I don't understand my qualification?

[LissiBelle]

This may sound a bit stupid but I had thought that understood the course before I paid for it, however it was not as I expected for various reasons.

I did a home study course with E:Learn UK and Stonebridge Colleges. The qualification I have been awarded is 'Nail Techician - Proffessional Level 3' and is a level 3 diploma. However, although the course included the following sections;

• Anatomy and Physiology of the skin
• Anatomy of the nail
• Manicure
• Pedicure
• The process of nail growth
• Client consultation and communication
• The gel system
• The fibre system and maintenence
• nail enhancement removal
• health and hygene
• marketing your own business.

I was not asked to do any practical assesments which led me to querie what my qualification entitles me to do. I was planning on doing conversion courses in specific brands acrylics and gels however I don't think the college certificate is as described and I have tried to speak to them about it but they just say I am qualified to work as a nail technician but dont say what areas. I know now most diplomas are through VCTC but this one is with NCFE (national college of further education)

I may be missing the obvious but some pointers would be very welcome, I spent £430 on the course and if it isnt worth the paper its printed on i will be very upset with them. If it just qualifies me for manicure and pedicure that is fine but anything less then I don't see the point. The other reason I am concerned is that most of the main beauty insurers dont recongnise it either.

:Scared: HELP!!!!

 

[souz]

did it not seem strange to you to do a course that did not include practical assessments?????if you have done no practicals at all and not been assessed doing any practicals then i dont see how you could be qualified in anything??sorry if that sounds harsh but its the truth.

when i did my nvq 2 we did approximately 60 hours of assessed practicals as well as practical home study inbetween!!!

to be honest i would chalk it up to experience and start again! really research your next qualification and hopefully if you have the theory then you willbe ahead and able to concentrate on your practicals x

 

[MissJulesBeauty]

Hello

I did a similar course right at the beginning of my nail tech career. On paper you are a qualified nail tech and this covers extensions. However in practice you won't be able to create a set of a good standard with just theory knowledge.

The good news is a conversion course will be available to you with your current cert. I did one with NSI and this was free (not sure if this is still the case as it was a while ago)

It is a long way round and will require you to work your socks off to get to a stage where you are confident and happy with what you are doing but a way nevertheless x

It would be a good idea to try and find someone to shadow so you can see the practical side of the work and then practice as much as possible.

HTH's

 

[MissJulesBeauty]

This may sound a bit stupid but I had thought that understood the course before I paid for it, however it was not as I expected for various reasons.

I did a home study course with E:Learn UK and Stonebridge Colleges. The qualification I have been awarded is 'Nail Techician - Proffessional Level 3' and is a level 3 diploma. However, although the course included the following sections;

• Anatomy and Physiology of the skin
• Anatomy of the nail
• Manicure
• Pedicure
• The process of nail growth
• Client consultation and communication
• The gel system
• The fibre system and maintenence
• nail enhancement removal
• health and hygene
• marketing your own business.

I was not asked to do any practical assesments which led me to querie what my qualification entitles me to do. I was planning on doing conversion courses in specific brands acrylics and gels however I don't think the college certificate is as described and I have tried to speak to them about it but they just say I am qualified to work as a nail technician but dont say what areas. I know now most diplomas are through VCTC but this one is with NCFE (national college of further education)

I may be missing the obvious but some pointers would be very welcome, I spent £430 on the course and if it isnt worth the paper its printed on i will be very upset with them. If it just qualifies me for manicure and pedicure that is fine but anything less then I don't see the point. The other reason I am concerned is that most of the main beauty insurers dont recongnise it either.

:Scared: HELP!!!!

Actually just noticed your not that far from me, if you fancy shadowing me in my salon for a day or too you only have to ask x

 

[sandwiches]

I have to ask, why didn't you just train with the system you want to use in the first place?

 

[Ruthg]

Hi LissiBelle,

I am studying the exact same course and often wonder this myself. I have not asked the college about the qualifications but chose to study this course in order to start a career in the nail industry. I know this qualification alone will not cover me for the future but thought it would be a great start to doing nails from home as I currently work full time. Hopefully this will be recognisable enough to get us started??

