Do I need to train to do gels?

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glitter nails

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hi,
I qualified in beauty a year ago, but my course didn't teach us gels, so I just wondering if i need to train in gels in order to practise on the public? Basically I what told that technically I don't need to because I'm already qualified in mani/pedi. I have a friend who trained at college with me and her employer showed her how to do gels after work. The employer is not a trainer just another beautician and if she was to leave that salon she has no certificate for gels. I know its better to train I'm just asking do you legally need to? For example does it fall into that category like nail art, you don't need to but you can.
 
It depends on what your referring to when you say "gels".. Do you mean a gel polish system such as shellac or gelish etc or a hard gel system for enhancements.. A gel polish system you should be fine, as long as your able to get insured, if it's enhancements then I'd say do a course defiantly, even if you somehow can get insured. There's a lot more to it than "just doing nails" trust me.. It takes a whole lot more effort and dedication than "just watching someone after work" it can take years to get your work up to a good standard, even if you think your work is good, you never realise until you look back...
 
The vast majority of insurance companies require a certificate in Gel polish to cover you.
Some suppliers also require training before you can purchase.
I would personally gain a qualification- no matter how experienced in mani/pedi you might be, watching an application video or having a quick tutorial from a colleague (who may or may not have taken a class and could be teaching bad habits) in no way compares to a proper class to learn the fundamentals of your chosen system, tips and tricks, and troubleshooting.
It's a no brainer for me really if you take those 3 things into consideration. Take a class! [emoji16] x
 
It depends on what your referring to when you say "gels".. Do you mean a gel polish system such as shellac or gelish etc or a hard gel system for enhancements.. A gel polish system you should be fine, as long as your able to get insured, if it's enhancements then I'd say do a course defiantly, even if you somehow can get insured. There's a lot more to it than "just doing nails" trust me.. It takes a whole lot more effort and dedication than "just watching someone after work" it can take years to get your work up to a good standard, even if you think your work is good, you never realise until you look back...

I'm just interested in doing gel polish not enhancements, something like gellux or orly? I know you can do day courses for under £100, but I did a day course (not on nails) before and honestly its was pretty crap! just seemed like your paying for the certificate rather than the actual training which was basic and stretched out. I know people with the same qualifications as me but are doing gels with no additional train? The insurance that I have i'm covered for gels as part of my policy. Just genuinely confused as I've not been in the industry that long and I know people working in salons saying I don't need to as its just a polish not enhancements??

And also if I was to get a job in a salon and trained by one of their staff does that mean if I leave that salon I can no longer offer gels?
 
Spin it like this, would you want someone offering a treatment who doesn't have a qualification in it....no! You won't be insured for gels if you don't have a qualification in it. I think £100 for a certificate is better than being potentially sued if it came out you weren't qualified and there was a client complaint. Cover your back always.
 
Spin it like this, would you want someone offering a treatment who doesn't have a qualification in it....no! You won't be insured for gels if you don't have a qualification in it. I think £100 for a certificate is better than being potentially sued if it came out you weren't qualified and there was a client complaint. Cover your back always.
She would be covered for it.

She has a qualification in mani and pedi which is Level 2, this is the necessary qualification to offer gel polish.
 
It doesn't state she is level 2 trained. I was going under the assumption that she only had day course certifications and I know that I wasn't covered with just manicure and pedicure.
I still think it's perhaps useful to train with a company as the person showing you could have picked up bad habits.
 
It doesn't state she is level 2 trained. I was going under the assumption that she only had day course certifications and I know that I wasn't covered with just manicure and pedicure.
I still think it's perhaps useful to train with a company as the person showing you could have picked up bad habits.
Ohh, sorry. My assumption was that a mani and pedi was only ever Level 2, I do apologise :)
 
If you have level 2 mani/pedi then yes you can do gel polish. Just do lots of practise first using the instructions, many brands have YouTube videos too.
 
The only requirement for CND shellac is a manicure certificate ... You'd need to check but I presume others are similar. Applying gel polish is very straightforward compared to the world of enhancements; I'm not saying you can be slapdash or that procedures shouldn't be followed but there's not the same level of skill involved.

Gel as in gel enhancements, is a whole different ball-game. :)
 
Ohh, sorry. My assumption was that a mani and pedi was only ever Level 2, I do apologise :)

Lol maybe it is? Maybe I'm wrong?! If I am it's something new I've learnt and better for me lol x
 
With my basic mani pedi cert, all the major distributors allowed me to buy products.

However, no insurance company would cover me for sog without any knowledge in a system. The proof that you have that knowledge is your certificate.

Now "technically" insurance isn't a legal requirement, as far as I am aware. If you have millions in the bank, you are able to cover a court case yourself. Insurance is there to product us, in case anything ever goes wrong. As with all insurance types, you won't be covered without showing a level of care to prevent a case from occurring in the first place. Car insurance, you need to have a driving license, home insurance you aren't covered if you don't lock your front door, etc.

Different insurance companies have different requirements. When IBX came out, many people were saying their insurance refused to cover it. IBX created a class for this reason. Training originally was not needed to use the product, but it was a requirement from some insurance companies.

Even if you only pick up a couple of tips from a class, you will always gain something. You also gain the support of an educator and a lovely new certificate. Training doesn't have to be expensive, infact a few brands offer it for free if you buy a starter kit.

I am an extensive researcher. I looked into so many brands, fully read multiple 60 plus page threads on salon geek and watched hundreds of YouTube videos. Even though by the time I came to do my training I didn't really learn a lot more than I already knew, I did have someone standing over me and confirming I was doing the right thing and I did pick up tips. I point blank refused to buy into any brand until I had some training booked. I only did my sog training this week (!) and I won't be advertising the service for another month, until I have done a wear and removal test on myself and feel confident in my service. I don't want to be ironing out kinks and practising on clients.

