How Did You Start And Progress?

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xAnnaBannAx

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Oct 3, 2007
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Newark, Notts.
As a Newbie Geek just starting out I wondered how did everyone else start out in there careers and how over the years have you developed yourselves...whats your story? :green:
 
Well when I was 14 I did my school work experience in a local salon after my first choice of going to a local radio station cancelled as they couldn't fit me in!!Lol. I wasn't completely impressed but as they say sometimes your life is mapped out for you and its out of your control. It was the only place I could get in at such short notice.

Strangely enough I loved every minute of it and didn't want to return to school. The owner was impressed with my mature attitude and flare for the work and took me on as a saturday receptionist!! I left school and went straight to beauty college for 2 years to qualify NQ2 and NVQ3 beauty therapy, working part time at the same salon throughout. I was able to carry out treatments during the second year and had already done a private nail training course with backscratchers.

As soon as i qualified I went full time and the owner had a baby. Fed up of doing all the work but only getting minmum wage I left and went mobile as a nail tech at 18 yrs old!!

Business was successful but stressful! I bought a house and realised that I needed a more reliable source of income so I gave up the business and went into tele sales (nothing to do with beauty). I was very good at this and have the gift of the gab!. Got married, moved house to different area, moved job - still in sales but 3 years since giving up my business I feel unfulfilled. I was looking to jump back into beauty as feel that I was a bloody good therapist and it is a shame to waste all that effort and training. Applied for sales related beauty jobs but nothing...and then a new hairdressers opened with a room above - I mention it to my hubby and he says what you waiting for???

I dash over to the salon and find that it is up for let..good price..large space..short lease if required..very private...why not?

That was just short of 3 weeks ago...I have bought the entire equipment for the salon new, handed in my notice, the lease is being sorted, all family and friends over the moon at my decision and The Beauty Loft opens the first week of December!!!

Phew!!!!!
 
wowsers! lol thats fantastic i really hope it all goes well for you then and i think it will..good luck! ooo how exciting lol :o)
 
For me working in the Beauty Industry was my second career.

I had enough of the stress that went with my previous job of being a financial Consultant and pondered for a while on what I wanted to do. I always loved having beauty treatments, so for me that was the obvious answer.

I went to work part time while I studied part time beauty, but knew pretty early on that I wanted to treat it more seriously so I gave up my part time job and went to college full time to get my qualifications. I ended up working part time in a salon while I finished my qualifications and then soon went on to open my own business by renting space in a hairdressing salon.

And - the rest they say is history!
 
For me it started with wanting to know hwo to do nail art but then i realised you need to know about nails as well. I went on some star nails courses and got qualified and thought this meant i could go out and practise on the public. How wrong could i be? Star nails went bust so i converted to creative and have doen loads of training with them, im now a spa master and working towards being an L&P master, its still not my full time job im too scared to make the complete change over as im on my own with the kids but i make a good living with it and get called on to do mad jobs all over the place. i think as im not bothered about travelling about i pick up lots of party work etc... so 3 years down the line i can actually talk with confidence about what i do and the theory behind it and the experience ive gained means im listened too more.
 
I had a keen interest in painting nails and nail art work from when I was quite young. It was'nt until quite recently 2003 that I actually thought seriously about it becoming a profession for me. I work at a college and always used to go in with various patterns on my nails and colleagues always fot me to do theirs aswell. Serena, who was the lecturer for the Nail VTCT course always used to come in and have a look at my nails and convinced me that I should do the course as she thought I would do really well. I completed the level 2 VTCT Man/Ped and Nail Technology, I went on to train with Young Nails Gel, L&P and got my Advanced Cert. I trained with OPI natural nail care and L&P through my work at New York nails. I went on to do a conversion with Creative and have been on various nail art certificate courses. I am now studying Anatomy & Physiology, Salon Health & Safety and Reflexology. In between all this I have done my Intro To Teacher Training and my A1 Assessors Award.

I currently work full time and run a home business providing Nail Enhancements using products from Young Nails and Creative. I will continue with my education in nails by attending more courses with Creative I hope as I already have my Advanced Cert with Youngs.
 
