Supposed 'fully qualified nail tech' saturation

[KTJay]

Well one thing this newbie is very sure of is the Nail industry is very bitchy.

 

[virtues2011]

Well one thing this newbie is very sure of is the Nail industry is very bitchy.

Just hang in there you'll be ok. ..

Sent from my GT-N7100 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

I was sooooo not ready for real work after finishing NVQ , I worked really hard that year , but wow if id have left it at that it would never have lasted .
it focused more on H&S and A&P than actual treatments .
I was embarrassed to even tell people I did it for a long time !

I was self motivated tho , you have to be, i would sit and practice for hours when the kids wear in bed , id read everything even old old out dated stuff , just cos i might pic something up , I went on to do LOTS of other courses , in each thing as a speciality ,
Most but not all with CND through Sweet squared ,this is where the learning happened , techniques wear tried and tested , and I knew that I was in safe hands as a student , I knew my questions could be answered and my technique could be corrected .
You don't get that watching YouTube !

Now I have moved to America ,
Things are different , I'm not yet licensed as we have had a ton of settling to do ,
I'm not at all worried about the practical , or written exams when I do get to them,

In reverse I'm worried about my hours ,see hear its all about the hours ,
I have to send away my certificates to be assessed into American credits / hours .

So strangely now it's my NVQ where I learned the very scrape through basics that is probably going to be the thing that bumps my hours to enough to save my ass .....

Quite funny how things work out

To me it's not about hours , or how many classes anyone takes ,
it's about there motivation ,quality of the teaching, the products and the information passed .

 

[skingeek78]

I was sooooo not ready for real work after finishing NVQ , I worked really hard that year , but wow if id have left it at that it would never have lasted .
it focused more on H&S and A&P than actual treatments .
I was embarrassed to even tell people I did it for a long time !

I was self motivated tho , you have to be, i would sit and practice for hours when the kids wear in bed , id read everything even old old out dated stuff , just cos i might pic something up , I went on to do LOTS of other courses , in each thing as a speciality ,
Most but not all with CND through Sweet squared ,this is where the learning happened , techniques wear tried and tested , and I knew that I was in safe hands as a student , I knew my questions could be answered and my technique could be corrected .
You don't get that watching YouTube !

Now I have moved to America ,
Things are different , I'm not yet licensed as we have had a ton of settling to do ,
I'm not at all worried about the practical , or written exams when I do get to them,

In reverse I'm worried about my hours ,see hear its all about the hours ,
I have to send away my certificates to be assessed into American credits / hours .

So strangely now it's my NVQ where I learned the very scrape through basics that is probably going to be the thing that bumps my hours to enough to save my ass .....

Quite funny how things work out

To me it's not about hours , or how many classes anyone takes ,
it's about there motivation ,quality of the teaching, the products and the information passed .

Nobody is ready after first training, it takes practise and if you are serious then advanced training. As with anything.
But without doing that base training you wouldn't be standing a chance of getting a license to work in your current situation.

 

[geeg]

Everyone goes on about practise and skill being THE criteria for the professional?

What about the knowledge that makes you the expert/authority on everything to do with nails including the chemistry of the products and the how's and whys and wherefores? The real anatomy and physiology of the nail unit (not just learning the names of the different parts of the nail; that is not all there is to nail anatomy) and how it all really grows and works ... What affects it etc.

There is SO much to learn and then to use in this profession that will make you a better technician. And whoever thinks on this forum that we don't affect the lives of some of our clients significantly in the same way that a nurse often does a patient ... Just really doesn't get what we do at all. There is much more to the nail professional than mechanically making nails. We may not face life and death situations but that has no bearing at all on professionalism or being classed as a professional.

The biggest problem in our industry is that there are not enough bona Fidel professionals in it!! BIG difference between people who DO nails, and professional nail technicians (and that is not being bitchy ... It is being real ... Hence the title and topic of this thread).

Those of us who have gone miles and miles beyond just the 'doing' and learning a few Greek names for parts of the nail unit, quite frankly do not like the intrusion into our industry, of gazillions of mediocre, untrained, unskilled and un-knowledgeable people who refer to themselves as fully qualified nail professionals after only a few days on a pants course and think that is all there is to it.

Neither Experience nor knowledge can be gained overnight nor professionalism for that matter.

Give me the bright ones, who have the humility to understand and. know that they have miles to go after their initial training and who have a thirst for knowledge and a respect for those who have it and are willing to share it with them on their way to maturity.

 

[louisenewell]

What about the knowledge that makes you the expert/authority on everything to do with nails including the chemistry of the product and the how's and whys and wherefores? The real anatomy and physiology of the nail unit and how it all really grows and works ... What affects it etc.

There's a lot i could add to this thread but to be honest most of it has already been covered. I'm a little offended by some of the posts.
Anyway in relation to the above quote...I :Love: NAIL SCIENCE.

Strange because i hated it as a subject at school but when i was Lcbt doing my NVQs i absolutely loved it.

