mum
Well-Known Member
A thought for a discussion that has been provoked by the thread on Oil vs water by Doug Schoon.
Do you feel that, in comparison to beauty therapy and hairdressing, nail services are the poor relation?
Beauty FE collages are run by beauty therapists. Awarding Bodies are run by beauty therapists with very few nail experts involved. The National Occupational Standards were written by nail experts (I was one of them) but interpreted by beauty therapists.
This is the reason why all these 'old school' beauty methods are still being taught along with the manicure step by steps that are 'written in stone' instead of altering them to suit the client's nail and skin condition. The obvious examples are cutting the eponychium, using the term 'cuticle' to mean the eponychium, water soak regardless, using chamois buffers, manicurists not wearing polish.
Historically, beauty therapists don't like nail technology because 'it damages nails'. Many BT lecturers believe they can also teach it without any real training or experience (many who teach today have never stepped into a nail salon) so all the old stuff is being taught because 'they know better'. Colleges often can't afford 2 different lecturers for the 2 subjects but have to offer Nail Services because its popular and they need the funding. So who teaches it?? Beauty therapists after a quick 1 day course and no experience.
Several years ago I spoke to all the main Awarding Bodies to ask them to look at their Nail Services syllabus and make sure it genuinely reflects the nail industry as it doesn't and to make sure that only nail experts taught, assessed and verified those subjects. The general response: there's nothing wrong with it and we can't afford the extra personnel. I gave up as my head was too bruised from years of fighting with that wall.:grr:
There are a few great nail services teachers battling away in FE and several of them often write to me to say what can they do to make good technicians instead of just getting them through assessments regardless of their skills so numbers work for the funding.
So, do you think that we are seen as the poor relation and our skills are such that any BT or even hairdresser can do because their training is so much better??
Do you feel that, in comparison to beauty therapy and hairdressing, nail services are the poor relation?
Beauty FE collages are run by beauty therapists. Awarding Bodies are run by beauty therapists with very few nail experts involved. The National Occupational Standards were written by nail experts (I was one of them) but interpreted by beauty therapists.
This is the reason why all these 'old school' beauty methods are still being taught along with the manicure step by steps that are 'written in stone' instead of altering them to suit the client's nail and skin condition. The obvious examples are cutting the eponychium, using the term 'cuticle' to mean the eponychium, water soak regardless, using chamois buffers, manicurists not wearing polish.
Historically, beauty therapists don't like nail technology because 'it damages nails'. Many BT lecturers believe they can also teach it without any real training or experience (many who teach today have never stepped into a nail salon) so all the old stuff is being taught because 'they know better'. Colleges often can't afford 2 different lecturers for the 2 subjects but have to offer Nail Services because its popular and they need the funding. So who teaches it?? Beauty therapists after a quick 1 day course and no experience.
Several years ago I spoke to all the main Awarding Bodies to ask them to look at their Nail Services syllabus and make sure it genuinely reflects the nail industry as it doesn't and to make sure that only nail experts taught, assessed and verified those subjects. The general response: there's nothing wrong with it and we can't afford the extra personnel. I gave up as my head was too bruised from years of fighting with that wall.:grr:
There are a few great nail services teachers battling away in FE and several of them often write to me to say what can they do to make good technicians instead of just getting them through assessments regardless of their skills so numbers work for the funding.
So, do you think that we are seen as the poor relation and our skills are such that any BT or even hairdresser can do because their training is so much better??