I have been interested in doing nails for about 2 years now. I got my but in to gear this year and enrolled in a course - which was then cancelled. It was hard to find a college open at night (as i work full time) then i seen a girl with a bag from a beauty college near my work which i looked up on the internet- this was 2 months ago. i looked into starting next year and they had a spare spot starting this October so i enrolled and going into my third week and loving it! Dont know what i plan to do - would like to get some salon experience and beauty training to start with and then work from home (once i buy one haha).
 
I started a bit like an apprentice in a nail salon for a year, that was 7 years ago. Since then, I have invested a lot of time and money in trying to get to be the best I can - mainly through continued professional education. I've not tried to take short cuts, or short change the industry which seems to be in vogue at the moment.

I get so annoyed with people who buy and sell "course notes" on the internet - particularly Ebay - and they think it makes them qualified. I've always been one who thinks if a job is worth doing then it's worth doing properly. If you don't want to give it your full commitment then leave it to those who do & try something else instead. After all I wouldn't dream of going to a hairdresser who taught him /herself from a book, or some other half baked method. To me that just shows a lack of resepct to your clientele. Do it properly or not at all.

JMHO :hug:
 
mines a 2nd career choice too. trained in cooking/bakery and worked in that trade and in bars and did my teaching cert.

started an evening class in massage and started doing evening appointments, then got asked to do some teaching to cover maternity, so at one point I was cooking full time, evening massage appointments and teaching at a college in the evening. I also co-ordinate courses for trained therapists for CPD points etc, I bring the tutor to the North East, advertise is and get enough people onto the course. I also provide baby massage classes although that is dying a death as all the Health visitors and midwives are providing it for free.

when I became pregnant decided to become a full time mum with the plan to build up massage/holistics when I could fit it in.

now my son is nearly 9, I still teach in the community, I do a lot of talks and demos for various organisations (all of this in holistics). I still co-ordinate courses and do pamper parties. I rent a room 2 days a week in a chiropody clinic and am on Nov 1st renting rooms above a hairdressers.

my plan is to leave the teaching behind, concentrate on the 2 premises, and possibly leave the chirop clinic behind as its daft paying 2 rents.

the other place as 2 treatment rooms so would like to hire that out to a beauty therapist in the future. And keep training in lots of lovely therapies and treatments.
 
i use to work in super market.... then left to had children after 11 years got so bored but still wanted to be here for children (sick or hurt at school) so decided nails was best....learnt ALOT form here practising on myself then done a course,passed never looked back .....i luv meeting a friend of a friend xx
 
Well when I was 14 I did my school work experience in a local salon after my first choice of going to a local radio station cancelled as they couldn't fit me in!!Lol. I wasn't completely impressed but as they say sometimes your life is mapped out for you and its out of your control. It was the only place I could get in at such short notice.

Strangely enough I loved every minute of it and didn't want to return to school. The owner was impressed with my mature attitude and flare for the work and took me on as a saturday receptionist!! I left school and went straight to beauty college for 2 years to qualify NQ2 and NVQ3 beauty therapy, working part time at the same salon throughout. I was able to carry out treatments during the second year and had already done a private nail training course with backscratchers.

As soon as i qualified I went full time and the owner had a baby. Fed up of doing all the work but only getting minmum wage I left and went mobile as a nail tech at 18 yrs old!!

Business was successful but stressful! I bought a house and realised that I needed a more reliable source of income so I gave up the business and went into tele sales (nothing to do with beauty). I was very good at this and have the gift of the gab!. Got married, moved house to different area, moved job - still in sales but 3 years since giving up my business I feel unfulfilled. I was looking to jump back into beauty as feel that I was a bloody good therapist and it is a shame to waste all that effort and training. Applied for sales related beauty jobs but nothing...and then a new hairdressers opened with a room above - I mention it to my hubby and he says what you waiting for???

I dash over to the salon and find that it is up for let..good price..large space..short lease if required..very private...why not?

That was just short of 3 weeks ago...I have bought the entire equipment for the salon new, handed in my notice, the lease is being sorted, all family and friends over the moon at my decision and The Beauty Loft opens the first week of December!!!

Phew!!!!!

Well done you! Good luck I wish you all the best. xxxx
 
Im still on my first training, half way through my course. Not sure what the future holds, will have to wait and see.x
 

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