It’s back to school for grownups in the city

Everyone from college graduates to corporate executives is enrolling in finishing schools to learn new skills

MUMBAI: For years, Switzerland was known for its private finishing schools such as the Institut Villa Pierrefeu or Institut Alpin Videmanette where Diana, Princess of Wales studied. Camilla Parker Bowles, too, was partly educated at the finishing school Mon Fertile. That was the story a few decades ago.

Now, Mumbaikars are turning to a new breed of indigenous finishing schools that go beyond telling you how to fold a napkin and set a dinner table. Finishing schools have morphed into ‘supplementary training schools’ that attempt to provide specialised vocational training in technical fields such as computer programming and information technology — compressed in a an intensive course or a one-year programme.

And everyone from college graduates to corporate executives is lining up to polish their social and technical skills. After all, writing a business letter is no piece of cake.

Minocher Patel, founder and director of Ecole Solitaire, a residential finishing school in Pune says, “The original concept of Swiss schools or finishing schools started with preparing girls before their wedding; here, we prepare them for life.”

The clientele have also altered with the changing times. “Last year, we started a programme called image coaching. Here, our clientele included vice-presidents and directors of companies, businessmen and even builders. The course that we have for them includes management and development programmes and also personal grooming,” says Patel.
 
This new breed of finishing schools includes an array of courses. Earlier, the focus was more on etiquette, grooming and personality. Now it’s reached a different level. While etiquette is still important — especially for people who  travel and interact with colleagues from different countries and cultures — the focus is on table manners, telephone etiquette, soft skills, personality development and public speaking.

There are also modules on corporate culture, public speaking, voice modulation, et al.

Alka Viragkar, director of Alka Viragkar Finishing School in Mumbai says that people across all age groups attend are now attending finishing schools. “The age group we cater to ranges from six to 60,” she says. “They include college students, corporates, chartered accountants and software professionals. We also have tailor-made courses for professionals so we can give the best to people according to their requirement.”

Students look at it as a career investment, a one-stop joint that that will train them to put their best foot forward. Priya Warrick, president-cum-executive director of the Priya Warrick Finishing School in Delhi says, “The concept of finishing schools changed worldwide post 1970 when the corporate sector gained more importance. Corporate grooming and interactive etiquette become very important,” she says.

But while the focus is on corporate grooming and personality development, teachers say that there is also a demand for lesser-known skills such as letter writing, choosing the right perfume, cookery skills, et al.

Anooradha Patel who started The Orchid in 1987, says, “It’s important for people to realise that anyone can join a finishing school, and that it’s not just for young unmarried girls.”

To keep up with the times and the trend, she has changed the name of her school to Dynamic Finishing Academy as she thought that Orchid was too effeminate. “Men travel and interact with a large audience these days. So even they feel the need for personal as well as professional grooming,” she says.

But finishing schools don’t come cheap; that’s something we’ve still retained from the exclusive Swiss counterparts. The duration of the course at Dynamic Finishing Academy is seven days, and the fee is Rs15,900. The cost of the modules at Priya Warrick Finishing School starts from Rs5,000 and can go up to Rs1.5 lakh depending on the course. But there are plenty of takers.

Priya attributes this trend to globalisation. But she’s quick to add that, “India has just woken up to global standards and now citizens need to catch up.” Such schools are no longer for the elite, and most of the owners say that a lot of their students hail from upper middle class families.

The hope is that no matter where they are and who they are interacting with, they will be able to portray that they are world-class citizens who can sniff out a good wine, while composing that perfect thank-you letter.

m_brinda@dnaindia.net