Dear Lisa (and the rest of the ITM family),
First off, I want to thank you for providing me with not only a great massage therapy education, but a career as a therapist that I truly enjoy.
When I first started looking for a massage school in New Jersey, I was enjoying a successful career in the business sector, but felt unsatisfied and disconnected from any human aspect in the work that I was doing. Over time, my daily routine became more about the paycheck I received than about doing what held meaning to me or made a difference in the lives of others.
When a close friend of mine became medically ill, I spent a significant amount of time talking with her about life, what truly determined happiness and success, and the things that we can do to manifest what we want for our self. The time we spent together helped shed light on how I wanted to earn a living, and gave me the motivation needed to find the means to reach that end, and become that which lived in my heart.
I chose to learn massage therapy because of the incredible diversity of opportunity that stems from that form of training. Not only are there innumerable options within the health and wellness field itself, but I also saw it as a springboard that could take me into other areas. I have incredible flexibility in my work schedule (which allows me to be the family woman I want to be), I continue to be challenged through experience and continuing education (I am frequently going to seminars and hands on training to earn my NCBTMB based CEU's), and I work in a spa as well as having private clients (which gives me a structured environment along with the opportunity to be an entrepreneur).
Being the detail-oriented person that I am, I looked at many of the massage therapy, shiatsu, and personal training schools in my area and chose yours after careful consideration, for I knew my certification would mean something when looking for a job – much to my happiness, I have seen how my education compares to those in my field.
What drew me to ITM was the fact that you are a nice sized school that is owned and run by massage therapists. It was my feeling that a corporate chain school really didn’t have the knowledge and expertise needed to train me properly. They also seemed to focus more on how many bodies they got through the door than providing the quality of education that is necessary to help me have a long term career. None of their instructors had been there for long, and I kept meeting people during my admissions appointment that had worked with you for 5-10 years. That said something to me. I couldn’t see myself learning how to perform a massage in a room next to people who were learning how to fix computers or send out medical bills, and didn’t feel it was necessary to wear a uniform.
Among the private schools, I absolutely loved your facilities, the staff, and the family oriented environment that seemed to exist. Admittedly, the academic component of learning to be a massage therapist was challenging, but there was always assistance available when needed, and our class became quite close and supportive of each other.
I appreciated that there was no pressure put on me at your school to join, and that Pat (the admissions person) took an incredible amount of time to speak with me. He did so openly, answered every question that I had, and did not malign any other school; something that I can’t say didn’t occur elsewhere, and he even encouraged me to look around! Who sends their business to look at the competition, but a school that is confident in their product. Also, everything he told me was accurate, which was something that I didn’t always find to be true at other schools. The other institutions used negative commentary when discussing their competition, and some even tried to make me sign up for and pay for a massage! Pat invited me and my family back if I needed more information, and offered a free massage in the student clinic if I hadn’t had one before.
In summary, your school has shown class, professionalism, and integrity in what it does, and has given me the career and opportunities that I have dreamed of; all within an industry that I am proud to be a part of. What else can I say other than thank you for helping me to achieve my goals. I can't wait to come back to learn shiatsu, and perhaps, one day, a personal trainer. Look out New Jersey, here I come!
Sincerely,
Meryl
Meryl Zak, LMT