DAVID WAYTE

David Wayte (Cert Ed, MAR, ICR) is the Principal of Jubilee College and Reflexology Course Lecturer at our Brands Hatch centre in the South East of England.

Some of you may have heard me on the radio, and for some of you my name will be totally unknown, so I will take this opportunity to introduce myself, and hope that I will get to meet you in person.

I am a fully qualified Lecturer, and have many years experience of practise in complementary therapies  before founding Jubilee College. Before that I was Department Head of Complementary Therapies at South East Derbyshire College. I was the first Reflexologist in the UK to be made a member of the Royal Society of Medicine . I am now a Board Member of RiEN (the overseeing organisation of Reflexology Associations in Europe) and I also run my own Complementary Therapy Clinic, Jubilee Holistic Reflexology in Hythe, Kent.

I originally trained at the Northern School of Reflexology, but after qualifying, realised there was still so much more to learn. I then went on to do further training with Loretta Cusworth - one of the UK's foremost Reflexologists and Moshe Kruchik, of Tel Aviv - Israel.

My personal motto is 'strive for excellence'. If you are looking for the highest standard of training and want to become the best therapist that you can be, then my courses are for you. I also believe that, although Reflexology training involves intensive study, learning should be fun. Previous students have stated that they have found learning about the human body compelling and fascinating.

A question I often get asked is 'Why don't I run a Reflexology course that will give a practitioners diploma after a couple of weekends training?' The answer is quite simple. I like to train quality therapists. It is true that you can call yourself a Reflexologist without training at all. I've even seen courses advertised as 'The quickest and easiest course to give you a practitioners diploma'. I find these kind of courses extremely concerning, since how can you learn all you need to know in such a short amount of time, and still practice on the public safely?

I also strongly believe that for students to get the most out of a course and to succeed in their chosen subject, a good interaction between student and teacher is vital. I have spoken with too many students who have dropped out of courses because they just can't get on with their teacher. This is why the first lesson I give is structured as a 'taster lesson'. This gives students a chance to experience the training before committing to an entire course - if you don't like it, you can walk away without any obligation . How many colleges will offer a deal as good as that?

For me, Reflexology has been, and still is, the most rewarding career I have ever known. I hope that it will become just the same for you too.