Everyone always gets so hot under the collar about this subject and others where the cry is "more regulation".

The fact is that we are not regulated in Europe and never have been and the standards of the technicians who are making a business of nails is the highest in the world.

I'm not sure why so many spend so much time and energy worrying about 'the other guy' and what he /she is doing.

BAD work SHOWS. BAD workmen do not prosper in our business.

OK people get ripped off with bad courses and bad workmanship and duff products, but it is up to THEM to find out what they need to know before embarking on this career.

RECOMMENDATION ........ IS THE KEY. Just like anything else. The good training providers, the good educators, the best products will have a BIG reputation; a solid BACKGROUND, A PROVEN record of achievement to display: awards, trophies and a presence in the industry.

I think honesty is always best. No-one wants to hear "oh they're lovely hun" when actually they are housebricks etc.
I think ANY trainers that give out a certificate JUST for attendance is a load of rubbish.
Oops ranting a little but JMHO

So your saying you stalked him?! lol.

Whilst it would be very good to have guidelines and regulations for the years or experience and qualifications I believe it also varies a lot from one therapist to the next.

As we all know some people learn quicker and have a certain skill with treatments and it would be a shame to hold those people back or limit their possibilies by putting a fixed stamp on saying you have to have X amount of years before you can move up the ladder.

I think it is more important to look at

• the actual qualification of the individual (where and how have they been trained),
• which sector of the industry they are qualified in or want to train as different treatments will have different requirements
• how many treatments have they actually done (have they got years of "experience" with only a few treatments?)
• case studies of the treatments (experience does not necessarily mean that the therapist does the treatments correctly)
• how motivated is the therapist, and how dedicated to the treatments, teaching and passing his/her knowledge onto others?
• how good is the therapist at actually teaching others (a lot of people know how to do things but to teach is a complete different story)
• how willing is the therapist to continue learning and improving skills as a therapist and/or trainer

I believe there is a lot of therapists that might have good intentions but are lacking one or more of the important aspects of becoming a competent trainer or teacher and whilst there is no common regulation in place it should be up to the supplier/manufacturer to continuously monitor their trainers as they have the obligation to ensure that their trainers are "up to the task" and meet the minimum required standards to be able to give adequate training to their students.

What should be and what actually IS are unfortunately 2 different things!

As for hitting the minimum required standards, I'm afraid that simply would not do for the company I represent. Minimum??? We expect way beyond the minimum ... and with at least yearly Regional training they are pushed beyond their experience at each update. It's no good sticking or letting our ambassadors stay with in their comfort zones. "If you do stay doing what you do you will only have what you've got!" One of my favourite sayings.

I agree with Gigi, every trainer needs to stay updated with the newest processes as well as reminding them of what they learned in school and needed to receive a license in the first place. When I arrived in Arizona to begin my regional trainer program, everyone was handed a test on BASIC manicuring knowledge. I don't think that even one of us passed. I'll give my self a small break on this because it had been 9 years since state board- but it reminded me of how important the basic knowledge is. And I haven't lost sight of that since. I think that experience is great, but it doesn't always predict how well someone can teach. Some have it, and some just don't. So if you think that there is a lack of good trainers out there, then why don't more of you "step up to the plate"! Share your knowledge and I promise you that you won't ever regret giving of yourself to help others succeed.
Brooke
P.S.- I made a 100% on the test the second time. Did you know that the moisture level of a nail that could harbor a "greenie" is between 13 & 17%?

I totally agree, therefore what you expect of your trainers IS the minimum that you as a company are willing to accept and if they cannot train or teach to that standard they obviously do not fulfill your minimum requirements.

There will always be excellent trainers who exceed even their own expectations and those of the brand they represents, but unfortunately there are also trainers that either cannot keep up to these expectations or simply do not use the tools or training given to improve their skills to stay on top of newest technology and techniques in order to teach their students at the required level.

Without any regulations in place only the manufacturers can monitor and improve this situation by ensuring all their trainers are up to scratch. We would need all manufacturers to do this to maintain a high quality of training throughout but without any regulations the standards will continue to vary between the different brands and their training techniques for the different products.

This is part of what makes a company or a good one if the product, as well as training, customer and aftersales service are second to none....

hi, I trained with a very good trainer called Lorna, she had been in the nail business for 15 years....and was excellent....

I did my Nail course ( if you would call it that !) in a college.. my trainer spent most of the time on the phone to her boyfriend... then when i finished.. my trainer said that i retained information so well I should do my Cert 4 ( in australia that is what you need to teach something you are qualified in)..and teach at the college!!!! are you for real....
I still don't have enough knowledge or experience to be able to teach someone to the level that a CND educator could.. I wish i had of know about other educators.. at the time i called the college and there was a place for me that week so i paid my $1500 and off i went.... biggest waste of money ever.... I should have call CND.. at least i would have got my money's worth...
I would not recomend a college to anyone.. train with a brand and stick to it.

CND do have exceptionally high standards for their educators, unfortunately this is not the case wth every company / brand.

I personally would not train with anyone that had less than 5 years experience in the industry as a whole (ideally, i would expect them to have more than me, and im nearing on 7 years now!! lol!!) and at least 2-3 at the chosen subject.

I want to know I am learning from their experience and they can teach me the pitfalls and most effective methods.

I dont want to be trained by someone thats been doing the treatment all of 5 minutes and thinks their an expert.

One of the main disadvantages of training in colleges is that you are trained in groups that are most of the time to large for the trainer to be able to assess the individuals.

When you train with a brand or an independant trainer you are able to choose between 1-2-1 training or a small group with a trainer that cares about the students - you are a realy person that matters to that trainer and not just a number in a crowd.

In general I expect a trainer/educator to be able to show me, answer me and guide me competantly and efficiently.

I want to know I can ask them almost anything about nails and they will answer me fully so I can understand, I want to know they are are fully able to demonstrate techniques and skills that will help me to understand and improve, and very importantly also...I want to know that I am being given the most correct and up to date information there is....not information they gathered donkeys ago lol, for me... although time scale has its own importance and I would prefer they had plenty of years experience under thier belt....the main emphasis for me is the wealth of knowledge and experience and how they deliver that to me.

Youve raised some good points hun,

what I wanted to ask was, How can a trainer gain the 'experience' without they years?! lol. You can be taught a technique, but you cant be taught experience! lol. SO really, you cant get the experience we would expect from a trainer, without that certain time scale.

I would say...yes and no....one person could have been trained for ten years...and worked one day a week.....or trained 5 years but had a 3 year gap in the middle...

where as another person could have been trained 2 years and worked everyday of the week...or 5 days a week but in a variety of different situations/environments.

Just an example but I think you could see that experience doesnt necessarily equal time?

For me I would say a minimum of 4/5 years but I also want to know where they've gained there experience. If they've been working for that length time mobile or in a home salon then I personally don't think they are going to help all there students.

I want my trainer to have done it all, by far the most important in my eyes is proper salon experience back to back appoinments 5 days a week, every week.

I have worked in spas and rented a room and both are hugely different, I wouldn't be where I am today without full on salon experience and I don't think trainers are that effective unless they have had salon experience either.