Cortiva Massage Therapy School Cortiva School Is Not What It Claims to Be - Don't Be Deceived - Don't Let Them Take Your Money Tucson, Arizona

If you are considering massage school, I recommend that you do not consider Cortiva Tucson. First, when you meet with an admissions counselor, you will find that their primary concern is not you, but your money. Your counselor will give you a tour of the campus, tell you what wonderful prospects you will have as a graduate of Cortiva, and then ask you to return in a few days to sign the necessary paperwork that will allow them to take your money and give you very little in return.

With respect to all of the wonderful career opportunities available to massage therapists that the Cortiva admissions counselors will tell you about, the reality is that:

1.  Only about 50% of students graduating from Cortiva are able to find employment within six months after graduation. This employment is most often part-time with few, if any, benefits.

2.  Those students who graduate from Cortiva and find full employment almost always already have an in within the field of massage. Meaning: these students often have family members or close friends who help them get hired. Without such connections, your possibilities of finding full-time employment with benefits is limited. If you think, as the admissions counselors will tell you, that you can go from full-time student to full-time employment, you're simply allowing the counselors to tell you what you want to hear, even though it's not true.

3.  The admissions counselors will also provide information on the various administrators, instructors, and former students who are now in practice for themselves. The counselors will quote significant salaries (i.e., $75/hour) without qualifying this by saying that it took these individuals many years to build up their private practices and, in addition, that most maintained their other full-time professions in order that they could gradually build up their private practice. The dream of
becoming your own boss in massage is just that: a dream.

4.  Given the above, keep in mind that once you complete your massage program at Cortiva, you will be $18,000 or more in debt, have a 50/50 chance of getting part-time employment, and be responsible for repaying your debt. This information is in stark contrast to the misleading information that the admissions counselors at Cortiva will give you when they're
trying to get you to enroll (i.e., when they're trying to get you to give them your money).

If you nevertheless decide to go to Cortiva, there are a few things of which you should be aware. First, many of the instructors are l*****n/gay, and they make it a point to let students know their sexual orientations. In Anatomy and Physiology, don't be surprised if the instructor tells you that he wishes he had worn high heels and lipstick when fire-fighters drive by. Additionally, this same instructor, who claims that his class is the most difficult of all, is telling only part of the truth. His class is difficult if you're an honest student.   However, the instructor likes money. If you have a convertible and take him for a ride, you might find yourself with a slightly higher grade than you've earned. Alternatively, as the instructor likes to eat, large lunches from Eegees will notch your grade up even higher.  In the event that you don't have either a convertible or money, you can simply cry during an exam. He's more than happy to provide answers to those who become emotional.

In other classes, such as Ethics, the instructor will, likewise, make his sexual orientation foremost in his class discussions. He also likes to ask students about about their early sexual experiences and have them explain how this might influence their work as massage therapists. If you're a voyeur, this instructor may suit you, but he suits very few others. In addition, you'll find that, of your tuition money, approximately $2,500 will be spent on ethics classes. Beware: it's not uncommon to find students who are already (unethically) advertising as licensed massage therapists and who have been doing so for several years. They are able to get away with this because of the connections they have made with faculty and staff.

If you're an independent learner, enjoy studying for the sake of learning, and like the challenge of homework and tests, Cortiva is not the school for you. Group-think is the norm and anyone who does not fit the paradigm is made to feel an outcast. In such cases, teachers encourage group-learning because they don't want to teach and find it easier to have the students teach themselves. If you want to spend money to learn something on your own that you should be learning from
an instructor, that's your prerogative.

Cortiva also has an interesting volunteer program in which massage students can participate in various community events by providing free massage. Effectively, this is free publicity for Cortiva which, although you're volunteering, you're actually paying for through your tuition. Moreover, it is not uncommon for students to receive tips at these events from the individuals to whom they provide massage, but these tips must be given to Cortiva administrators. The students
cannot keep them. This is in stark contrast to the volunteer programs at other massage schools in Tucson, where students are allowed to keep their tips.

Should you nonetheless decide to enroll at Cortiva, keep in mind that approximately 60% of students graduating from the program are no longer working as massage therapists two years out of the program.  Of course, Cortiva won't tell you this because they want your money. The reason that many students are no longer practicing massage after two years is that it is a physically demanding job that takes a significant toll on one's body. More importantly, few students find it an economically viable profession.

If you're interested in pursuing a career in massage, consider other massage programs in Tucson, not the program at Cortiva. You will find the reality of the school to be much different from its publicity and, when it comes to helping you find jobs, you'll be left to your own devices. To prevent throwing away $18,000 that you have to repay, stay as far away from Cortiva as possible.