The London School of Sports Massage

International recognition for any massage course is impossible and it does not exist. How can there be when there are many foreign countries where the word 'massage' itself would not be recognised! Every country and every state is free to set its own regulation and there is no international standard that we could aim at. We know, for example, there are states in Canada where licensed massage practitioners need to have completed two years full time training but in other parts of the world you can practice massage without any qualification at all.

Some organisations claim international recognition or include the word 'international' in their title, but all this actually means is that they run courses in other countries and is not an indication of the level or quality of the training.

The LSSM course is recognised in several countries where our practitioners have gone to work but it would be wrong to claim anything more than that. We are happy to send information and deal with any country who enquires about our training and we do everything we can on behalf of our therapists to help them gain recognition wherever they go.

BTEC (Business & Technology Education Council) are the national awarding body for vocational education and training in the UK. They are an independent body who verify the levels of training in State Education as well as Higher Education.

They are the external validators of the ISRM and we have to meet their stringent requirements in all matters relating to the level of training we offer. They award our qualification a Level 5 status.

Although ITEC and VTCT comply with all the requirements of their own regulators, we are concerned about how well the Level 3 Sports Massage qualification actually meets the needs of the client. At this Level their training does not cover the independent assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. In reality our clients only seek treatment when the have a musculoskeletal issue and if the therapist cannot deal appropriately with these then they will not satisfy their client’s needs and will find it very difficult to succeed in practice.

When looking at other courses you must read the actual details very carefully. Some may give a general descriptions that sound as if you will be able to make a very good living and cure the world, but the course content may not match up to that claim. We have seen courses that focus more on how you set up and run a clinic but spend far too little time on the actual massage skills you really need. Behind some of the great professional claims, we see course programmes that in fact only cover basic general relaxation massage without any clinical diagnostic training. When you qualify and go on to practice, your insurance cover will be based on your qualification so if your training only covers routine relaxation massage that is all your insurance will cover you to do.

Beware of intensive courses where you learn all the hands-on techniques in one or two short concentrated blocks. It takes time to develop massage skills and it is far better to do a course that is spread over a long period giving you time to consolidate each skill level before returning for the next session to develop more advanced techniques. Evening classes are not ideal because in a three hour session you probably only get two hours of productive time which is not really enough to get going properly. Home study courses (yes, they exist!) are potentially quite dangerous, could you imagine learning to drive a car without any actual supervision!

Beware of courses which are not externally validated. You have no guarantee of quality and there is nobody to complain to if you are dissatisfied.

Yes, this is a vocational course. All the massage tutors are all successful working practitioners and it is our job to teach you how to do what we do.

With the LSSM qualification you are entitled to join several professional bodies and take out professional indemnity insurance. So you can work openly and legally anywhere in the UK*.

It does take time to develop a private practice and most do this by developing a variety of markets. Getting involved with some local sports teams and working on a self-employed basis at a local health club is a good way of getting started. Having a few (wealthier) clients who you visit in their homes can be quite lucrative and, if practical, treating some clients in your home is very convenient and involves minimal cost.

The LSSM training gives you the skill and knowledge to do the job well and general advice and guidance on how to put this into practice. The rest is up to the individual practitioner to go out and make it happen.

Local Authority License

Some local authorities require massage practitioners to have a licence to practice (this is to control 'massage parlours'). Practitioners with the LSSM qualification and membership of the SMA are exempt and do not need this license.

*See FAQ 'Is the LSSM course internationally recognised?'

At the present time there are very few conventional jobs available for sports massage practitioners. This is starting to change however as some sports injury clinics, professional teams and dance companies are starting to look for sports massage practitioners as permanent members of their staff.

To go onto the waiting list you must first apply for a place on the next available course. As people are placing holding deposits so far in advance we do get several who decide to withdraw before the course starts. Confirmation of places is six weeks before the course starts and so this is usually when most of the changes happen.

We operate a fair system with cancellations from a course 'A' being offered to people on 'B'first and people on 'C' are then offered the places that have become available on B'. This means that with every cancellation we have to make a lot of phone calls and send out several letters and this is the reason for the administration charge we make for cancellation.