Sorry this is insanely long, but it's important to clarify the distinction between what you can do and what an insurance company requires you to do. They are all different, so you must ring your own provider and find out. Some will allow one certificate to cover you for multiple systems, others will require a class in each system. All it takes is a quick call to ask and we all know how insurance companies love to find loop holes to avoid paying out. It's always best to double check. It might mention gel on your policy, but you may find you aren't covered without a certificate, or maybe you are! Ring them! But a course and certificate will always hold some value.

Good luck with whatever you chose to do! Xx
 
If you have level 2 mani/pedi then yes you can do gel polish. Just do lots of practise first using the instructions, many brands have YouTube videos too.
I'm fully trained in beauty therapy level 2 city and guilds, that's why I get confused because people I've asked say no I don't need to because I'm level 2 where as a nail tech would have to I guess? Anyway thanks for all the replies, so I can do gels without having to do a course! And I would practise ALOT before I even attempted offering it to clients. thanks again
 
hi,
I qualified in beauty a year ago, but my course didn't teach us gels, so I just wondering if i need to train in gels in order to practise on the public? Basically I what told that technically I don't need to because I'm already qualified in mani/pedi. I have a friend who trained at college with me and her employer showed her how to do gels after work. The employer is not a trainer just another beautician and if she was to leave that salon she has no certificate for gels. I know its better to train I'm just asking do you legally need to? For example does it fall into that category like nail art, you don't need to but you can.
Do a course for definite!! You will be thankful you did, you learn so much, from correct application to safe removal and you learn all about the brand/product you are using so you can answer any questions clients throw and you and believe me they will! I'd say pick the brand you want to use and do their course. It only takes 1-2 days and application of gel polish is different to regular polish so you need to learn how to apply it correctly.
 
I'm fully trained in beauty therapy level 2 city and guilds, that's why I get confused because people I've asked say no I don't need to because I'm level 2 where as a nail tech would have to I guess? Anyway thanks for all the replies, so I can do gels without having to do a course! And I would practise ALOT before I even attempted offering it to clients. thanks again
Just remember though, it's gel 'polish' you're able to do, not gels as in gel enhancements - they need an extra qualification :)
 
With my basic mani pedi cert, all the major distributors allowed me to buy products.

However, no insurance company would cover me for sog without any knowledge in a system. The proof that you have that knowledge is your certificate.

Now "technically" insurance isn't a legal requirement, as far as I am aware. If you have millions in the bank, you are able to cover a court case yourself. Insurance is there to product us, in case anything ever goes wrong. As with all insurance types, you won't be covered without showing a level of care to prevent a case from occurring in the first place. Car insurance, you need to have a driving license, home insurance you aren't covered if you don't lock your front door, etc.

Different insurance companies have different requirements. When IBX came out, many people were saying their insurance refused to cover it. IBX created a class for this reason. Training originally was not needed to use the product, but it was a requirement from some insurance companies.

Even if you only pick up a couple of tips from a class, you will always gain something. You also gain the support of an educator and a lovely new certificate. Training doesn't have to be expensive, infact a few brands offer it for free if you buy a starter kit.

I am an extensive researcher. I looked into so many brands, fully read multiple 60 plus page threads on salon geek and watched hundreds of YouTube videos. Even though by the time I came to do my training I didn't really learn a lot more than I already knew, I did have someone standing over me and confirming I was doing the right thing and I did pick up tips. I point blank refused to buy into any brand until I had some training booked. I only did my sog training this week (!) and I won't be advertising the service for another month, until I have done a wear and removal test on myself and feel confident in my service. I don't want to be ironing out kinks and practising on clients.

Sorry this is insanely long, but it's important to clarify the distinction between what you can do and what an insurance company requires you to do. They are all different, so you must ring your own provider and find out. Some will allow one certificate to cover you for multiple systems, others will require a class in each system. All it takes is a quick call to ask and we all know how insurance companies love to find loop holes to avoid paying out. It's always best to double check. It might mention gel on your policy, but you may find you aren't covered without a certificate, or maybe you are! Ring them! But a course and certificate will always hold some value.

Good luck with whatever you chose to do! Xx

I’m interested to know which brand you chose to go with after so much research? (if you don’t mind sharing) I’ve been researching and have contacted Ikon.iq nails about some training xx
 
I'm just interested in doing gel polish not enhancements, something like gellux or orly? I know you can do day courses for under £100, but I did a day course (not on nails) before and honestly its was pretty crap! just seemed like your paying for the certificate rather than the actual training which was basic and stretched out. I know people with the same qualifications as me but are doing gels with no additional train? The insurance that I have i'm covered for gels as part of my policy. Just genuinely confused as I've not been in the industry that long and I know people working in salons saying I don't need to as its just a polish not enhancements??

And also if I was to get a job in a salon and trained by one of their staff does that mean if I leave that salon I can no longer offer gels?
Have you got it in writing from your insurers that you are covered? Most insurance companies will only cover you for treatments that you are actually trained in, and if it wasn't covered in your nail course then I doubt they will cover you. Call them for clarification and get them to put any decision in writing.
 
I think it’s definitely worth doing a course, I bought a gel kit (I’m level 2 qualified) but I never felt confident and ended up selling the kit for really cheap and am now looking to train with Ikon.iq nails and buy their kit, time and money wasted beforehand but a lesson learnt lol. Good luck with it all xx
 
This thread is from 2015 and several posters inc. the one quoted no longer post regularly on the forum.
 
This thread is from 2015 and several posters inc. the one quoted no longer post regularly on the forum.
So it is, not sure how I came onto such an old thread?! I was assuming it was a recent one, thanks for the heads up
 

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