Disappointed....

[Bubble]

Last night I failed an assessment at College and have to do it again. The assessment was in applying tips with acrylic overlay. The reason I failed was my timing. In order to pass we have to complete the procedure in 1 hour 30 mins. I was about 40 minutes over. However, I blended one tip a little too far and had to re-do it, then my clients hands were so cold that the acrylic wouldn't cure (which I thought wasn't my fault - the college heating had gone off so the poor girl was frozen!)

I feel a bit cheated as this procedure has only been shown to us once about 4 weeks ago by the tutor, we had a quick practice and were rushed to finish because it was nearly 'home time'. She then told us to practice at home. I don't yet have the acrylic products (short of cash) so I've been unable to do this - so yesterday I read my notes from college (all of 1 page) and I read all of Geeg's tutorials to prepare myself. But I feel very pressured when the clock is ticking away!

I have bought a nail trainer and have been practicing blending on that, and I thought I was making good time. Can I ask you about blending in tips. I have read Geeg's tutorial but she doesn't mention using acetone to blend the tips. This is how we have been taught, and I think that's where I went wrong last night, by applying too much that it just melted part of the nail away. Do you all use acetone when blending tips, or is there another wonder product that I don't know about?

Also, as my clients hands were so cold - would it have been ok for me to cure the acrylic under a UV light? Would that have helped, or are you not supposed to do this? The acrylic we use at college is Star Nails Performance L & P. I am just concerned as I now have to do 2 more sets of acrylic in order to pass my assessments, and if I come across this problem again what shall I do? My boyfriend has told me to take a hairdryer to college, to warm the hands! Haha.

I've had a terrible night's sleep, mulling all of this over. I know that I take a bit longer than is expected but I would prefer to do the job properly. And, if I ever pass, and if I ever start to put this into practice - I will take as long as it takes to get them right. I'm sure that speed will come with time, and I'm sure that prospective clients would rather have the job done right!

Sorry that this has been a long posting, but any thoughts would help.......

 

[Kimberley0699]

Thats strange. When I was at college doing assessments, it didnt matter how long we took and the tutor would stay behind if needed until we completed.


I didnt think it was anything to do with timing!

 

[Bubble]

Thats strange. When I was at college doing assessments, it didnt matter how long we took and the tutor would stay behind if needed until we completed.


I didnt think it was anything to do with timing!

Hi Kim, What was the name of the qualification you were doing? This is VTCT Level 2 - I wonder if the criteria has changed? But she insists that we have to make this timing, I suppose for the commercial aspect. If you were going to work in a salon you would have to be at a certain speed, maybe?

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Hun, I really feel for you. That is really poor that the heating wasn't working, not good practice at all and not fair on you or your client. If you ever get this happen you can put your client's hands in hot mitts to keep them warm - obviously you'd have to take out the hand you are working on!! If you don't have these, then maybe a hot water bottle would do the trick!

The l&p would not polymerise (cure) under a uv lamp as it does not contain the photo initiators that react with the uv lamp to cure it. I think when you apply l&p in the cold you have to change your ratio (sorry, I'm a gel gal so couldn't tell you whether it should be wetter or drier). Plus, depneding on the l&p you use, the uv can cause yellowing.

No I don't use acetone, or any other product, to speed up my blending. Have you been taught pre-blending. This is when you buff down the well area of the tip BEFORE applying it to the nail, if you preblend well enough this can seriously reduce the amount of time spent blending. I may be wrong but I think using acetone like this is quite an outdated technique.

As for timing it is really refreshing to hear someone who isn't hung up on doing a quick set!!! You are right that it is better to do a good set in a longer time, than do a pants set in a quicker time. All the tests I have had have given 2 hours for a set, so think your tutor may want to get home early for dinner!! 90 mins is a standard salon time, but it can take longer than this if the client's nails need it.

Don't get too downhearted, tomorrow is another day!!

