Hello All,

I got some nice welcome messages also Bryony asked me a great question about my 4 day course and what I was taught and she was surprised I got a diploma. I would like other views on this subject I am pleased Bryony bought it up thanks very much!

After reading the message below (which I have sent to Bryony) tell me should I not do the City and Guilds with Herts and Essex and do a course with someone else?

I did Manicure, Pedicure, Acrylic, Gel, Fibre & silk, nail art free and airbrushing in the 4 days I can imagine what you are saying now LOL!!!!

Yes I got a Diploma at the end of the course from the Herts and Essex Academy and I am aloud to use the Guild insurance as I trained with herts and Essex. I have gone with the Beauty Direct as this was another insurance that was noted and they offer the same cover and I did not need all the other benefits the Guild offered as I want to work from home.

I paide £649.00 for the course and then another £150 for products, also I stayed in a b&b which was another £120.00 then £50.00 petrol to get there.

I knew nothing about training and how long it should take I looked at many places like The Essex School of Beauty they did courses that were 5-6 days with a diploma, also the Carlton at Windsor did 4-5 day courses to learn all this so I thought it was normal.

I can also do the City and Guilds now I pay another £50 then they send me assignments to do 3 gel, 3 Acrylic, 3 silk/fibre I send them back with photos. Then once this has been done I pay another £50 and go to Essex and do a practical and written exam. The Carlton offer this with the NVQ but they charge another £200 + for this.

I wanted to do a course all at once as my hubby is in the Army and he was getting leave and it was my chance to go and do something for me! I never knew it was the wrong way to go about it I did look into a lot of places the Herts and Essex is advertised in one of the nail mags but maybe this means nothing.

I did find it a lot to take in in such a small amount of time I used to do hairdressing years ago and was qualified at that so I have no probs when it comes to clients but I must say once I had got home from the course I felt so alone and wondered how they can even be aloud to adervertise courses like this!!!!

The teachers seemed good there were 4 of us doing the course and they were booked up and have 3 or 4 academies in Essex and Herts.

It makes me mad that maybe I have just wasted my money as I went into this wanting to be a good nail technician I would like to know if this is the wrong way to learn nails WHY! is this not stopped letting company's teach this in such a short time?

Thanks
Carolyn.

Hi Caz

I dont think you have wasted your money the course that you have done has furnished you with a foundation of information you need to get into nails.

I also did a 4 day course with NSI in Acrylic systems what I learnt there was invaluble, however, I felt that I still needed to go through some of the information at a slower pace so I enrolled at the local college and did a VTCT in Manicure and Pedicure (lots of work involved on this course, but again well worth it. It cost £64.00 plus £45.00 for a kit and £20.00 for a uniform.)

In my opinion, although we have done the training we only start to learn now. I think most techs will agree it takes time to become confident so I guess we are on a life time learning curve LOL.

Best of Luck

A four day course is not wrong or right, it's just the beginning. I've been learning Indian HEad Massage at Fareham College, 3 weeks in on a 16 week course and I've quit. Why? Because we jumped straight into practical with no theory of anatomy. The tutor kept saying feel for this muscle etc etc without teaching us what it was, and I thought I can't take 16 weeks of this, so I quit.

My point is that it doesnt matter whether it is a short course like yours that needs revisiting with further courses, to review and perfect your skill, or a long course like the one above, it all comes down to the quality of the person training you.

I do agree though that they tried to cram a lot into a very short space of time and you aren't really a qualified technician, still a student that needs lots and lots of practice and more education.

Good luck on your journey into the world of nails.

Thanks Liz yes I do think you are right I hope I have not wasted my money with hubby out of the army soon and needs to find a job and still having a full house of kids I do not need to just chuck money away! I would rather give it away!
I am in no rush at all to make money I really want to be happy with my work first, I really can not understand how people can come out of a course get insurance and work on clients nails and charge a full price which does happen! I would not be able to sleep at night I dream of nails now and worry each time I do nails that they are still ok a few days later.
So far I have done quite a good job most have said they are as good as other sets they have had done in a salon and have been back to me. I am just waiting if they still come back once I charge full price which will still be lower than shops but higher than they pay now! I am really just charging to replace products for now I was doing freebies! but had to start to charge a little as I was running out of products.
Thanks
Carolyn.

