Robert Fiance Beauty Schools - Jersey Shore 1458 New Jersey 35, Ocean Township, NJ 07712

"Very difficult trying to make appointments for the salon no one answers the phone. I tried a walk in and saw students doing nothing but the woman at the front desk could not give me an appointment for another hour. Not very helpful. Yes it’s free but it’s good practice for the students."

"Our esthetics program was divided into three sections: junior skincare (first 300 hours of your program where you are with an introductory instructor), makeup (a few weeks where you become certified in makeup and do not do any esthetics training), and senior skincare (remaining portion of your program where you are with a different instructor). Junior classes were structured with half the day as lectures and half the day practicing facials. I found that the lecture was not very informative. We simply read out loud from a textbook and took quizzes. This learning style is not conducive for everyone, as some people have different styles of learning. Robert Fiance needs to understand the demographic of students they serve. Some are recent high school or college graduates who might have had recent experience with test-taking, but some people haven’t been in school for years. Learning how to properly prepare for success on quizzes and tests is crucial for every student’s success. I understand that it is important to review materials on one's own time, but without proper instruction that consolidates information and emphasizes key details that are important for tests and quizzes, this can be very challenging. While the two skincare teachers I had as a junior and senior were well educated and knowledgeable in the field of skincare, I don’t think they understood how to foster an engaging classroom dynamic. They often paid particular attention to the “outgoing” students who casually joked around and often favored them, giving them extra advice and tips during lecture and in facial practicing. As a student who was equally as enthusiastic to learn but just not as outgoing, I often felt overlooked and felt like I was robbed of several opportunities to learn more about my field of interest just because I wasn’t the teacher’s favorite. An additional issue I encountered was with Paul, an upper-level staff/financial overseer of all Robert Fiance locations. Paul stopped by about 4-5 times throughout my time at beauty school, and he would observe our progress. I didn’t mind him stopping by our classroom or our makeup room, but I felt extremely uncomfortable when he would come into the facial room. In the facial room, students getting services practiced on them are usually clothed in flimsy robes, and a lot of times female students will not wear bras underneath because the collarbone region needs to be exposed for the facial (to perform movements on the decollete). When Paul walked in a few times unannounced and I was wearing a facial robe, I felt very exposed and uncomfortable with his presence. I don’t think that it is appropriate for someone unannounced to be walking in while half of the class are wearing robes. He was also in control of Robert Fiance’s social media page, where he posted pictures of the students. When he or the other staff members took photos, sometimes it was made clear that these photos would be posted on social media, but sometimes it was not. The school argued that posting pictures online would help boost our careers, but I believe that these pictures were posted solely to help the school. Our skincare pages were never tagged or credited on the photos that were taken and uploaded to the school’s social media page, and very rarely did we see someone get credit for being in a photo. Another systematic issue with Robert Fiance is the senior skincare’s emphasis on the idea of “numbers.” “Numbers” in senior skincare are the facials or waxing services that you perform on either a client or one of your peers, and you have to make a certain amount of numbers starting your senior year in order to graduate. I would sometimes have to do 4 facials a day. In addition to completing 10-12 tests and quizzes before graduation, this is overwhelming. This “numbers” system and the idea of having to do so many facials in such a short period of time forces students to sacrifice quality work for quantity, a lesson that should not be advocated in this industry."

"Okay so I’m currently a student in Manicuring & we’ll aware that this review will most like defer my graduation even more & they will most likely hand in my papers late to defer me from getting my license but at this point I’m just fed up. I’m a senior & was suppose to graduate last week with the rest of my class but due to my 2 year old being hospitalized in the PICU on a ventilator it pushed my graduation date back another 4 days. Which policy says any hours past your original due date means you’d pay by the hour for every hour needed to be made up. Upon my return to school I had brought doctors notes & explained to Christina in the office what had happen & was told “ unfortunately there’s nothing I can do you should have called when it happen, I can make copies of the notes & add them to your file” I was lived because what parent is thinking about anything outside of there child’s life in that situation. So I was due to graduate in the next few weeks & tried to stay after for make up hours so I could graduate on time I went & spoke to Christina again because I knew there was no way I could make up all those hours before graduation being a working single mom who drives 50mins every morning to school. Finally she said she talk to the director (Paul her brother) & see if he would wave the fee for me & we went over my hours & was told if I stayed the following Monday and Tuesday I’d graduate on the 8th & that she would let me know before the day was up what Paul had said. Well after class I went to her office & she wasn’t there so I started to vent to financial aide because I was upset she never got back to me when Paul walked in & said he had taken care of everything & I was all good to go. The following Monday & Tuesday I drove an 1hour & 15 minutes to my moms house so she could watch my son and 1 hour and 44 from my moms to the school so that I could stay until 10pm because they only offer make up hours those two days. But unfortunately one of those days I got there at 10:48 and wasn’t allowed to sign in until 1pm because another important lady was in the office so they decided to be firm with the 10:40 sign in. Well since I live 50mins away there was no point in me leaving so I sat in class and worked on a test until 1pm. Which means I now have to make up 3 more hours. Durning the school year once you hit senior hours you are required to take clients which is understandable for the hands on practice but what is not okay is when your in the middle of taking a test & told to stop your test so that you can work on a client then being told if we refuse to take a client even if it’s because we are taking a test they will suspend you for refusing the client. Now what makes this even more upsetting is that most times when we try to be prepared ahead of time an set up for a client so we can do a test they end up being a no show or come extremely late & we still would have to service them. Clients are almost never booked correctly for the services they need or the time frame needed for the service but yet they are priority over the education we are here for & told “ when they leave bad reviews it hurts the school” !!!! As much as I do enjoy the teachers in this school I wish they would stick up for the students more when it comes to the educational part. Manicuring is Monday - Wednesday & is only 300 hours & at 150 we start taking clients and “Lecture is from 9:30- 10…10:30 & then we are suppose to be given time to work in our work books but at 150 hours we are booked clients from 10:30- 2:00 pm but always end up having clients until 3 which means how much time is actual learning. We have two books & 2 work books & told a lot or reading & etc is suppose to be done at home on Our own time. Last week I was told when I finish my test I wouldn’t have to take anymore clients so I finished all my test & came to class today to study & go over anatomy which we never went over in school because it’s on the state test to be told I still have to take clients even though previous students were blocked off to be given time to study."

"The atmosphere here was so inviting and the students were very pleasant. The young man who cut my hair is really going places. Great personality and talent to boot. Can't wait to go back. Thank you for the great service. The teacher was awesome."

"I am so excited to say that I will be a student here beginning in August '23. It has been my dream to do this for the past couple years but I have been nervous and doubted myself. Once I sat down with Jessica and Jayme though I felt so good about the decision I was making. The school has a great atmosphere with staff that seems to enjoy what they do. These ladies made signing up for school the easiest yes I've made. I cannot wait to get started!"