Are you ready?

[RED STAR]

Are you ready?........

You've completed your course in....Hair....Nails.....Waxing.......whatever......

You have been presented with your certificate, which 'proves' you are worthy/competent to start work on the paying public.....
You have 'the kit', all the goodies, and your insurance......
Guess your ready to roll.
BUT.....are you REALLY ready?

I would love to here from all those newly trained, as to how confident they REALLY are in carrying out a Manicure/wax/haircut ......and charging the 'going rate' for it

 

[x Fee x]

Are you ready?........

You've completed your course in....Hair....Nails.....Waxing.......whatever......

You have been presented with your certificate, which 'proves' you are worthy/competent to start work on the paying public.....
You have 'the kit', all the goodies, and your insurance......
Guess your ready to roll.
BUT.....are you REALLY ready?

I would love to here from all those newly trained, as to how confident they REALLY are in carrying out a Manicure/wax/haircut ......and charging the 'going rate' for it

I'll be able to give you an answer next week lol. I've been a nails only tech for 4 years, and confident in my skills.
Now I have my own salon space I'm going to branch out into brow and lash treatments in time for our 1st Anniversary and I've got courses booked left, right and centre.

I've been manically sorting kits, insurance, a couch, making space in the salon for treatment, redesigning price lists and marketing, getting my clients excited and researching and reading hints and tips. So busy planning in fact, that I haven't stopped to remember what it's like to be newly qualified in something and not confident in my skills!

I think it's going to be really interesting after training and portfolio building to see whether I feel as ready to go as I do now, and debate the questions you raise- especially because skill in nails doesn't mean I'll easily pick up isolating eyelashes!

 

[sally40]

Are you ready?........

You've completed your course in....Hair....Nails.....Waxing.......whatever......

You have been presented with your certificate, which 'proves' you are worthy/competent to start work on the paying public.....
You have 'the kit', all the goodies, and your insurance......
Guess your ready to roll.
BUT.....are you REALLY ready?

I would love to here from all those newly trained, as to how confident they REALLY are in carrying out a Manicure/wax/haircut ......and charging the 'going rate' for it

I was pushed in at the deep end many years ago and put on the shop floor before end of my training and was so nervous but got through it but many colleagues couldn't stand the pressure and ended up leaving the hair business x

 

[RED STAR]

I'll be able to give you an answer next week lol. I've been a nails only tech for 4 years, and confident in my skills.
Now I have my own salon space I'm going to branch out into brow and lash treatments in time for our 1st Anniversary and I've got courses booked left, right and centre.

I've been manically sorting kits, insurance, a couch, making space in the salon for treatment, redesigning price lists and marketing, getting my clients excited and researching and reading hints and tips. So busy planning in fact, that I haven't stopped to remember what it's like to be newly qualified in something and not confident in my skills!

I think it's going to be really interesting after training and portfolio building to see whether I feel as ready to go as I do now, and debate the questions you raise- especially because skill in nails doesn't mean I'll easily pick up isolating eyelashes!

GOOD LUCK

 

[Minkeybox]

Fake it till you make it baby!!

Ive been qualified for years & am a very confident therapist (apart from leg waxing *shudders*) but, im just starting to push retail.

I gots my card machine, i gots a cupbord full of lovely new retail items, i even gots cute lil bags to pop them in, but Im rubbish haha!!

I was mobile & sold nail related bits but am branching out into EVERYTHING now Im salon based. If they have made a retail product Ive got a tester to try it. So only slightly off topic as this is a new experience for me, one thats pushing me right out my comfort zone! Im just blustering through it & trying not to sound like a desperate pillock xxx

 

[surf girl]

The thing that concerns me most is so many people are not practicing whilst training, I see a lot of self doubting and people blaming their education (not meaning anyone specific it's just general) most girls on my course felt the same too, I'm the only one from my group who actually went on to do hair for a job!

I had passion tho, drive & a real want to learn, I watched every video available, read every website, joined every group & watched my peers like a hawk! I learned 3 different colour lines in my first year in college, all had a different number system.
I had a salon job alongside college, I worked my placement day & a Saturday & every holiday off from college id go into the salon for free. I did mobile from week 1 of level 1, granted I had no insurance but each time I learned something I'd go try it out on friends & family, I learned by making mistakes, I coloured way before I'd learned the wheel! As soon as I'd been shown application techniques I was on it! I never charged much but the hair I turned out at first was pretty rough lol, each time tho I'd learn from a mistake & by the end of my level 1 I had a good mobile round going.

Point of the story your ready when you have hours under your belt & faith that your ready, if you think your not then your probably going to fluff it and fall to jelly each time a challenge faces you, practice makes perfect & if you've only done training and no actual hands on experience then your probably not ready lol

 

[Lisa32]

I'm almost at the end of level 2 and feel in no way ready :-/ I'm confident with facials as (funnily enough) I had loads of willing volunteers for these but things like waxing and tinting not so much!!! I'm hoping to go on to do level 3 so would welcome any advice from those of you in the industry in gaining confidence.

