Rachel is a Marketing Manager for a self-storage company in London where she has worked with for 13 years. She has always been sporty with interests in horse riding and running. She was looking for a change in career to something that is flexible around her children and that draws on her interests in anatomy. "There were three colleges that I looked at, The Cotswold Academy, one in Oxford and one other one." Rachel decided to study with us at Cotswold Academy after meeting Chris at one of our Open Days. "It seemed like a really cool place to learn and there are so many options to fit your training around your own commitments."
Rachel took the Level 3 Sports Massage Fast Track course which was run over two weeks in the summer. This fitted well with holiday that she took from her current job. "It was very intense. There was a lot to take in over a short period. I found taking videos really useful as Chris would give little nuggets of information that I wouldn’t always write down." One of the things Rachel really liked about the course was meeting like-minded people with similar interests but from all walks of life. She felt this really added to the learning experience as everyone brought their own skills and qualities.
Rachel attended both Thursday evening sessions during the two weeks that she was training, and continues to come at least every other week.
"If you don’t use Thursday evenings to support your training then you are crazy! They are great. Everyone just wants to help each other."
Thursday evenings have provided Rachel with confidence to ask questions and practice techniques she was a little unsure of.
Rachel plans to take her exams in November and to set up from home part-time until she finishes her job in London, then she would like to become a full-time sports massage therapist.
"I think you just need to go for it, there is no point hanging around."
From there Rachel plans to take Level 4 Sports Massage and then maybe look at more specific areas. "All of the other courses look great, but I’m not sure what I will need yet. But I will definitely come back to the Cotswold Academy to train."
There is no plan to focus just on one industry. Rachel wants to educate everyone on how sports massage can benefit them. "I want to get the message out there that it isn’t just for sporty people. I’ve treated all types of people, from 30-year-old runners to people in their early 60s."
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