I seem to read so much on this site about techs from European countries taking week long (or even a few days) courses and then becoming certified to work on the public... this absolutely baffles me... in the US our training is much longer than this and it still doesnt seem to be enough. what exactly are the requirements to becoming a (fully legal) nail tech in Europe?
There really
are none (hence one of the main reasons of why this website was created .... to give education to those who for whatever reason have not had good training and have huge gaps to fill, in their knowledge pool).
Anyone can set up and become a nail technician with no qualification (although they would not have insurance .. and many don't).
It is a mere handful of companies/brands who have forced a standard with their training and by
not selling products to the public ... but in truth most nail suppliers in the UK will sell to anyone ... there are only a handful who will not.
Although there are many who offer 1 day and 2 day and courses that are just preying on peoples ignorance .... and some other longer courses too that are outrageous in price and do the same, the truth is that if education is taken with a
reputable supplier, the course is probably as long as any in the states and will take about a year to complete.
No one is qualified after 5 days to work in the industry (although they in theory could start charging and never do another class because there are no regulations to say they can't) .. they are qualified to practice and start the process of further learning. But, no one can force anyone do more education if they don't want to ....
THE GOOD NEWS IS, that the good ones
want to and
do, do allot more ... and allot more is available from product suppliers who train to Master level and beyond.
There are many many thousands of outstanding nail technicians in Europe even without any regulations, and the bad or untrained disappear pretty darned quickly off the scene as though they had never been. It is no good wasting energy worrying about them or what 'harm' they are doing to our industry because that is the way it is and will be for some considerable time.
Our government in the UK feels there are more pressing issues than passing laws to regulate nail technicians' training .... to get a law passed I think is not an option here in the UK ................ despite all of this 'mess' we have many of the best nail techs in the world right here on this side of the pond and a handful of product companies who have taken the law into their own hands and regulate and control their own training and the standard of the technicians they turn out. Thank the Lord.