address you give.

Alternatively, you can send us a cheque by arrangement, and when the money is confirmed as arrived in our bank account, your certificate will be sent.

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I’ve changed my surname and want to change the name on my certificate

Email mti@massagetraining.co.uk (or call 01462 458 225 if you don’t have email) with your request and include official notification which includes your old and new names (such as a marriage certificate copy).

Be aware that we thoroughly check all available records to ensure the certificate is going to the right person, at the right level and to someone who has properly qualified with MTI.

An invoice for £35 will be raised and sent to you with our bank details. When the invoice is confirmed as paid your replacement certificate will be posted to the address you give.

Alternatively, you can send us a cheque (by arrangement) and when the money is confirmed as arrived in our bank account, your new certificate will be sent.

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Why is the MTI Holistic Massage Diploma not on the national Qualification Credit Framework?

A decision was made at Board level to maintain the independence of the MTI HM Diploma syllabus, and therefore it’s not listed on the Qualification Credit Framework.

Simply listing a qualification on the QCF is no guarantee of quality. This depends on a robust quality assurance package, and the MTI has this. The following aspects of the MTI qualification are a guarantee of quality:

  • MTI itself is an accrediting body which is nationally recognised. The syllabus is taught in 15 schools across the UK and the qualification awarded through MTI
  • Our standards exceed the National Occupational Standards (NOS) required by OfQual (CNH1, CNH2 and CNH7) and although the MTI qualification is not on the QCF the core units are
  • Our syllabus is taught at Cardiff Metropolitan University as part of their Complementary Health degree programme. It has been assessed as at Level 4
  • Our practitioners are eligible to join both the GCMT and CNHC. This is because the MTI qualification is recognised by both these bodies. The CNHC is the go-to list for NHS staff seeking massage practitioners for their patients and only the most robust qualifications are on it
  • All tutors and assessors are specifically trained and accredited to teach the MTI syllabus. Only tutors who pass our exacting standards are allowed to teach on our courses
  • Both the practical exam, the theory exam and the coursework hours are individually and externally assessed (for standard and completion) before a student is allowed to qualify. Marking consistency across exams is audited
  • The MTI as a whole undergoes external verification by industry experts.

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Can the MTI HM Diploma contribute to UCAS points?

Qualifications awarded by MTI do not currently fall within the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) as our organisation is relatively small and specialised. However, our Diploma course is taught as part of a degree programme at a UK university (which runs degree courses in complementary health) and they have benchmarked the MTI Diploma in Holistic Massage, Anatomy, Physiology & Pathology as Level 4.

In addition, the syllabus exceeds the requirements of the GCMT core curriculum, which is recognised by Ofqual (the NQF regulator) as Level 3. The core curriculum forms the basis for the National Occupational Standards for massage practice.

This means that the MTI Holistic Massage Level 4 qualification may not be listed in the UCAS points tariff list. You need to contact the university or college that you're interested in and ask them if you can use the MTI HM Diploma (Level 4) to help compile your application profile. In general, a Level 4 qualification is roughly equivalent to 37 credits or more, (about equivalent to the first year of a degree) but it depends whether the HM course content is relevant to the proposed course of study.

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I want to complain about my massage practitioner

If you have a complaint about an MTI member you have received a massage from, please contact MTI central in confidence or the GCMT, or if they are a CNHC member you can also get in touch with them. We take every complaint seriously and follow a robust complaints procedure to resolve the issue towards the best outcome for all concerned.

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I am a massage tutor, and would like to accredit my course with MTI

MTI Course Accreditation Scheme: the aim of the centre-specific course-accreditation scheme is to approve qualifications offered by training centres that want their courses externally validated by MTI. These courses must be delivered by MTI-accredited tutors – only 10% of the course may be delivered by non-MTI tutors.

The intention is to give Training Centres more autonomy over developing, teaching and examining new qualifications. However, it is paramount that MTI maintains a robust system of record-keeping, standard setting and monitoring to ensure that MTI quality and ethos is sustained and enhanced, and to demonstrate accountability. Hence MTI is involved at key points throughout the process, including acting as Accrediting Body, creating and maintaining a student record, selecting the theory exam and External Verification of the course.

To find out how to accredit your course, log in to the Tutor Handbook and download the "How-to" Section 18. Alternatively, if you aren’t an MTI Tutor, please email Diana on mti@massagetraining.co.uk

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