Most employers of Natural Therapists I’ve spoken to have a horror story. A tale of a recent graduate who has applied to work, and presented so poorly, that it seems they have had no training at all. “They didn’t know where the gluteus maximus was. Even my 4 year old knows where his own butt is!”

But weren’t we all students at one stage? Doesn’t everyone have to start somewhere? Of course, but for todays student of Natural Therapies, there are not a whole lot of options. Sure, there are practical clinic hours to every qualification these days, but even the most hands on degrees in the Health Training Package are more than 50% paperwork. And the simple fact is that some people are more suited to being shown, rather than being taught.

The solution might be for employers, or clinic managers to run cadetships. These are the greatest achievement to come out of any PR or Marketing firm, ever. Somehow, large firms are attracting an infinite supply of unpaid work, during our period of lowest unemployment, with the carrot at the end of 4 years study being a measly $36 - $40K per year. The wait lists are often 1 year long for people wanting to get in.

The lesson here might be for the employers, and not the students.
Offer students the chance to work, unpaid. Develop cadetship or work experience programs. Allow students to gain valuable experience, and in return, they’ll do your filing and buy your morning tea. Run workshops where they get to massage you, or give you a Naturopathic consultation in return for your valuable feedback. Just don’t make the mistake of expecting them to be well polished, seasoned professionals. That comes with time.

Shane