£2.50 while studying - am I mad

[janjan1]

I am doing VTCT nail ex p/t at college. If I bring a client in they get charged £2.50 by college. I feel awkward charging a different price from home as they could all say well I will just come into college for you. I want to practice as much as I can so that when I qualify in June I will feel confident in charging full price and my nails will hopefully be brill by then. (The going rate round here seems to be £25).

I thought of sending loads of flyers to people I know to pass on in the hope that this bargain price will attract loads of guinea pigs!

My theory is that when I qualify, I will hopefully retain a few of these clients who are happy with my service and will be willing to pay full price. Do you think this is a good idea. As soon as I mention the price, everyone I have spoken to obviously wants them doing. Will my cunning plan work
What do you think????

 

[sarah wilson]

Presumably they are aware they are only paying £2.50 as you are training so providing they are happy with your work when you've done there shouldn't be a problem, especially if they've seen an improvement in the standard from their 1st trip to college to their last.Good luck with your course!!

 

[janjan1]

Yes they are all aware that this is only until qualified.

 

[Cathie!]

When we had models in college, more than 3 years ago, for assessments etc, they were charged £15 for a full set...I think that £2.50 is outrageous, it barely covers products....and what are clients going to think they are going to get for £2.50?? I believe if you undercharge, especially to that extent then the client will be well put off and think that they are just guinea pigs and getting an inferior service...they may as well just do it for free.

Look at £2.50 as compared to a commercial full set price and compare that to the prices they are charging for hair services as compared to the commercial price...I bet they don't pay £2.50 for a cut and blow dry.

I think it's outrageous and not doing the college or the tutor and the students any favours...it's not instilling any confidence in the potential clients.

 

[BABSann]

Yes they are all aware that this is only until qualified.

Its a difficult one Jan. I found when I finished college that the people I used as Guinea Pigs are fully aware that your newly qualified and quite often they quite begrudge paying full price.A lot of people are out for what they can get. Not everyone ,but people dont like paying more if they can get away with it.They enjoy paying a lower price but you will no doubt see a drop in willing participents once you put your prices up.Try putting the prices up gradually as you become more profficient.You will still have a long way to go even though your qualified. Its a bit like passing your driving test. Your qualified but it takes lots more hard work before youve really got it.Obviously £2.50 is a definate no, no though. Good luck.

 

[jac extreme]

yes you are mad, good god, your probably spending more than that in products alone and it wont necessarily make them stay with you when you up your prices, I think you should charge about £10.00 to £15.00 while you are training. maybe do family and a few close friends for free for a while, but thats all.

 

[janjan1]

Yes I am beginning to think its a bit mad too. To be honest I didn't think that people charged clients while they were training. Oh... I don't know what to do now. If you turn up at college off the street its £7.50 for one of the full timers but because we use our own products part time she just charges £2.50. Maybe if I double it each month as I get better then by June see who is left? God...I hate dilemmas! I know you are all right.

 

[jac extreme]

Hey I am not trying to make you doubt yourself, like I said practise on friends and family if you will, you always have to do them cheaper anyway or they wont talk to you and you wont get invited to any barbies. but could you not look for a sat job in a salon to get some practise. dont work for nothing thats all I am saying.

 

[BABSann]

Yes I am beginning to think its a bit mad too. To be honest I didn't think that people charged clients while they were training. Oh... I don't know what to do now. If you turn up at college off the street its £7.50 for one of the full timers but because we use our own products part time she just charges £2.50. Maybe if I double it each month as I get better then by June see who is left? God...I hate dilemmas! I know you are all right.

Dont despair Jan.I know what you mean.Who gets the £2.50. You or the college?Remember this you wont be there forever then you can charge a much more realistic price but just not too high too quick or you will scare people away.The college aren't doing you any favours. It would have been better not to charge anything rather than £2.50. Thats an insult.

 

[sarah wilson]

Oh soz i need to change my opinion, i didn't know u were using yr own products. If u were using colleges then u would have to go along with what they charged, but if its your own, surely u can add to that. £2.50 won't even cover the cost never mind yr time.Does anyone else on the course make a charge on top? If u can't do it like that in college can u get friends etc to come to yr house after college where u can make a reasonable charge for your work?

 

[jac extreme]

the college aren't doing you any favours. It would have been better not to charge anything rather than £2.50. Thats an insult.

thats very true

 

[BABSann]

thats very true

Your hairs grown Jac, LOL:green:

 

[jac extreme]

Your hairs grown Jac, LOL:green:

beats having hair extensions eh !!

 

[BABSann]

beats having hair extensions eh !!

Sure does, damned sight cheaper too. Love the dazzling teeth.lol

 

[jac extreme]

Sure does, damned sight cheaper too. Love the dazzling teeth.lol

why thank you.

 

[NAIL FRENZY]

yes you are mad, good god, your probably spending more than that in products alone and it wont necessarily make them stay with you when you up your prices, I think you should charge about £10.00 to £15.00 while you are training. maybe do family and a few close friends for free for a while, but thats all.

I agree with Jac, our college charged clients 7.50 for a full set and we used the colleges kit and kept our own for home practice. I charged 10.00 whilst I was training. When I finished college, I started to charge 15.00, now I am up to full price. You will probably be working on different clients at home than those you will be working on at college. If you need to explain to clients why the price difference then just explain that the college have their own subsidies and therefore do not need to charge so much. I did my familys nails for free and that really kept my practice in. It will be a lot harder to get clients to go from 2.50 to 25.00, so if I were you I would go for the 10.00 - 15.00 as Jac has suggested.

 

[janjan1]

The £2.50 goes to the college - don't know why they even bother. And it is the same clients that come to college for me as they do at home. I will put a hold on the flyers for now and let my friends know that I will be charging £10 next month I think - see what response they give me. I know that the majority of my friends probably won't end up as my full payers but at least I am getting the practice which is what I am bothered about most at the minute. Did you do much practice on your nail trainer at 1st and did this help - I'm not keen on it.

 

[jac extreme]

never had a nail trainer, just some very patient friends, nail trainers dont tell you if your catching the cuticle or giving friction burns, but i am sure they have their place good for you, like you say these people prob wont be you bread and butter clients anyway.

 

[Snugglepuss]

I found it really difficult to charge anything while I was training and always said cover the cost of my products and you can pay me the proper price when I have passed. Now I wish that I had charged for products and time, because some of the peeps who I didn't know that well were outraged at the increase in price even though I had made it clear that prices would increase once I was qualified.

As for the college, if you are using your own products, then I don't understand why they are charging £2.50 - I agree with other geeks on this why charge? I know when I was a model for my hairdressers trainee at college they didn't charge me anything - maybe that was because I had been asked to be amodel rather than walked in off the street not sure.

Best of luck:Love:

 

[Peter Pan]

at the college where i first learnt nails they charge £20 - £2.50 is bloody rediculous - how the hell can you recover the cost of your product? i think some of the colleges need to take into account the cost to the student, never mind the college, its all well and good for the college to make money, but its at YOUR expense - in my area - the college only thinks of themselves and how much cash they can pull in - in my opinion, this is totally unfair
yes you may be still learning but you still need to cover your costs (which the college dont think about, aslong as they getting the cash) i think a reasonable rate for you would be at least £10