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Title
Start a new career.
So you want to start a career in detailing and valeting?
A career in detailing and valeting can be extremely rewarding. As an independent detailer, you can look to set your own hours, have the freedom to express your talent in a marketplace that appreciates the results, and expand a hobby or interest in vehicles into a profitable business that you can either grow into an empire, or allow to tick over and support you financially.
The phrase we hear most when people, just like you, approach us for a friendly chat is;
“I want to learn how to clean and polish cars”
That’s only around 60% of the job though. To run a successful business, you need to know much more than just the day-to-day labour requirements of “how to detail”. Insurances, regulations, safety – both for you and your customers, problem-solving, and management skills – for accountancy, customers, and business…
There’s a lot to take on when starting from scratch, and some can find it overwhelming when starting a detailing business.


Our Courses
UK Detailing Academy’s career courses are designed to help you cope with the whole business, not just the fun part. Everyone teaching here has started and run various businesses in the industry for a collective 40+ years, so we know what you’ll experience, what challenges you’ll face, and what you will need to know to grow. More info
Our courses are designed to deliver the whole package, and with fully illustrated guidebooks and ongoing support when you need it you’ll have everything you’ll need to grow a sustainable and successful detailing business from the ground up, and a resource to turn to when you need help.
What are my next steps?
These started before you even came to this page. You’ve decided you want a change. A career. A step up from a passion into an income. Truthfully though, apart from assessing the financial viability for yourself, you shouldn’t do anything significant until you come on our Level 1 course. This is the point you stop thinking and start making it a reality.
Whilst you’re with us, you’ll develop your business model, work out your target market, hone your brand and work out details such as pricing structures and delivery methods. You’ll have some coursework to do to help you refine it further and by the time you take your Level 1 exam, you’ll be ready to go, confident in your new skills and settled in a flexible business model you can adapt to your market. More Info…


What assistance do you offer?
We’re always on the end of the phone, or on email, or messenger to help with queries on anything you’ve learnt or need advice on. We can point you in the right direction for suppliers, insurers, business assistance or association memberships. We recognise that not everything will be second nature for a good few years – hence why we break our courses up into modules and refuse to offer one-week “master” courses.
There’s no time limit on our help, and if we don’t know the answer to something we know somebody who will – the benefit of so many years in the industry means our network is pretty vast. Our resources section is open to all to give you tips, information and tools to try new things and expand your business further.
That’s us. UK Detailing Academy. We’ve been here since 2016 here to help bring new businesses into this constant growth industry, and we want to help you achieve your goals the same way we help every candidate through our doors.
Need to know more? Give us a call and we’ll be happy to talk through any aspect of our courses, with zero obligation, and honest unbiased advice.

Our Latest Courses
Zvizzer Detailer Day Aberdeen.
Event Details 26th And 27th April 2023 - 9am Till 4pm Protect & Shine Car Care Unit 5a Marywell Comercial Park Aberdeen Attendees benefit from £150 credit towards the purchase of Zvizzer range, with Lunch…
First Aid at Work.
Learn a skill for life. In association with Cotswold First Aid we have put together a 1-day, OFQUAL regulated, Emergency First Aid At Work course, with a focus on Detailers, detailing, and the…
Colourlock - Top Life PRO...
Professional grade leather protection for your customers. Colourlock Top Life is a new breathable and solvent-free coating for leather, imitation leather and plastic parts, with the Pro version sealing the surface against staining and dye…
Health & Safety for Detailing...
Stay compliant and legal in business. A one-day, classroom-based course, Health & Safety for Detailing Businesses is a professional education day for owner-operators and small businesses alike, to learn about health and…
Advanced Interior Cleaning
Become an Interior Master. Interior valeting is often overlooked as "simple" but it is a vital skill for any detailer to master - the difference between an acceptable job and a fantastic job can be…
Foliatec Professional Caliper Painting
Professional caliper painting with a trusted brand. Brake caliper painting is a popular add-on service to any detail, ticking another box on the route to perfection. Whether it's a simple tidy-up in silver to revive…
Colourlock Accredited Seminar 2022
Join Colourlock’s Lars Pickhardt and Michael Marx at UK Detailing Academy on Saturday the 19th of November for a special event exclusively for Colourlock Technicians - absolutely free. For those interested in some more advanced…
Valeting for Employees: Stage 2
Enhance your valeting team's skills for high-quality results. Valeting for Business Stage 2 follows on from Stage 1 by going into deeper levels of preparation and decontamination and introducing machine polisher enhancement and minor correction…
Valeting for Employees: Stage 1
Invest in your staff, invest in your business. Valeting for Businesses Stage 1 is the ideal course set for employers of valeting teams or individuals, small and large, to improve the efficiency, safety and knowledge…
PVD Accredited
Lasts 1 day The Professional Valeters and Detailers trade association has, since 2013, promoted the values of its members as a professional body for the car care industry. Its moniker: “Skilled, Proven and Insured”, was…
2020-03-06
Introduction to Machine Polishing -...
Lasts 2 days. Machine Polishing Course (Introductory) Our introduction to machine polishing for professionals course is ideal for those professionals who have never needed to pick up a machine before, or have perhaps restricted themselves…
2020-03-06
Business and Marketing Strategy
Lasts 1 day The UKDA Marketing & Business Course is designed for owner-operator car care professionals wishing to optimise the commercial aspects of their business. It is perfect for existing or fledgling businesses who need…
2020-03-06
Paint Sanding & Flatting
Lasts 1 day Our one-day sanding and flatting course for automotive paintwork is for experienced, high end detailers looking to add to their portfolio with the ultimate refinement. Sanding is a skill which can be…
2020-05-13
Photography for Detailing - DSLR...
Getting that perfect shot of a freshly detailed car – ready to hang on a wall, add to a portfolio, or place in a vehicle history folder – is an art form in itself. Join…
2020-04-05
Social Media
Lasts 1 day. Group Event We’ve drafted in our social media expert to show you how to exploit the advertising and business generating functions of some of the largest and most popular social media platforms,…
2020-02-14
Detailing 101
Enthusiast detailer training. The perfect course for car care enthusiasts who have a passion for keeping their cherished vehicles in peak cosmetic condition, and who want to further their knowledge of detailing. The course will…
2020-03-07
Flex Flexperts
As part of Flex’s commitment to enhanced development for users of our professional tool range, Flex UK have come together with the UK Detailing Academy to deliver the Flexperts Approved Detailing Partner program. During this…
2020-03-21