Advice on Training - Next Step or 1 to 1

[Shar]

Hi

Anyone on here done the Creative Next Step course, how did you find it?

I completed the 4 day foundation with Creative last June, and straight after booked and paid for the Next Step course which was a month later. The course was cancelled as was the only one booked for that day, and it was re-scheduled 3 months later. unfortunately I had to cancel that one as I had family problems and was told I would be contacted with another date when one came up. A year has gone by and I was not contacted so I just left it and never bothered anymore.

So do you think It's worth re paying for this course of going for the 1 to 1. My main weakness with doing nails are Smile lines and speed (I take forever lol)

In Sept, I'm doing the VTCT Manicure, Advanced Nail Techniques etc, but want to continue training with Creative as I eventually want to complete the master courses.

Sorry for the long post, I just want as much advice as I can get.

 

[naturalnails]

Hi Shar,

I have not taken the Next Step Class so I cant comment.

Things like Smile Lines and speed will come with practice and more practice.

What I would suggest is to book on the Master Classes and then if after that you dont feel confident to do the qualification day, then do your one to one to sort out the other things, then book your qualification day.

 

[Debs]

Hi Shar, I have done my VTCT and Foundation with creative. I did the next step class 2 weeks ago, I personally feel its a must, its very informative and you do cover what you feel you need help with. Have you looked at the tutorial on smile lines, its a great help.
Speed, unfortunately comes with practice, but you`ll have to make the decision yourself as to whether you do the next step or 1-2-1.
Good luck with whatever you choose

 

[liza smith]

dear shar hi my name is liza smith & i am the creative educator for kent. usually the next step class is used as a way for educators & students to assess your progress since your foundation class. it also helps to prepare you for dealings with clients. if you have been working for a year & you arent having any recurring problems with lifting,cracking & breaking then maybe 1 to 1 would suit you more. you could tailour this training to home in on smiles etc. it says youre from essex, you are close to a number of educators that would be great for you. tracey lejay is in essex, she was voted educator of the year 2003. also ketan patel is in hammersmith & he is a multiple compitition winner. i myself also have won numerous comps & love sculpting & deep smile lines . where u decide to go might depend on availabity as i know all the academies r v.busy! hope this has helped some xxx

 

[geeg]

You said you booked and paid for the course so my advice is to do it. You can concentrate on the areas that you are having difficulty with as has been said and there is a lot other valuable information to be learned too.

Regarding SPEED ... speed does not just come with practice!!! Practice helps, but speed can often be reduced drastically when the tutor 'spots' some of the 'time wasting' things you may be doing!!

1. Dusting ... are you one of those who is forever putting down your abrasive and 'dusting' with a big fluffy brush (or other) to 'check' your progress?? 'Dusting' is a great time waster!! If you want to 'see' where you are, then push the dust away with your abrasive. Every time you put any implement down to pick up another - you are wasting time.

2. Filing ... another BIG time waster is filing to Finish off the enhancement. Many technicians apply too much product and then spend forever filing it off again when they finish the nail off to shine!! This just makes no sense at all. It is costly in time and costly in product and costly health-wise with all the dust floating about in your breathing zone and costly in future repairs because all that excess filing when the product is only set and NOT cured can lead to breakdown later on.
Use smaller beads and apply the 'finished' nail with your brush. Then the shape will already be there and the thickness will be about right, and all you have to do is minimal filing to finish. Makes sense all around.

3. Tip blending ... Many techs waste oodles of time on this one. If you are not using a 'fast blend' tip like Velocity for instance then try applying your tips just to the free edge of the nail plate (assuming there is one ) and you won't need to blend at all. Most experienced nail technicians only blend tips when they have to. The use of tip blender is discouraged as it really is no faster and the chance of potential damage to the nail plate is very high not to mention NOT a good idea using solvents on or near the soft tissue.

Techniques for working smarter not harder are covered on the Creative Next Step Class.

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[Shar]

you have all been a great help.

Thanks Fiona for the advice on taking the master classes and then the qualification day when you feel ready, I didn't know you could do that, thought you could only take the master classes when you were at a certain standard.

As for the time waisting spots yes I'm guilty of two out of the three, I'm not one for forever dusting but the other two yes. I do pre tailor the tips and find that cuts down the time of blending in the tips.

Like you all said speed will come with pratice, I just need to practice more, I only have a handful of clients at the moment.

I've decided to go ahead and do the next step, and will ring Loughton on Monday and see if they will book me back on the course.

thanks again
Shar