 

[Oceana]

Hi there,
As far as I am aware you have to complete the nails in a "commercially acceptable time" well.....what is commercially acceptable?? I think just over 2 hours for a trainee to complete a full set is fine, maybe in a salon you would need to cut down to say 1 1/2 hours but while learning IMO that is acceptable!
Mind you I failed my first vtct assessment because I was wearing enhancements and they were too long (the only just covered my fingertip) mind you I think it was more personal than technical.............


Good luck keep up the good work sounds like you are committed and thorough!

clare x

 

[novo]

When I was learning (we never stop learning in this business) to apply tips we never used acetone or other products to aid blending, Keep practising once you,ve cracked it without acetone you'll be glad you did. There are products on the market but i'm sure you'll find most techs do not us them.

good luck with your assessments think you were a bit hard done by.

 

[Mani-fique!]

Well I'm still trying to get my time down and I've been trained a year now! I really don't know how they can expect anyone to do it in such a short space of time when they're learning....after all any experienced nail technician will tell you, it takes lots of practice and hard work before you get to the stage that you are doing beautiful nails in a much shorter time period.

Lets put it this way if I had to do your course I'd still fail it today because it takes me 2.5 hours still for me to do a full set.... Phew! I'm glad I didn't do a college course and went straight with CND thats all I can say.... I think thats way too much stress and puts emphasis on time rather than quality. Not good teaching in my oppinion

 

[Fab Freak]

Sorry to hear that you failed but this could actually have been used as a practice considering the circumstances beyond your control….

I would make an appointment to talk to your tutor and if you get no satisfaction from this route then talk to the Head of the Department - failing that then the awarding body (ie VCTC or City & Guilds etc)

Hope you get the result needed- and don’t give up you will pass your next assessment

 

[Kimberley0699]

Yes I did the VTCT level 2 and knew nothing of any time limits!

My class was only 3 hours long and I know some people took longer than 3 hours to do a full set. I think this is totally acceptable whilst training. Tutors cant possibly expect you to be completing a set in 1 hour 30 mins whilst you are training!!
I think you definately need to make an appointment to see your tutor. Perhaps see how the others in you class feel about it. I would be very surprised if they are not struggling to fit into this time scale too.

When I did my first assessment I think my complete set took about 2 hours 40 minutes (and I was lucky as the friend I did the set on had lovely warm hands in a freezing cold room!!).

 

[Bubble]

No I don't use acetone, or any other product, to speed up my blending. Have you been taught pre-blending. This is when you buff down the well area of the tip BEFORE applying it to the nail, if you preblend well enough this can seriously reduce the amount of time spent blending. I may be wrong but I think using acetone like this is quite an outdated technique

Thank you everyone for all your responses, i feel a bit better now. Sassy, I've not been taught pre-blending but I will have a go at that this afternoon on my nail trainer. Do I just use an abrasive then in the normal way, before applying the tip?

I will also search the net to see if I can come up with the standards required for assessments on VTCT Level 2 - to see if timing is part of the criteria. We haven't been given our 'Record of Assessments' books yet - which details all of the performance evidence, criteria and range statements needed. If I find that it isn't required - then i'll speak to the tutor. She is really very nice, although after reading this site I do wonder if her methods (or VTCT's methods - not quite sure) are a bit outdated. She said that she was only referring me for my own good - as I would need to be quicker.

I wish I could have afforded the CND course, but unfortunately couldn't. But, maybe in the future I would like to perhaps do the conversion course - if that can be done from VTCT?

Wel, i'm off to the gym now to try and relieve a bit of this stress! And thank you all again for listening.

 

[Jaffacake]

I am still pleased with myself if i get a full set done in 2 hours!! lol have never managed to get under that time yet, but i am a gasbag so that doesnt help!
When I did my VTCT I did a set on my mum to practise, did one hand and had to go back on the evening to do the other hand!! took about 4 hours altogether but I dont think this is unusual whilst training x

 

[mandy]

Hi,

i did my VTCT at college we was given 2 hours to do a set of acrylics, we was taught using NSI products and was taught to blend the tip using a file.