I never trained with that academy so I can't comment on their trainning, however, the fact you are on this site shows you have a passion for nails and use this site to further your knowledge.

I originally trained with Windsor, but wasn't happy with the level of training and then went on to do a three day course in fibreglass. Then attended college to gain City and Guilds in Manicure and then further courses in gel. If I was starting out now, I would probably choose Creative for my foundation course, but that's only because the level of training in my area isn't brilliant

ANY foundation course is just that, a foundation to build on, so I would continue to practice, maybe invest in a one-to-one training day (if you feel you need it), search like mad on this site (so much to learn) and maybe invest in a couple of reference books. The Complete Nail Technician is a brilliant one. Also Manicure, Pedicure and other nail techniques is brilliant at covering the natural nail care side (can't remember the author, will pm it to you).

I hope you enjoy nails as much as I do. HTH

Hi Carolyn,

Thank you for seeing my post as the constuctive concern I'd intended....

I don't think you've wasted your money, as you have clearly been given a background on nails, I'm just alarmed they 'taught' you so much in 4 days - It took me 8 months to do my manicure/pedicure course and my creative foundation (4 days) was solely focused on L&P - even that was a struggle to fit everything in!
I'm thinking that you have been shown the 'how to' but not necessarily much theory behind it all?
I agree with the suggestion to get 'The complete Nail Technician' it will give you a bit more background and give you an idea of the sorts of knowledge you may want to expand in the future.
Doug Schoons book, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry is also excellent, and will give you a really good understanding of how the products actually work.
If you have a look at www.itecworld.co.uk you can go to the section on their Nail Technology Diploma & also manicure & pedicure unit and see the syllabus, again to get an idea of all the background knowledge that should be sought.

As has been said, most courses are just the beginning, the learning will continue. Don't be tempted to do it 'all at once', give yourself time to be confident at one thing before going onto the next.

Are you going to Excel or Olympia? Would be a great opportunity to meet other techs and have a look at what products are on offer.

Regards,

Thanks for your kind words makes me feel a bit better.
Carolyn.

It's by Marian Newman, our very own "Mum" who posts on this site

I ordered it yesterday from play.com, £21.99 incl p+p and received email from them today to say it's been posted... woo hoo, can't wait to read and read and read.

hth
x

Thanks B,
You have bought up a great subject with the 1st message you sent me I am really pleased as I said I have thought about this myself but never had anyone to talk with. I like to know the truth of what people think and will never take it the wrong way at the end of the day you are wanting to help and I need the help that is why I am in this group.
I do have two books The Encyclopedia of nails which is GREAT! and Nail Artistry which I have put aside for a while as I have lots to learn first before I do my nail art.
Thanks again you have been great help.
Carolyn.

Thanks all of you that have helped so far and I will look those books up tonight I must go now my kids need feeding the nails ahve taken over me LOL!!!!

I will be back later to have another read of the messages.

Take care

Carolyn.

Manicure, Pedicure etc is by Elaine Almond.
HTH

finding the right course can a complete nightmare! I was lucky, I literally stumbled across Creative and only found out just how highly they are regarded within the industry once I'd trained! It also showed me that it was just the beginning with regard to my training needs. I have recently started an SQA nail care course which runs until the middle of May at the local college and hope to proceed to the artifical nail structures in September. I guess it's looking at it in the long term. There's just no way you can start as a complete beginner and then end up as a fully fledged nail tech after several days. That will come over time - it's not just what we learn in the classroom but also on the job training. As with all professions ideas develop and things move on and if we don't undergo regular training (whether it be in a formal classroom situation or via up to date literature, other techs etc) then we will be left behind! So don't think of your training as a waste of time, rather the first step of your journey

Best wishes