TORONTO — Karla Homolka can dye her hair and polish her resume, but even the most skilful image-makers and job coaches say slipping quietly into a normal life in Quebec will be almost impossible.

Homolka, the notorious schoolgirl killer slated for release from prison between June 30 and July 4, is changing her name and has told Corrections officials she hopes to change her appearance to help fade into anonymity.

A major physical transformation may be her only option because even the most ambitious image manipulation won't help, some experts say.

"I think that's too big a job, even for us," said an image consultant at a major Montreal firm who did not want her name or her company's associated with a story about Homolka.

Dr. Robert Stubbs, one of Canada's most high-profile plastic surgeons, says a dye job and a haircut won't sufficiently alter Homolka's appearance to hide her identity.

At the same time, no reputable cosmetic surgeon would touch an operation to radically change her face, he said.

"I would feel too uncomfortable to do anything," said the Toronto-based Stubbs. "I would know the reason she was doing it was not because she has ugly cheeks, but because she wanted to do it to further some positions she had, whether it's legal or illegal."

"I've had people come in here who wanted me to erase their fingerprints. I can do that, but I won't do that. It's not an enhancement to one's appearance. There is clearly an ulterior motive."

Besides ethical concerns some surgeons may have, Homolka is unlikely to have thousands of dollars socked away for surgery from the $1 to $6.90 per day she made working in prison.

Homolka's high-profile release will be a major media event, making it nearly impossible for her to slip back into society.

Finding work is often the key that allows released inmates to ease back into society. In various reports prepared while Homolka was jailed, she mused about working "at anything legal" and has said one of her biggest worries is being able to support herself financially.

Homolka was a veterinary assistant before she went to prison for her role in the abductions, torture and sex slayings of Ontario teenagers Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French in the early 1990s.

She stole medication from the vet clinic where she worked to drug her own sister, Tammy, who died during a sexual assault by Bernardo and Homolka. Homolka has said she would like to work again with animals.

Homolka got a psychology degree by correspondence in prison and has also talked about working in a shelter for battered women or on a phone help line for children.

Colleen Clarke, a career specialist, said none of these plans can possibly work.

"She is totally, completely unemployable," said Clarke, who is based in Toronto and has written books on the workplace.

No reputable law firm would have her, even as an office assistant, Clarke said. Nobody would want her as a counsellor or for pet care. The conditions of her release forbid her from coming in contact with children and violent criminals for at least a year. She must also regularly report to police.

Clarke predicts that anyone who hires Homolka will likely want to take advantage of her notoriety.

Homolka also took computer courses, learned to speak French in prison while working in the jail kitchen and helped translate documents.

The only hope for Homolka, Clarke says, is to find a way to work on her own. Homolka could hone her French to work at home translating technical texts, Clarke said.

"Her opportunity is to work in her own business, call her own shots, to work virtually," Clarke said. "I just don't see any other alternatives."

Anna Campagna, executive director of Centre Generation Emploi in Montreal, agreed self-employment may be Homolka's best bet but she saw one other opportunity for the killer.

A Buddhist or Catholic religious community might offer the protection and forgiveness someone like Homolka will need to live, Campagna said.

"Being cloistered with nuns could be a very good option," Campagna said.