Its funny because there was only myself and David(Barton) quizzing our tutor(who btw was a beauty therapist....should of been a nail technician tutoring in my opinion)about the science of nails and wanting to know more.
One of the fellow students said to me "I don't know why we have to learn all this rubbish can't we just get to the bit where we put the nails on.why do you want to know all this Louise".

To conclude...out of 32 students in the class...7 ONLY 7 were left at the end of the course...and only TWO still "do" nails now (can you guess which two??)....well ok one...because his more interested in his doggies now (lol)

 

[mum]

There's a lot i could add to this thread but to be honest most of it has already been covered. I'm a little offended by some of the posts.
Anyway in relation to the above quote...I :Love: NAIL SCIENCE.

Strange because i hated it as a subject at school but when i was Lcbt doing my NVQs i absolutely loved it.

Its funny because there was only myself and David(Barton) quizzing our tutor(who btw was a beauty therapist....should of been a nail technician tutoring in my opinion)about the science of nails and wanting to know more.
One of the fellow students said to me "I don't know why we have to learn all this rubbish can't we just get to the bit where we put the nails on.why do you want to know all this Louise".


To conclude...out of 32 students in the class...7 ONLY 7 were left at the end of the course...and only TWO still "do" nails now (can you guess which two??)....well ok one...because his more interested in his doggies now (lol)

I like that term 'Nail Science'! I think there should be a whole course on just this as mandatory or, at the very least, expected for a practising professional.

 

[Lysa.G]

Hi i have been reading this thread with interest. When i trained to be a beauty therapist 24 years ago you had to do a the lot,no one day courses in sight. The text books that we studied from were actual nursing text books. This way we were being taught best/highest standard. we were called beauty therapists. From this course many of my fellow students went onto be either nurses or physios.
If i forward this to 10 years ago when i went to train with my chosen nail brand which gave me not just a one day course, they gave me knowledge of nails structure( as over time you do forget) infections to look out for, sanitising , and of course application.
A fellow tech who works within the same area trained on a one day course around the same time, came to me 7 months after for advice as her clients all had fungal nail infections, had never washed her towels or sprayed her implements let alone knew what Barbicide was. This was because she was never told any of this only application.
This is why one day courses are rubbished by some,as we the ones who trained correctly and continue to train are left to pick up the pieces and damage.


Sent from my iPhone using SalonGeek app

 

[retroruby]

Now I have moved to America ,
Things are different , I'm not yet licensed as we have had a ton of settling to do ,
I'm not at all worried about the practical , or written exams when I do get to them,

In reverse I'm worried about my hours ,see hear its all about the hours ,
I have to send away my certificates to be assessed into American credits / hours .

So strangely now it's my NVQ where I learned the very scrape through basics that is probably going to be the thing that bumps my hours to enough to save my ass .....

Quite funny how things work out

To me it's not about hours , or how many classes anyone takes ,
it's about there motivation ,quality of the teaching, the products and the information passed .

In order to get a licence in the USA you have to have so many hours of instruction, practice and sanitation. I would say here the biggest thing is sanitation.

I am just getting started in nails. I came to this forum to learn more about the field and industry.

 

[Claire@OBNMK]

I like that term 'Nail Science'! I think there should be a whole course on just this as mandatory or, at the very least, expected for a practising professional.

That would be a good idea, I loved my gel course and when i first started it I was amazed about how much you have to learn about the anatomy of the nail etc, in fact looking back we could/should have into more depth about that subject. (Hence the books that are now on my xmas list)

So a separate course would be a good idea, where do i sign up!

 

[Claire@OBNMK]

A fellow tech who works within the same area trained on a one day course around the same time, came to me 7 months after for advice as her clients all had fungal nail infections, had never washed her towels or sprayed her implements let alone knew what Barbicide was. This was because she was never told any of this only application.
This is why one day courses are rubbished by some,as we the ones who trained correctly and continue to train are left to pick up the pieces and damage.


Sent from my iPhone using SalonGeek app

Thats shocking. I had a lovely Australian client in last week and she commented on my hygiene procedures and she said she was very impressed (made me smile)

 

[beauty bits]

But surley some of the blame has to lie with the insurers who insure these courses. Many years ago I enrolled on a essential nails home learn course, I didnt bother to complete it but was suprised how I would have been able to gain insurance with no other training. This in itself leads some to believe that they are "fully qualified". X

Sent from my GT-I9100 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[geeg]

That would be a good idea, I loved my gel course and when i first started it I was amazed about how much you have to learn about the anatomy of the nail etc, in fact looking back we could/should have into more depth about that subject. (Hence the books that are now on my xmas list)

So a separate course would be a good idea, where do i sign up!

Separate courses ARE available!! Have been for years. That is what CND Master Classes are for, because you cannot learn everything on a beginners course; you must have ongoing education throughout an entire career and take it all in bit by bit as with every other profession. Most nail companies do not offer on going education and if they do it is always about application .... For more than 15 years CND have offered Master Classes that cover considerably more than application which is why which is why those who have passed their CND Masters are the best educated nail technicians in the world.

An internship or apprenticeship stage should be mandatory for all nail technicians IMHO.

