OK... I feel the need to speak out regarding the number of peeps who have no training...

I truly don't understand WHY some peeps think it's alright to come onto a predominantly professional site and basically BRAG about the fact that they're 'doing' nails without any professional qualifications whatsoever.

Do these 'unqualified techs' not realise how they're putting themselves in a position to have their backsides sued BIG TIME, not only due to the fact that they can't have any viable insurance BUT they're risking the health of their 'clients' nails.

How will they know what a bacterial/fungal infection is when they see one?
How will they know how to handle a diabetic client?
How will they know how to deal with a client who has blood circulatory problems?

It's not just a case of getting products from ebay or from abroad, it's the fact that they don't know how to use the professional products properly, let alone how to deal with real life occurances like existing or pre-existing medical conditions that affect the application of enhancements and also the outcome afterwards.

It's downright irresponsible and goes totally against the grain... infact I'd go as far as to say it grates on raw nerves with a great many of us professionally trained nail technicians.

What gives these 'techs' the right to offer enhancements to the unsuspecting public?

Well I almost clicked Smart as to be perfectly honest, they are the smart ones, we are the stupid ones.

They are coming on here after having bought their products from e-bay, or some unscrupulous companies who are willing to sell to anyone and they are asking us questions and we are helping them.

I am 100% with you on this one Sandi - I will help anyone after they have done their training but those who blatantly refuse to do training because they cant afford it and sometimes in the other forums on here are talking about this that and the next thing in their personal lives that they are spending loads of money on, they are the ones I dont wish to help.

You get out of life what you put in so peeps if you want to get a great nail business going then start putting in - it is about investing in your future.

Couldn't agree more Sandi. My concience wouldn't let me perform any beauty or nail service on the general public without insurance and training.

I can remember after my first day on my first nail training course, how difficult it seemed, and can remember thinking that I'd never be good enough to ever be a nail tech.

After several training courses, I still know there's room for improvement and will strive to keep improving with more and more training courses.

How people can possibly think they can do this job without training, is beyond me!

Lets just hope that this thread, and others, will point new wannabe techs in the right direction.

Excellent thread!!

Sandi I know what you mean, but in life there will always be those that think they can do as good a job as the Pros when they can't. I mean I've done DIY stuff such as decorating and it's never as good as the Pros can do.

I guess for me I get annoyed when untrained people ask us how to "do nails", and I think it's about as cheeky as going into your local hair salon and asking how I use a packet of Nice n Easy ... well you just wouldn't would you?

Also I get bemused by the homegrown brigade who shout that their nails are so bloody fantastic, and yet I don't know of one pro on here who doesn't agonise over how their work can always be improved. The trouble is that it takes training to learn what really makes a good nail and the untrained rally can't see how crap most of their work is.

To be honest Sandi I think if people are daft enough to go to an untrained person then more fool them. We deal with chemicals that if not used properly can cause all sorts of nightmares. I often speak to my hairdresser about the home job cock ups that they have to sort out, it's not just our industry it's the world we live in.

I guess it's only true professionals that get maddened by the cowboys because we know how much damage they can cause. They're all NSS as far as I'm concerned and at the end of the day I just get on with my job and carry on sorting out their cock ups when they come to me.

Someone I know (from college of all places) that has no qualification at all in nail enhancements buys her stuff from Sallys then charges friends/family etc for a set of nails which she believes to be the best thing since slice bread. She does not see the harm in this at all no matter which way you put it and can't understand that she may be doing damage as far as she is concerned they look good & thats alll that matters, to hell with health & safety !!

I call it X factor syndrome some of them think that their the best but in reality can't see or accept what the rest of us see, that there flippin awful

These people who are not 'trained' who come on this site and freely take the available knowledge and help, are they actually working on members of the public's nails or just their own so they don't have to pay for a 'professional' to do their nails?

I would have thought the majority of geeks have had some degree of training or is that me just being naive?

Gosh I have spent close to a 5 figure sum on training so far and don't regret any of it .. its all money well spent and knowing that I have had the best training in what ever I am doing gives me the confidence to perform treatments to a high standard which can only benefit my clients and myself.

Good thought provoking thread Sandi.. I hear where you are coming from, I am just hoping its a tiny majority that is getting under your skin?

i have just trained with the e-file, yes it was expensive but i wouldnt have dared used it on a client without the proper training, i think this goes with nails too, there is too much to learn and get to grips with not to be trained, my mother said "christ glyn thats alot of money to pay" my answer was "not as much as getting sued if your not trained tho". i think you HAVE to be trained in whatever you use to get the max results, and knowing your trained also gives you piece of mind - thats my view anyway

Jen, I think you're being a bit naive chick! I posted a reply on one of Nailzoo's threads recently about being professionally trained and got a neg rep saying I was Negative and Judgemental - well forgive me if me actually being a professional entitles me to be judgemental!! I'd bet half my mortgage that person is one of the untrained and leeching from the site brigade.....

I think the major difference between us and hairdressers is back to the old chestnut of education (for clients) - they know when a hair cut looks wrong but don't know enough (yet) about what makes a good nail enhancement.They half expect nail damage, with white tips slapped on with a clear overlay......

