What do I do to become a massage therapist?

How much school does it take? Does it make a lot of money? Is it a realistic career?What do I do to become a massage therapist?
In the United States you are looking at 200 to 900 hours of education requirements, depending on the local licensing laws. Typically it is around a full year of schooling.





MT's make a wide range of money in the industry - from low paying spa work at $15-20 and hour to self-employed rates around $60-80 an hour.What do I do to become a massage therapist?
www.massagetherapycareers.com isn't very accurate information. I used to own that site and it has become filled with hype.





It usually takes about a year of training and at minimum 500 hours of classes. Most massage therapists start their own business and that takes knowing about business, marketing and customer service. Jobs are really low paying for the most part - like $15 an hour. Full time work is usually 25 hours of work because of the physical demands so that doesn't make for a decent living. You make more with your own business.





It is as realistic as you think it is.
I can only tell you what I know about Australia. I went to The Australian College of Natural Medicine (now called Endeavour College), which is one of the biggest and most respected in the world. Although I didn't study massage, I know people who did (and are). The courses were all government approved, which means you are eligible for financial assistance, so it wasn't expensive at all (but that's Australia,where you get Austudy payments while you study and interest free student loans to pay the fees, which don't need to be repayed until you're earning $50 00PA, and even then only at 1%PA.). There are quite a few different types of massage that you can study including but not limited to Aromatherapy Massage, Swedish Massage, Reichian Massage, Shiatsu, Kahi loa and Kahuna (Hawaiian Massage), Chinese Massage Therapy, Indian Head Massage and heaps of others. There are different intensity courses, starting from introductory courses lasting a few weeks(with no formal qualification afterward, but credit towards formal qualifications ) Certificate Courses at level 1,2%26amp;3, lasting from one to a few semesters, then there are Diplomas which usually take two-three years and Degrees which take three to five years (full time study-they can also be studied part time).


As far as it being a realistic choice for a career, absolutely. Alternative and holistic medicine is one of the major growth industries, with the general public becoming more and more disenchanted with 'scientific' medicine as every year passes, with 4 in 7 Americans reporting that they've been to an alternative practitioner in the last 12 months! The figures are rising every year. Every one I know who has finished their course in massage is now employed in the industry, and the money is excellent. Especially since some private health companies are now including alternative medicine in their options cover. Work is available in heaps of different industries from sports massage to health spas. It is also a very portable profession, all you really need is the table and the oils, so you can set up business for yourself and do home visits-which people love because they don't have to move afterward if they're already home. This also means you don't have to pay for a premises, which keeps overheads right down. This seems to be the way to go as you make your own hours, and only work where you want to. I hope I've not bogged you down in detail. Good luck, I hope it works out for you, it's a really rewarding career natural medicine-go for it.
http://www.massagetherapycareers.com/





http://www.amtamassage.org/becometherapi鈥?/a>





http://www.salary.com/personal/layoutscr鈥?/a>