Setting up a school in a non-MTI area, By New Tutors officer, Jenny Hampton

I trained with the Bristol College of Massage and Bodywork when I lived in the city in 2010. And while being in a place were there is a demand for holistic massage has it’s benefits, it’s also the case that there are many other therapists offering a similar service. When I was thinking about training to be a tutor, I knew I wanted to go further afield, to go to an area where MTI and holistic massage was unknown and spread the joy with more people - and it was the right time in my life personally to move locations too.

There has never been an MTI school in the north West or north Midlands, and luckily this is not far from where my family live, so I knew it would be a good area to investigate. I ended up in a small town called Whitchurch, on the borders of north Shropshire, north Wales and Cheshire. 

There were no holistic massage therapists around for miles, and certainly no Level 4 holistic massage training. When I first started to practice here, I would often get a reaction of mild shock, as people here had not experienced this type of massage before and didn’t know what to make of it. Having had only the choice between beauty therapy or sports massage, a treatment that focused on soothing the nervous system as well as working on muscle aches blew people’s minds. They left feeling surprised, relaxed and a little dazed!

That showed me there was plenty of space for more holistic massage therapists, and I had no worries about ‘training the competition’. There would be enough space for everyone.

With this being a rural county, people think nothing of driving for an hour or more for events, which gave me a wide catchment area. I’ve had people on my course from Cheshire, north Wales (including Anglesey 2 hours away), Staffordshire and even Lancashire and only three from Whitchurch itself. With there being no comparable diploma within at least a 2 hour drive in all directions, this is a great place to base myself.

The downside is the MTI support system is at a distance. It’s a trek for practical examiners and APP tutors, and a lot has to be done online. And, even with reaching out to graduates of other schools, as there are no MTI practitioners in the area apart from the ones I’ve trained, its taking a while for supervision and CPD to get off the ground. But the more courses I do, the more possibilities there are going forward, including developing my career by training as an APP tutor, so I can offer the whole diploma here in person.

Setting up a school was a lot of work - teacher training, risk assessments, paperwork, lesson planning and more - but I’m so glad I did it, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I love running my own school and, with already 20 graduates trained and practising massage, I only see it expanding and flourishing in the years to come. 

If you fancy a change of scene, to pioneer holistic massage in a new area, find out how you could train as an MTI tutor and set up your own school in an undiscovered country, visit train to become an MTI tutor.

Feel free to contact me for an informal chat if you want to know more about becoming a tutor or setting up a school: mtitutors@massagetraining.co.uk 

Areas of the UK with no MTI schools: 

• Devon and Cornwall

• Mid and North Wales

• North West England from Liverpool to Scottish Borders

• North Eastern England from York to Scottish Borders

• West Midlands

• East Midlands

• South Central England (eg Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire)

• London 

• Northern Home Counties

• Southern Scotland 

• Highland Scotland

• Northern Ireland

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