I failed my very first assesment because i didn't tell my client the price! :cry:

 

[angel fingers]

:suprised: 1 1/2 hours is a bit harsh at your stage of training. this sort of time is a salon timing but for an experienced tech. for the cold hands/room problem i use a little heat pad on my desk, its like a tiny electric blanket and does a brilliant job. no end of clients comment on how soothing it feels. mine came from index, about £16 i think. similar in argos too. cheaper and more versatile than electric mitts - nice for pedicures too and has a washable towelling cover. finishing nails in 1 1/2 hrs wont make you a good tech at your stage, attention to detail will. :hug:

 

[ADiva1]

The time was far too short for your first set. Once you know you are being timed for something, you tend to panic anyway. What's with no heating at college yesterday - ditto!
Cheer up, I am sure it won't happen again. At this stage, for you a lovely set of nails is more important than time...!

 

[Jaydee]

Hi All, I also failed on two case studies whilst doing my NVQ due to going overtime. The college said we had to apply the enhancements in a commercially accepted time. We were given one demonstration and then left to it and you had 12 trainees going hell for leather to apply a full set then two weeks later the client came back for their infil and what did you get 10 fingers that all had lifting. Again on the infil, the dust was flying as the students were filing away and chasing the line which inevitably led to natural nail damage (which I'm ashamed to admit). I can understand that when going for trade test that you have to enhance the nail in the time given but surely when training the most important things are to protect the natural nail and aim to improve on your application and understanding of the application. I looked through my folders last week and couldnt believe some of the things that were written in our handout sheets. My tutor was so far behind within her marking of assignements of other classes that she took that she asked me to put everyone elses folders in my class in order and organise what case studies they had to complete in order to achieve their NVQ. I really feel that the colleges should invest in their tutors and each year prove that they have taken the necessary steps to show that they are commited to the education they are teaching. Phew thats me off my soapbox...!

David

 

[sambam]

Hiya!

it took me 4 hours when i did my 1st set!

I know you said you looked at geegs tutorials but im just wondering if you saw the one on file control- getting a grip because she describes how to hold the file in different positions for different jobs. it should help you to blend tips quicker and more effectively. hth x

 

[mum]

Ooh things like this make me cross!!! How can anyone expect to get good quality training from colleges when they do something like this!!! :evil:

I can tell you categorically that FINAL assessments for full sets should take up to 2 hours. As you were only recently shown this you are still in the 'formative' learning and assessments stage and cannot be expected to come anywhere close to the accepted time. If your college session is 2 hours then you should only be doing tip application or a few tips with overlays at the beginning. Your teacher should be concentrating on quality of work now and leave the quantity till later.

The 2 hour timing has been set by HABIA who set all the standards and pass them to the Awarding Bodies. 2 hours is what is expected of a competant technician. This does not mean experienced. 2 hours should be good enough to get a job as a junior and then, by working in a commercial environment the time should quickly come down to 90mins.

Expecting 90mins after 1 demonstration is so wrong (and you can quote me!!!)

 

[Bubble]

Thanks again for all you replies. It's made me feel better knowing that the tutor is perhaps asking too much.

Samantha - I have read Geeg's tutorial on filing, and did try to incorporate the methods, but with being under so much pressure it was difficult to keep focussed. I did try doing some pre-blending yesterday as Sassy advised and that helped my timing, so I will keep practicing that method now ready for my next assessment on the 21st!

Marian - I would like to mention the standards set by HABIA to the tutor but on the same hand I don't want to cause any ill feeling - she is also the assessor, so if I 'rock the boat' she could easily fail me......!? I am going to speak to some of my classmates though to get their feelings on the matter, and relate to them the information that I have received here. Our class is actually 3 hours long, and the tutor has expected us to do 2 clients in one night! But I have amended my timetable so that this doesn't happen. Talk about pressure, haha!

Once again, thanks very much for all your replies. They have really helped me.