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Finishing School/Becoming a Lady

Since an early age my father told me how I was going to go to finishing school at 16.
Unfortunately he passed away when I was 12 and never managed to see his dream of me being a lady or learning proper elocution.
I left home at 16 and become a bit of a ladette, sleeping around, doing dodgy stuff, swearing alot, speaking with a rough accent, etc. I have no real sense of etiquette and how to behave appropriately and am often found cross legged in mini skirts talking frankly about anything and everything.
Now at 17 I stand to inherit enough money that I can afford to spend up to a grand and a half on producing a lady with proper speech, manners, an ability to cook and a non slutty dress sense. Does anyone know of any good finishing schools/courses within this budget?
I am aware of the one that princess Diana attended in switzerland but it is out of my price league and i found a 5 day course in Britain but it doesn't have elocution or appropriate dress on the curriculum.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

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is this a joke?

No. I am deadly serious.

Reply 3

prettyblueeyes

you could always apply to the next series of Ladette to Lady!

Why don't you buy a few books on etiquette. You're obviously aware of the problems yourself, so try to change the way you dress/act/speak/carry yourself first before booking in to a finishing school.

Reply 4

prettyblueeyes

http://www.finishingacademy.co.uk/index.html - not sure of prices, but you could enquire!

I always wanted to go to a finishing school too, not sure I would though, plus I think I'm quite dignified in my appearance and presentation anyway!

Reply 5

Trousers

Elocution is probably something you can't teach yourself, but surely you don't have to be taught how to put on a longer skirt?

Reply 6

Arminius

last time i checked we were living in the 21st century, not the 19th.

Reply 7

puppy

I think it might cost more than £1500...

How were you supposed to do your A-levels if you were sent to finishing school at 16? Surely it'd have made more sense to just send you to a decent girls boarding school? And that's going to cost quite a bit.

Reply 8

abshirf2

ro-ro

If this isnt a joke, I am very impressed that you realized that the way you've been is not right. I don't know about you being a lady but you are wise. You have an old head on young shoulders. That deserves respect.

These are a few books:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?q=course+on+how+to+behave+lady+course&ots=HL_q8pC5wZ&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title

Very hard to find courses, but this might be interesting, its not what your looking for:
http://www.greycoatplacements.co.uk/index.php?inc=fncms_display&template_id=39

This is a course but its in india: :smile:

http://www.priyawarrickfinishingschool.com/modules.html

Finally, i think this is what you want:
http://www.finishingacademy.co.uk/youngladiesintro.html

Hope they help.

Reply 9

ro-ro

My dad was going to send me for the entire summer when I was 16 then I'd go to college in the September.

I don't always think before I do things, you say oh just wear a longer skirt but sometimes I just sorta forget to be aware of myself and it's not til my boyfriend or his best mate point out to me that I'm sat like that I even realise. Sometimes I do speak, swear and cover my mouth after. I don't mean to I'm just not self-aware enough.

It's not a joke I genuinely do want to improve myself. First impressions are extremely important and I want to go into a career in the media when I'm older so I need to make a dazzling first impression. In my current job I've only been reprimanded once for poor behaviour but I get let off alot because I'm one of the most willing to learn and know more than most staff about how to work the store so they can't afford to lose me. I realise in the future the workplace will be more competitive and I won't have this advantage and I don't want my manner, speech or attitude to let me down when this time comes.

Thanks for your help everyone :smile:

Reply 10

puppy

Maybe you'd be better off doing one of the one-day corporate courses at that finishing academy place. I looked through them because this is something I thought about when I was younger. The ones for 'ladies' teach you stupid stuff like 'household maintenance' and stuff about how to apply makeup. The corporate ones probably cover most of what you want; how to hold yourself, shake hands, project yourself, general dinner table ettiquette, networking, etc. Might make more sense if you're looking at this in terms of a long term investment in your career,

Reply 11

ro-ro

To be honest I probably need household maintenance and cookery lessons as wellMy room is a mass of shoes and clothes (I need regular fashion fixes) and my cooking is usually me in the kitchen with pans going to my boyfriend 'BABE WHEN DO I PUT THE PASTA IN THE PAN? WHERE'S THE SALT? CAN YOU MIX CREAM WITH VINEGAR?' etc etc! I'm really girly but I just don't have any poise or the right kind of presence in a room plus I don't have that well developed life skills.
I'm looking at it as something that will primarily benefit my career but also improve me as a person for other people to socialise with.
Did you go in the end?

Reply 12

FadeToBlackout

Repeat after me: "The rain in Spain..."

Reply 13

ro-ro

Do I have to pay you £15 an hour for this privelge FadetoBlackout? :wink:

Reply 14

FadeToBlackout

No. For you, price is a mere £14.99 per hour. Cheap at half the price! :p:

Reply 15

puppy

ro-ro

No I didn't. I've learnt most things through experience at home (cooking and cleaning), and at uni (networking and general confidence in business situations).

To be honest, you can't buy common sense. Maybe you should set aside a weekend to sort your room out (then try to keep it that way)- that's just laziness, no one is 'taught' how not to live in filth.

And the cooking thing is easy to learn yourself, and perhaps better done at a cooking course than a finishing school because you're likley to learn about food you don't need or want to make. Alternatively you just learn from experience like every other person does, by which I mean trying some recipes from cookery books and gradually becoming more confident to improvise.

Reply 16

ro-ro

My room is messy because I leave home at half 8 in the morning for college and get home from work at 10 at night. I also work Saturdays and I spend my one day off which is Sunday studying for college. I need to learn how to fit in cleaning because right now I don't know how and I don't know where to start when I only have half an hour to do it in.

As for learning to cook and clean from home I didn't have that opportunity because my mum didn't clean loads she did washing and tidied stuff into piles or put it in the bin, that was it! She never cooked from about 8 onwards and as I left at 16 I've spent the last 16 months living in houses with holes in the roof and where a fishfinger sandwich is a luxury!

I find the prospect of cooking or cleaning daunting, I don't know where to start!

Reply 17

Segat1

I did something like finishing school. It was good, but tbh it didn't really teach me anything my mum hadn't already told me about.

Ro-ro, if you're worried about etiquette, there are plenty of books about it. Cooking - a course could be fun! Cleaning - Kim and Aggie's book.

TBH though, you still have to be you, just less laddish :smile:

. You don't want to be all affected and "fritefly nice" :smile:

Reply 18

soup_dragon87

Finishing School is/was, when it comes down to it, a preparation for a lifetime of house wifery. Knowing how to keep a good household, to cook, to clean, and above all, to be presentable.

Reply 19

chocmonster

ro-ro

seriously, is this for real??!!

i can cook, i can clean and i didnt go to a bloody 'finishing school' ...you learn by just getting on with it-its called LIFE not finishing school!