Massage Therapy Jobs

Looking for massage therapy jobs? Here are some things you need to know before you get your massage therapy career started.

Certification

Before you get a massage therapy job you need to make sure you have all the certifications required for therapists in your area. In the US, there is no national requirement to become a licensed therapist. Every state has its own requirements. During your training you should've received all of the instruction required to get a license in that state. Once you receive your training though you still need to take a test.

In most states, you can't work legally as a therapist until you've passed your certification test and gotten your license. Exchanging money for massage before that is illegal and will get you into trouble if you get caught.

Some areas don't require that you attend school. Even if you live in an area that doesn't require you to get formal training to become a therapist I recommend that you attend get a proper massage education. When you're working as a therapist you'll encounter people with all kinds of health problems. If you aren't properly educated you could end up harming someone instead of helping them.

An internship could be another option in an area that doesn't require you to attend school. Working under an experienced therapist will help you learn how to work with your future clients.

Insurance

In order to practice, you need to have liability insurance. This insurance protects you if a client claims injury as a result of your treatment. Liability insurance isn't difficult to come by. Professional massage associations provide insurance to their members.

Professional Massage Organizations

Like I mentioned above joining one of these organizations is essential to becoming a practicing therapist. Associations like the ABMP or AMTA don't just offer you liability insurance. These organizations provide you with plenty of benefits that will help your massage career. You can even join these associations when you're still a student.

Professional massage associations provide special internet listing services for therapists and even Continuing Education Unit credit discounts. You have to keep up with CEUs in order to keep your license. These organizations are also a good way to network with other therapists and keep up to date with the latest news in the field.

You can find a list of professional massage associations on this site.

Continuously Develop

You must keep up to date in the field. You are required to take Continuing Education Units or CEUs in most areas. Don't take the easy way out and quickly take a massage course just because it's cheap and easy. You should make sure you study areas of the field that you are truly interested in and will help your clients and practice the most. Staying up to date in massage will help you become a better therapist and will be good for your massage therapy career.

Now you're ready to start looking for massage jobs. There are so many places you can work as a therapist. Check out my Become a Massage Therapist article to find out about all your options.