There are so many reasons to consider an education in the beauty industry. Continuing education for established professionals, brand new students to the industry and everything in between. Once we have made the decision to move forward and search for the right education for us, there are countless deciding factors that we have to think about. There's class size, when classes start, is it full time or part time, will you learn the skills needed for what you want, and the one that always seems to be front and center... PRICE.
Price is always a determining factor for students because it can limit or expand our choices, change how we feel about our education and often affect the quality and scope of any type of course we may choose. It is for this reason we wanted to discuss it like this in one of our posts.
Learn more about Bella Elite Program Pricing:
When our founder and owner sought to change the industry, she wanted to produce a high quality education, and in turn an amazing professional at the end of their course. But she wanted it to be attainable. The main contributing factor to pricing has a lot to do with what resources we use as an academy. We have leases, mortgages, energy costs, kits, trips and staff to deal with... These things affect our students to a great degree, but Kayla decided that it was the student that should be at the forefront of the pricing debate. And that was the real game changer for us. Here are some things to consider:
Can you afford your education? And we aren't just talking about money here.
Price can be one thing, but can your future afford it is the real question. Once you have determined whether you can handle the price, whether it be within budget, you have to get financing or stretch your limits, you'll need to decide how long this education will serve you. Does the school you want to attend have continuing education? Is the education high quality and involve industry standards? Will you have the skills needed to be in the industry right away? All of these questions were ones that when posed here at Bella Elite needed to be answered with a simple YES! Once a student at Bella, always a student. We have worked tirelessly to develop continuing programs for our students that add value to a decision they may have made years in the past. While these programs take a great deal of planning and thought, and sometimes take longer to roll out, we believe they are very important. (Stay tuned for our Alumni Education Events) And as we get bigger, it continues to grow. It is a full time commitment. And we love to make it.
Are you getting what you pay for? Sometimes these are hard answers to find.
When we look at the course, the length of time, the kits, the educators and the spaces we utilize to have a great education we sometimes get lost in what we are paying for. A good academy will be upfront and honest about what you are getting, and will have strong decision making policies regarding your kits. At our academy we look at everything from quality, where our products and tools are made, ingredients lists, the flow of our space, lighting, clientele for our salon floors and every detail in between. It's an exhaustive and tedious exercise but our students deserve it. One of the main reasons we hold all of our education in house is to control these costs to our students. Everything we offer is here on campus and all of our kits have true integrity. Our education partners have the same commitment and values as well. Things like quality control on cosmetics and tools made in foreign countries, questionable ingredients lists and lower quality volume discounts from unknown companies are all issues that are expected to be resolved before being presented to our amazing students, at our location here in Lethbridge.
What are you really paying? As a student you should be able to see.
The bottom line question to ask here is... Did you negotiate your price? Was there a sale? Did the academy concede funds to get you through the door? If the answer to any of these questions was yes, then we ask... If they changed the price for you, did they change it for everyone? Did you get the lowest price? If they were willing to lower their costs on getting you through the door, how much of the actual price you paid is going toward your education? If there is a constant state of flux with the amount of money your education costs, then in order for that academy to run, they must have accounted for it within their negotiation. Are the prices inflated and quality compromised because of this factor?
At Bella Elite, we don't change our prices to get people through the door. And if we were to change, it would be because we are adding value, educators or education space for our students. Our marketing is done through the heart. We don't add fancy branded concepts to our curriculum. These things can limit our students future and make it difficult for other professionals to qualify their skills.
When making important decisions about your future there are many things that we think about. Price should contribute to an informed decision, but not be the only factor.
Your education should be valuable and of high quality.