I would like to invest in the Shellac course eventually but don't think its an option for me right now money wise.

I know we are studying our nail courses from home but you know we are provided with a starter nail kit? I just received mine last week. Therefore you will get practical experience as I would never dream of taking on clients without feeling confident actually carrying out the services.

 

[Haylo_Therapies]

In my honest opinion, I think you should invest in a course in which you will be assessed on practical.
Yes, the theory can teach you, but how can you expect to know how to approach all your clients different needs from a home study course??

I studied for 2 years doing hundreds of practicals in front of a qualified teacher...and I am still learning!

Are you doing any form of practical work at all?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using SalonGeek

 

[Haylo_Therapies]

And if the insurance companies don't even recognize it, then that says it all?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using SalonGeek

 

[mini4mum]

Gorgeous-tips what a lovely thing to offer! This is why I love SG, cause there are always kind hearted Geeks to give their time

 

[souz]

Hi LissiBelle,

I am studying the exact same course and often wonder this myself. I have not asked the college about the qualifications but chose to study this course in order to start a career in the nail industry. I know this qualification alone will not cover me for the future but thought it would be a great start to doing nails from home as I currently work full time. Hopefully this will be recognisable enough to get us started??

I would like to invest in the Shellac course eventually but don't think its an option for me right now money wise.

I know we are studying our nail courses from home but you know we are provided with a starter nail kit? I just received mine last week. Therefore you will get practical experience as I would never dream of taking on clients without feeling confident actually carrying out the services.

you may be doing practicals at home but who is assessing you to see that you are doing it right!! a file in the wrong hands can do so much damage. If you are serious about a career in the nail industry then you owe it to yourself and your future clients to get some proper training. if you work full time there are so many options available that you could do a course in the evenings/at weekends andif you say you dont have the time for that then how are you going to make time for prospective clients and build a business??

im sorry to sound harsh but it makes me mad that there are so many techs out there with no confidence or ability to produce a decent set of nails and secondly the money that is wasted on these courses that get you nowhere!x

 

[5@MB]

Hi. I did the same course but there is an option (or was when I did it) to have practical days. I have since joined S2's website, amongst many others, booked a Shellac course and got insurance. I haven't come across any problems. X

 

[Martin Duffy]

if you work full time there are so many options available that you could do a course in the evenings/at weekends andif you say you dont have the time for that then how are you going to make time for prospective clients and build a business??

im sorry to sound harsh but it makes me mad that there are so many techs out there with no confidence or ability to produce a decent set of nails and secondly the money that is wasted on these courses that get you nowhere!x

I agree with this entirely; so often we keep seeing "I don't have the time to study with x", which often makes me wonder in what time they plan to pursue the building of their career! I have always failed to comprehend how you can learn a practical skill at home with no supervision. Call me old fashioned but I often say if you don't plan on doing something properly, then don't do it at all!

 

[Ruthg]

souz I didnt mean that to sound bad , i am new to the nail industry and took on this home study course to get some theory behind me. unfortunately for me money is the main thing holding me back and certainly when i get enough funds I do intend to take on more practical courses. This is literally just a starting point for me and sometimes wish I changed my degree path and found this appealing 4 or more years ago. For now I just have to take it as it comes and when money is available. I probably should have looked into college courses in the evenings/weekends but at the minute home study is my only option because of other work and family commitments.

 

[Wonda]

I did a Teaching Assistant Level 3 course with Stonebridge 2 years ago & had the same issues with regards to the qualification.

When I looked into it, asked around, searched the forums there was a hell of a lot bad comments about the way Stonebridge promote their courses saying you'll be fully qualified, yet when you take that qualification to an employer, they don't recognise it or very few do at least because it's a fairly new one.

I didn't worry too much as the TA course was theory & the school i was applying for at the time recognised the qualification, but I did spot that they did a Nail Tech course & wondered how you'd manage to get assessed for your practical.

I know that's not much advice & more of a comment, I just wanted to let you know that your not the only 1 & certainly not the last to query Stonebridge College.

The set up is very shabby, 1 guy does all the admin & the tutors/assessors of the assignments are all the same. 1 of my TA assessors also did Nail Tech assessments !!!!!!!!!!