Beautiful ambition

Maybe it is the redundancy axe hanging over us, or perhaps it is seeing celebrities in their 50s and 60s looking more gorgeous than ever.

Whatever the reason, it seems we are all more concerned about our appearances, whether it is losing weight, keeping fit or looking younger for longer.

And as we are spend more on primping and preening ourselves, the beauty business is booming and, with it, demand for therapists who know how to transform us into Beauty from the hairy beast.

Enter Oxford International College of Beauty (OICB) which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and, in the words of Harold Macmillan (and more recently Lord Young), has never had it so good.

The small, private beauty school in West Oxfordshire is reaping the rewards of the beauty boom, as girls travel from all over the world to study there.

At the moment, it is home to students from Lithuania, Hungary, Cumbria, Lancashire, Derbyshire and a fair sprinkling of locals too. Former graduates include those who made the journey from places as far-flung as the USA, South Africa, Dubai and the Caribbean.

So why do these girls make a beeline for a college tucked away in Witney, rather than heading for the bright lights of London?

“The reason girls come to us from all over the UK and overseas is that we are one of just 13 schools in the UK that teaches CIDESCO and CIBTAC,” OICB administrator Liz Goodacre explained.

The qualifications she mentions are British and recognised, and highly prized, not just here but also overseas.

Armed with them, graduates can take their pick from the growing number of jobs at international spas, hotels, cruise liners, health and fitness clubs and beauty salons.

“Beauty is now in every area of the holiday, leisure and health and fitness industries, including ski resorts and cruise ships, which are heavily recruiting all the time,” Liz said.

“And one hundred per cent of our students pass their exams and one hundred per cent find work in the industry,” she added.

Not bad, considering there are hundreds, if not thousands of youngsters who are struggling to find a job, or have had their applications for universities turned down.

But OICB students are not all fresh-faced teenagers, some are more mature women who decide to ditch their existing careers and train in beauty and holistic therapy because they like the idea of working flexible hours.

Many of the 30 or so students are total beginners, while others have some past training but want to update their skills and opt for the evening or part-time classes on offer.

The courses are a mix of theory and practical work and cover topics such as micro-dermabrasion, laser hair removal, Continued on page 41 eyelash and brow shaping and tinting, facials, massage, non-surgical facelifts, manicures and pedicures.

Alternative therapies are more popular than ever and this is reflected in the curriculum, which includes hot stone therapy and Indian head massage.

The college was set up by Erika Oswin, whose contacts and experience in the industry smoothes the way for students to be set up in work experience and land plum jobs when they graduate.

“Erica’s been in the business a long time and has a lot of expertise,” said Liz.

“Also, our girls who trained with us over the past 20 years have reached positions where they are now managers of spas and salons all over the world, so we have fantastic support from them.

“When the girls go on work experience, they are almost always offered jobs as a result.”

Graduates have gone on to work at the Randolph Hotel, Esporta, Chesterton Golf Club, Cedar Therapy, Lucknam Park Hotel near Bath, Spa Illuminata in London, Holiday Inn Hotels, Ragdale Hall, Champney’s, Grayshott Spa, Heythrop Park Spa, the Royal Yacht Hotel in Jersey and the Elemis Spa at Heathrow Airport.

“One of our girls sent to work in Bermuda, many are on cruise ships travelling the world, others have opened their own salons in places as far away as the Netherlands, Oklahoma and the Caribbean,” Liz added.

Sophie Weiztort, a former Wood Green school pupil, started at OICB when she was 16.

Now, 18 months on she is a fully qualified therapist, working in the college’s own beauty salon that is open to the public.

Liz said: “Sophie did a one-year course here and she is exactly the type of student we want to attract.

“We like girls to have five GCSEs at grades A-C and it is good if they have A levels too or maybe have started sixth form and decided it’s not for them.

“It suits girls who are academically able to go to university but prefer to do something hands-on.

“Mainly they have to be caring and have empathy towards people and to have professionalism.

“That’s the first subject we teach. How to behave, to be discreet. It’s all about confidentiality and professional ethics.

“We also cover diet, nutrition and exercise. They learn about the whole skeletal, musculatory and nervous system.

“Sophie started working in our salon in July and already has her own clients. She is naturally gifted and interested in beauty treatments, which is ideal because you never stop learning in this business.”

“Many of our girls are leaving home for the first time and we are very good at pastoral care and helping them settle in,” said Liz.

“They may easily end up working in palatial, fabulous environments. Some of the big spas are amazing.”

But there is a less glitzy side to the whole thing, Liz warned.

“Success doesn’t come without hard work and the girls have to look immaculate on salon days. Clean white uniform, full make-up and hair taken up off the face.

“It’s not all glamour. The have to clean brushes, scrub sinks and sort out stock.

“It’s an exacting career. After a long, hard day, their feet might be killing them or they have a bad cold but they have to be as enthusiastic at 5pm as they were at 9am.

“They have still got to smile and treat each client as if they are the first of that day.”

For more information about courses or the salon at OICB, call 01993 775858 or visit