 

[louisenewell]

I have to say , as mentioned in my previous post on this thread...
Why are colleges employing "Beauty therapists" to teach NVQ nail courses...??
I was taught my NVQ by a beauty therapist who was quite obviously PRO NATURAL NAILS and anti nail enhancements.

Nails is a separate entity of its own and i believe should only be taught by someone who specializes in this field.

Shameful to think i actually passed EVEN thu i was never shown how to do a rebalance/infill ...no suprise i failed twice on that practical than.

So what did i do when i walked out of college?? I got the next to train to Sittingbourne with Liza Smith corrected and adding to what i already had been taught. Howevere that was in 2004 and hopefully things have changed

 

[Claire@OBNMK]

Separate courses ARE available!! Have been for years. That is what CND Master Classes are for, because you cannot learn everything on a beginners course; you must have ongoing education throughout an entire career and take it all in bit by bit as with every other profession. Most nail companies do not offer on going education and if they do it is always about application .... For more than 15 years CND have offered Master Classes that cover considerably more than application which is why which is why those who have passed their CND Masters are the best educated nail technicians in the world.

An internship or apprenticeship stage should be mandatory for all nail technicians IMHO.

I'd heard of Master classes before, but I didn't know what they were exactly for.
well that's good to know, thanks Gigi.

 

[virtues2011]

Geeg - I wonder if some of the cheaper prices are purely given through low self esteem and lack of confidence by nail techs who can present good work but feel they can't regardless of the amount of courses attended - (I am fully aware of the levels you guys are at and the length of time it has taken to get to get to where you all are - and you guys are truely talented) - but Geeg, you said it yourself "Give me the bright ones"... You can train all your life but if you can't retain the information you have been taught you're still end up charging £5 for a set of nails, or charge the going rate and have no clients.

I've seen so many people attend all sorts of courses that just don't grasp it whatsoever. I've mentioned this before, as an example on my course with CND (purely just Shellac application/removal) there was one girl who spent all morning asking the trainer if she had to use the CND lamp, can she substitute some of the products so on and so forth, she took the longest completing the training and not very well - talked rubbish constantly, she received her certificate the same as everyone else. Who is to blame here? I understand that I am talking at the bottom of the profession now.

 

[geeg]

I'd heard of Master classes before, but I didn't know what they were exactly for.
well that's good to know, thanks Gigi.

They are for all sorts of things! And more ....

Just recently we had Doug Schoon in the UK giving seminars with the the Geek, all over the country and the Republic of Ireland. Well attended by CND techs, but could have been massively more ... And they were well advertised and open to all. The apathy astounds me! I wonder sometimes why we organize these events when so few, relatively speaking, care or bother to take advantage. And don't give the 'I was booked up' excuse or the 'it was more than half an hour away, so I couldn't make it' excuse. Plenty of notice was given to make the necessary arrangements. You have to do what is necessary to attend these things to increase your knowledge ... But then again, you also have to want to!!

 

[geeg]

Geeg - I wonder if some of the cheaper prices are purely given through low self esteem and lack of confidence by nail techs who can present good work but feel they can't regardless of the amount of courses attended - (I am fully aware of the levels you guys are at and the length of time it has taken to get to get to where you all are - and you guys are truely talented) - but Geeg, you said it yourself "Give me the bright ones"... You can train all your life but if you can't retain the information you have been taught you're still end up charging £5 for a set of nails, or charge the going rate and have no clients.

I've seen so many people attend all sorts of courses that just don't grasp it whatsoever. I've mentioned this before, as an example on my course with CND (purely just Shellac application/removal) there was one girl who spent all morning asking the trainer if she had to use the CND lamp, can she substitute some of the products so on and so forth, she took the longest completing the training and not very well - talked rubbish constantly, she received her certificate the same as everyone else. Who is to blame here? I understand that I am talking at the bottom of the profession now.

No one is to blame and for what? In the case of some Shellac classes ... The certificate is for attending so all would get one; there are no assessments either practical or written on the class you attended. ... That would not happen on a master artist class if proficiency was not reached.

I honestly do not accept that anyone who has a passion for what they are learning is incapable of retaining information. We all have to revisit our notes or books from time to time but if you use the information you learn every day in your work then you will retain it. For example, If you never use the term eponychium when speaking to your clients, you will forget the word eponychium ... Use it or loose it! Charge what your work is worth. If it's not good work ... No one will pay you more than once at a large price. If you are worth the price people will return.

 

[virtues2011]

No one is to blame and for what? In the case of some Shellac classes ... The certificate is for attending so all would get one; there are no assessments either practical or written on the class you attended. ... That would not happen on a master artist class if proficiency was not reached. Ok yes it makes perfect sense, there were no assessments.

I honestly do not accept that anyone who has a passion for what they are learning is incapable of retaining information. A bit out of my depth maybe here when it comes to nail industry...I'm using this saying from the industry I am familiar with - apologies. I think I should keep quiet when up against the best in their field ha ha

....

 

[geeg]

....

I don't think you should keep quiet at all. :Love: you only learn if you question. I love questions. X