Our Students | Katie | Bone Idol Academy | Dog Grooming Course
Katie, 28 from Worthing is studying at the Bone Idol Academy for her iPET Network Level 3 Certificate in Dog Grooming and Introduction to Styling.
Here Katie explains what made her decide to become a dog groomer, and why she is enjoying the course so much.
What has led you to decide to become a dog groomer?
I currently work in insurance which is not the most interesting job! I am an assistant underwriter for commercial property.
But I have always been really interested in animals and studied equine science at college and university, and I worked with horses for a while. After that I got into horse insurance, and then ended up in my current job.
I’ve always loved dogs, and for about five years I have really wanted to be a dog groomer, I’ve thought for that long that it would be the career for me.
But I just never quite made the leap of faith because of the time it would take and money.
Then I saw Bone Idol and the course was super flexible, that’s definitely what attracted me to it.
At the moment I am working from home and I’m actually pregnant and will be going on maternity leave fairly soon.
I thought that afterwards while caring for a little baby dog grooming would be the perfect career because it’s nice and flexible.
In the pandemic I have been super lucky with my job, in that I have been able to carry on working and I feel really grateful that it’s been a mild inconvenience to me when lots of people have lost their jobs and been furloughed.
But at the same time the pandemic has made me reflect on what I am doing with my life and if it is really making me happy, the pregnancy has made me think about that too.
So basically I have come to the decision that insurance is a bit boring!
Also I’m not the biggest fan of working from home and not seeing anyone all day. I think it would be nice to see clients and their dogs and interact with people every day, even with social distancing.
I’ve been in the world of work for around ten years now, and realised that if I didn’t do it now I will never do it.
I’ve always loved dogs, and for about five years I have really wanted to be a dog groomer
What do you enjoy the most about the course?
I love the creative side of it, and learning all the techniques and different cuts, I find that really interesting.
You definitely need to be qualified in dog grooming because it is really difficult! I’ve had dogs all my life but grooming is totally different from that. You think you are quite capable of handling a dog, but it’s totally different when you are grooming, and making sure that they are calm and happy, as well as that you are doing a good job.
All of the dogs that I have groomed so far have been absolute angels, but I’m sure they won’t all be in my career. There is a real skill that you need to do it.
A usual day for me is to either have two dogs to groom, one in the morning and one in the afternoon or have one dog and a theory lesson.
When grooming the dogs, the teacher lets us know what type of groom we will be doing and then we start with a health check and are supervised while completing the groom.
The teachers give us direction, tips and pointers all the time, but I also love the feeling that I am being allowed to actually do it.
The theory lessons consist of many different topics including diseases, first aid, dog breeds and coat types etc. The lessons are taught in a classroom setting and there are pre prepared print outs to assist with learning.
The facilities are brilliant, it’s a big space and the grooms take place down stairs while the classroom is upstairs. All equipment is a very high spec and it’s thoroughly cleaned and well maintained.
It’s really exciting, although it was always going to be scary making the jump to do it.
How have you found taking the plunge and changing your career, especially with a baby on the way?
It’s really exciting, although it was always going to be scary making the jump to do it.
I think with Bone Idol, because they are so flexible, you are able to make that leap quite gradually and fit it around current work. It’s been a real transformation for me and my confidence has grown and grown, all the staff have been absolutely fantastic.
I would highly recommend it, I work with Helen the most and she is so encouraging. She shows you when you are not doing something quite right, but she never makes you feel like you aren’t doing it right, she shows you how to improve which is really good.
With being around horses and that world I always associate doing animal jobs with people being really strict, and it’s not like that at Bone Idol at all.
It’s been a real transformation for me and my confidence has grown and grown, all the staff have been absolutely fantastic.
I was really shocked when I found out that dog grooming is an unregulated industry.
Why is it important for people to do the iPET Network qualification?
It is really important because this is a skilled job, and you are learning the proper way to do things.
Important things like the proper ways to use your tools, and how to ensure a dog is always safe. If you didn’t know those things, or didn’t know the industry standard way to do those things it could be dangerous.
People who don’t do qualifications also wouldn’t know what we learn about the different coat types, and this can cause injury to the dogs.
I think that the industry should be regulated, you need to have training to show that you can do the job, and for safety reasons. I was really shocked when I found out that dog grooming is an unregulated industry.