I've learnt soooo much from here, read lots, research all the time but I do think practise is the key, but easier said than done - I also think the quality of teaching we've had with regards to waxing has been very poor, pretty much just been let loose on the public from the word go without much guidance. Xx

 

[surf girl]

There's a good point there, I had very little guidance because I was so gun Ho at everything the tutors used to just let me crack on, I craved someone to step by step me through cuts etc... I learnt this little trick ASKING as most of you on here are probably aware if I want to know something, or know MORE about something I WILL ask, & I'll keep asking untill I've got every last drop of info, every person who's been above me knowledge wise rolls their eyes as soon as I start questioning I had to grow the confidence to do that mind I was quite shy when I started out! I soon got over it tho I know it irritates people too but I'm not going to grow in my own knowlege or skills unless I do it

@Lisa32 i would never have considered having my eyebrows waxed or tinted untill recently, my new nail lady needed to practice tho so I offered my face up for her & now I'm hooked! Can't believe I've spent my whole life without eyebrow tint! Encourage your nearest and dearest a little more they'll do it for you if you keep on

 

[beautymaven]

I completed my level 2 beauty in November and I don't feel confident at all. My tutor was brilliant at explaining things but I feel the ITEC curriculum is dated. For example, the only filing the nail from one side and then the other. Every time I've done a trade test in a salon I'm shown a new way to file that is the complete opposite of what I was taught. I'm struggling to find a job and I really think my lack of confidence is the reason for this. I did plan to go mobile once qualified but there's no way I'm ready for that right now. I'm constantly practicing to build up speed but it feels like feeling truly confident will take a while.

 

[Gina Ballerina]

I honestly felt ready in all nvq2 & 3 treatments after I completed my l3. I don't think I would have at all if it was short courses but it was 2 years and I put my all into it. That being said I've learnt an incredible amount in the 8 years since. Only thing I suppose I wasn't completely ready for was dealing with people but that comes with time and I was only 24 but at 33 throw anything at me and at times I'll still learn about that.

 

[Gina Ballerina]

I did a level 2 nail enhancement course at college and that was one evening a week for 6 weeks. It was shocking and I wasn't ready at all so I didn't do it again

 

[Gina Ballerina]

Oh and I wasn't ready with the business side of things and it's very easy to buy buy buy and do no paperwork but that comes with time too

 

[squidgernetball]

I felt very ready to start doing treatments but had bought a wax pot about a week after starting waxing and practised on anyone with hair!
I've done a nail extension course that I hated and I'm not a fan of them anyway so I never really did much with them.

I've got a member of staff who had been qualified for many years. We advertised for someone who was a bit rusty or newly qualified. She did a great interview but I didn't do a trade test. She had been badly taught from the word go. She had been in jobs where she had been bollocked for not doing perfect nails etc. We started from scratch and she has come on in leaps and bounds and her skills have improved beyond recognition.

Training is great and practising is great, but if your training is shit, your practising will be shit and ultimately your treatments will be shit.

Vic x

 

[AcidPerm]

Training is great and practising is great, but if your training is shit, your practising will be shit and ultimately your treatments will be shit.

Vic x

That made me giggle but it is perfectly true.

 

[Grace_Hair]

I've been on the floor for about 7 years, and there's STILL times where I'm like how the **** do I do that?! Why the **** did I do it that way?!

 

[Lisa32]

If as a newbie there are certain areas (like waxing) that we don't feel confident in and are practising as much as we're able, do you think we could contact therapists with experience in the industry and ask to observe a wax or is this not really the done thing? X

 

[Minkeybox]

If as a newbie there are certain areas (like waxing) that we don't feel confident in and are practising as much as we're able, do you think we could contact therapists with experience in the industry and ask to observe a wax or is this not really the done thing? X

Some experienced therapists like Squidgernetball (I think thats what she is on here) run refresher courses, so although I don't think she issues a certificate she has a wealth of knowledge & goes through what you are having trouble with to help your understanding/confidence. I imagine she charges a day rate/ training fee for this (hopefully she will clarify)

On the other hand I am friends with a therapist local to me and asked if she would be willing to be my guinea pig. I explained that although I was qualified, I was a bit unsure so if she thought I was doing something wrong/ could do it better I asked her to tell me. She paid a discounted rate for the services (think it was 50%) but I wasn't expecting her to actually walk me though anything, just yelp if she felt I could do better. She has years of spa/salon & self employed experience though so I felt she could be a good judge. I dont think it would work if I was asking another newbie.

It's hard if you are approaching someone you don't know though, I imagine if its a busy therapist they might have the time to spend with you xx

 

[Grace_Hair]

If as a newbie there are certain areas (like waxing) that we don't feel confident in and are practising as much as we're able, do you think we could contact therapists with experience in the industry and ask to observe a wax or is this not really the done thing? X

I'm hairdressing so a little different than waxing. But if someone asked to shadow me I would be highly flattered.

If you aren't where you want to be, you could always ask to do a couple days work experience in a salon.

 

[squidgernetball]

Some experienced therapists like Squidgernetball (I think thats what she is on here) run refresher courses, so although I don't think she issues a certificate she has a wealth of knowledge & goes through what you are having trouble with to help your understanding/confidence. I imagine she charges a day rate/ training fee for this (hopefully she will clarify)

On the other hand I am friends with a therapist local to me and asked if she would be willing to be my guinea pig. I explained that although I was qualified, I was a bit unsure so if she thought I was doing something wrong/ could do it better I asked her to tell me. She paid a discounted rate for the services (think it was 50%) but I wasn't expecting her to actually walk me though anything, just yelp if she felt I could do better. She has years of spa/salon & self employed experience though so I felt she could be a good judge. I dont think it would work if I was asking another newbie.

It's hard if you are approaching someone you don't know though, I imagine if its a busy therapist they might have the time to spend with you xx

Thank you or that @Minkeybox. Yes we run refresher courses. Waxing is one of the most popular and we teach industry expectations, timings and standards.

PM me if you'd like more information to anyone interested!

Vic x

 

[Minkeybox]

You are very welcome! Your posts are always so well thought out & informative, training with you must be a blast!

Industry expectations is one of the hardest things to fathom when you start. Its all well and good being shown the practical side but theres still room for self doubt to creep in bouncing ideas off another therapist always helps xx