SugarMetal

Does anyone know if there are any professional qualifications I could do while in Abu Dhabi?

I worked in third sector/media in the UK but thinking of retraining in something that I could do on a freelance basis on account of having a young baby.

kittycat1

Sugarmetal, are you thinking editorial level or commercial? the best thing you can do is get work experience rather than taking a course, courses are generally a waste of money in this area. look at assisting an established MUA out here. Most are based in Dubai, contact Bareface and they'll put you in touch with their creatives.

If you really want to do a course Id recommend doing it in London, I know a lot of MUA who have done a course through Greasepaint. However assisting is still the best way to learn.

SugarMetal

Hi kittycat1,

I was thinking commercial initially. I've been doing make up for a while and I was planning on doing a few affiliated courses here in the UK in 2011 (the ones based around special effects) I was also hoping to assist a well established MUA in london who i know just to hone my skills. However my intention had been to do those things in the first half of 2011 and as I am now leaving for AD around Christmas I have had to shelve those plans.

Thanks for the advice, I think I will get in touch with Bareface around the New Year

kittycat1

Hi Sugarmetal,

The market out here is alot less competitive out here compared to the UK and once established you get a higher day rate alot quicker than in the UK, having said that there are less teams testing out here so building your book is harder and the jobs are alot less creative.

Lots of money to be made doing weddings out here though. Good luck!

Kittycat
x

Check out www.whoistesting.com UK based networking site and www.cliclamode.com you might find some helpful info

SugarMetal

I'm due back in the UK around March so I was thinking of tidying up a portfolio at home at the same time. I'm glad I invested a lot of time and effort into learning about Asian Bridal make up, I think if I tweak bits here and there I can get it to translate into looks that would appeal to expats and also some for the local population. Thanks for links! Wish me luck!

Blue Cat

good luck, I looked into courses here in Dubai and there is nothing, I have learnt more from reading tutorials on you tube!

kittycat1

alternatively you could work for MAC, I know in the UK they send their artists out on shoots etc and you get kit etc supplied so it saves you a lot of money. Might be worth looking into.

SugarMetal

Ha ha, I love YouTube videos! I know at least two MUAs who actually self taught using those tutorials.

Kittycat1, funnily enough I had been thinking about MAC (although my retail love died out a few years ago so I think I'd be tempted to jump ship once I managed to get ongoing work as a freelancer )