We, as professionally trained technicians, have the right to get mad about this BUT there is a big difference between the newbie researching her options for training and the working 'tech' with no intention of getting training any time soon...... Those people have no right to post pics for critique or to critique others pictures - what the h*ll do they know about what makes a good nail??

The newbies need and deserve our support - we all started somewhere, all aksed questions that have been asked before and all needed the advice of people that have been there/done it! Forall of you - feel free to ask, use the search, read, learn and take that knowledge like so many of us have done (and are hugely grateful for, thanks!).

For the untrained and not getting trained any time soon brigade - you are abusing the goodwill that abounds on this site. If you love doing nails go and get trained, if you want to make quick money go find a job where you don't need lifelong training..........

Sorry it's long, I went off on one a bit...... but it's something I feel strongly about.....

Well guys.....I must admit that I am kinda on the fence about this. As you all know I have not completed my training (I don't have any clients anyway ) but I do practice on mainly on myself or on friends, when they are willing to be my victims LOL, but I would never ever think that I could get on with what little training I have or try to get a job in a shop, unless it is an apprenticeship, and I think it rather foolish to come on a site like this and brag to people who have shed blood, sweat and tears and spent huge amounts of money to be where they are and say basically "I am such a wonderkid, I don't need to do all of that, I saw someone do it and now so can I." I think that is a slap in the face to all of the professionals.

I dare not claim myself to be a professional for the simple fact that I have not completed my training, and as you guys know I have no problem saying that I have not yet completed it, I don't want to ever portray myself as something that I am not...I may be a lot of things, but a fraud ain't gonna be one of them! I have forgotten most of the nail diseases, how to properly set my table and all of the basics that you do learn in school, so why on God's good green earth would someone who didn't even set foot into a Nail Technicians course claim to be professional???? That is to me like someone who wakes up one day and decides to be a preacher or a priest with no seminary training, bible college and no knowledge of bible basics, catechism or nothing else, but decided to go open a house of worship!! How foolish!!

Okay, well I guess I wasn't on the fence after all!!

I have only recently entered the world of nails but something struck me quite forcibly when I joined this site.

Bear in mind I had not had any training at this point and as a consumer the only bad thing I had heard about nails was damage to the plate. I picked a reputable local salon and therefore assumed that was OK

Because I wasn't trained I was ignorant of the H&S issues, hygiene, contra indications, diseases of the nail etc etc etc. Now I have been in business before and therefore had no intention of doing someones nails uninsured but I was unaware of just what damage could be done.

The untrained who have been on this site seen all the info and still carry on are to be despised

The untrained who have no idea need educating

i voted stooopid!!!!!
I am of course a reformed self trained tech and i am so glad i found this site who made me realise how stupid and dangerous what i was doing was-so glad it was only my nails i damaged!!!

Of course I voted stupid.
Ive just gotten to the stage where I ignore untrained 'cant be bothered to train' peeps on the site.
I ignore their pictures, I ignore requests for advice and I even ignore their chitchat!
I have to ignore them because if I dont my blood boils. I feel like 'yeah ok, muggings here will invest x-amount of money & time' so you can just sit back with your Ebay product or whatever & Ill hand my learning to you on a plate, shall I.
Err, I dont think so.

Glo, you took the words out of my mouth, I have always been willing in the past to give advice/critique as I assumed it was to techs who were either looking for or had started their training, but now with so many people on here who clearly have no intention of training or think that a one day course will surfice, I now feel "well you won't be getting any free advice from me, if you have absolutly no intention of paying for any yourself" such a shame

i vote stupid, but i suppose they arent
whats stupid coming on here untrained and knowing that a trained technician has spent hundreds on training...why not get their knowledge for free eh, yeh we pay for training and you can ask us everything without it costing you a penny....a bit like pirate dvd's
you copy what us, who pay for our training do from the advice in posts, then you sell your services and make a tidy profit eh...even if your work is substandard and the nails last a few days(doesnt matter if the man gets up in the middle of the dvd and walks across the screen) what do you expect if your paying for a rubbish carbon copy....sorry its a bit daft comparing untrained nail technicians to pirate dvd copiers but to me it seems the same.

I think they are nieve...they do what many do and think "that looks easy i will have go"...then they think they look good and to them (untrained eye) they possibly do. I don't think anyone really likes to be told that what they have done is terrible, bad or wrong but i do know that if i was that person and so many others where all saying the same thing i would sit up, listen and start to think they cant all be wrong....instead you get some who get all defencive and stroppy...shame cos the advise given should be grabbed with both hands.

I am pleased to see so many people interested in doing nails..i think its fab that people are so keen to become a nail tech...but i would be even happier if they went about it the right way...

they don't look at the big picture, they don't see the damage they can cause to our industry, they can go around untrained doing peoples nails and could be making a hash out of it...and peoples nails...this then giving the wrong message yet again to the public about nail enhancments.......also the use of professional products brought from the likes of ebay by untrained people....again this is damaging to the product companies....untrained person with creative (or any other high end product)...does nails on people and makes a hash of it....does the unsuspecting client blame the person who did them or go around saying "i had creative products used on me once and they where uwfull"....this is where i think it gets unfair...and why i think if someone is truly passionate about not just doing nails but the industry as a whole then they owe it to them selfs and that of the industry to get trained, get insured and buy from the authorised distributors.

blah blah blah.....lol xx