What can get you excited?

[BobSweden]

Perhaps this is the wrong forum to ask this because most of you are enthusiasts (either die-hard or newer to the profession), or perhaps I'm in the wrong place on the forum (I get easily lost), but I'm really interested to know what would motivate you to spend money on more advanced nail education?

I ask this because as I traveled to different countries, I observed:

- very few well made nails (I'm surely not including SG fans!), so a real need for beyond the diploma education
- that some of the real experts find it difficult to sell classes*

* In Ukraine and Russia, expert nail techs make very good money from education and often are invited to Germany or Italy. In a way they become celebrities, so I wonder why in the US and West Europe, the situation is so different. (except for Tom Holcomb who is a demi-god).

The reason to ask this question now is that I was talking to a dear friend of ours a few days ago, who started the nail business in Sweden 25 years ago (Geeg, you know who this is). And her thoughts on the market in Sweden is that it's now much harder to excite techs and get them motivated. Perhaps this is why so few techs take advanced training?

On the other hand, complaining about non-standard salons seems to be an international hobby. Yet the most effective way to compete is with higher education and skills. So again, I wonder why the classrooms aren't full?

I'm not a nail tech, I simply follow the wife - so I am really interested in you comments.

Hugs!

Bob xx

 

[shedunlop]

I think when we start out there are so many others far better than us. As we progress a bit that number becomes less. I think a lot of the difficulty is finding someone who you know, and are guaranteed. will be so much more advanced than you and that the money you spend will really motivate you and teach you new techniques. Present company excepted of course lol!

I know I have done some courses only to find that I applied the basic nail far better than the educator or that their idea of design was to do a glitter tip and stick a rhinestone on one tip!:cry:

There are obviously a couple of names, where if I had the chance, I would jump at it immediately.

Sometimes thinking outside the box works, reading the latest style and fashion mags to get an idea of what's in store next season, textures as well as colours but some really good technical training would make such a refreshing change.

 

[Miss Manicure]

Well i've been painting my nails since i was really young 5/6yrs old, always doing freehand nail art on them as i got a bit older and everything was self taught.
I'm a fully qualified bar manager i was working in pubs for quite a few years always keeping up with my own nails in my spare time, and also painting nails for children and at fete's and charity do's.
Until 2003 when i had a car crash which left me on life support, i did go back to work in pubs for a few months until i was bitten badly on my face my our family dog, after going back to work after that my boss was always looking down at me and saying she didn't want me scarring customers off, so after a few more different pub jobs i was signed off work with stress (4yrs ago) still am.
I met my current partner nearly 3yrs ago and he has 2 children, i am now full time mum to my beautiful girls and unable to go back to work working bars as it doesn't fit in with school times, my partners shifts etc

I have always loved doing nails, and thought this IS my new career.

I have been on a manicure course which i found very scary but completed, i have since had 2 Nail technician courses let me down at the last minute due to lack of interest and people pulling out, but i kept trying and i am now booked on a Acrylic course next month, i figured this would get me started in what i want to do.
Sounds really tacky but nails have saved my life, i thought i was never going to work again but with being a mobile nail technician i can continue my life and work my treatments around me which is less stressful for me.

My future plan is to start, and keep gaining experience and go on further courses until i am the best i can be, i am so sorry to ramble on :zzz: but i am very new to this site- at least now some people will know more about me and understand that i am passionate about doing nails.

 

[shedunlop]

I am sure you will do very well my darling and you certainly deserve it after all you have been through!

 

[JesseDavidNailDesign]

Personally, I get excited about a company to train with based on the people representing that company. And how I feel my relationship with that company will benefit me. That probably sounds selfish, but at this point in my career, I'm ready to grow past just doing nails. I'm looking for a company that will give me new skills and a chance to share my knowledge with other nail techs.

But, alot of technicians are just doing nails as a means to an end. It's not everyone's passion, or their main career goal. They're not going to invest more money in continuing education unless its an abosute necessity.

And I know alot of technicians, who have been working a long time, are really jaded. It's hard to convince them, that they will learn something new. And that the money will be well spent.

 

[Emily S]

To be honest, after leaving college I wasn't aware of all the weird and wonderful nail options out there!

It wasn't until I stumbled across this forum that I saw things such as a Crystal Pedicure, funnel nail, pointy nail amongst a few other shapes and some of the basic nail art using a craft shop glitter.

Having seen all these things I do see that the nail world is very exciting and spend most of my days wishing I had a 100 people to try things out with but I don't unfortunately... I asked about courses the other week on here and was pretty much informed that I should perfect & practice what I already know... even though I would've thought I could still perfect these things whilst doing something creative???

Anyhow, I think from my experience of nails it's due to the fact that we're not made fully aware of how beautiful you can do someone's nails without much effort

 

[BobSweden]

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

There are quiet a few perspectives offered:
1. lack of confidence as a newbie
2. not aware what other education or techniques are available
3. trust in the educators offering the classes
4. for some nail techs it's just a means to an end
5. some long term techs are jaded.

Phew!

Good food for thought, and no easy answers spring to mind. It was interesting that only five people replied - so I guess everyone else is either excited by our industry or is totally jaded ;-)

 

[Bezza]

what really excites me is the hope that one day I will be able to produce a nail where I can say that I feel truly proud and that is magazine worthy!!! I absolutely love doing further education because I do believe that knowledge is power and the more I see hear and feel nail stuff the better I have to become!!! knowing that it is also a kind of art really keeps me going too - I am aiming to be the best I possibly can and that's what excites me!!!

 

[MissOwen]

There are a few things that make me nervous about my next education choices, most have been said already but i'll add them anyway :green:

1. Being quite new to the industry, picking the course that will suit my level of abiltity.... so as not to spend lots of money to cover stuff i already know or it being too advanced and me being unable to keep up.

2. Finding an good educator, there are so many poor ones out there without much more training or experience than me, teaching others.

3. Choosing training that will help to make my business more profitable. Many things i have spent money on in the past have never been used as they dont appeal to my clients, so it has been wasted money.

I'm much more drawn towards booking a 1-2-1 course to help improve my skills than a pre-structured classroom course aimed at a group

 

[NoLimitNails]

Great thread!

I think my main problem is finding teachers that can teach me something NEW, I know I can do better nails than I do now, but I have an eye for what is wrong and always trying to improve, so basic things like form, structure, smilelines well I practice that on my own.

Don't get me wrong already this year I have been to 4 classes, and have 3 more booked in, but I use it for inspiration. I do learn things, don't get me wrong, but often I would be able to do it myself if I sat down and wanted to do it. I guess I'm lucky because I can se a set of nails on a picture and then I just know how they are done, and then I sit down to practice to perfect it.

I think a huge difference in my country is that there are no places to go to see what can be done with nails, so nailtechs settle for what they can do. I don't know why, other than maybe there are so many many many techs in DK that produces bad nails, that this is the norm. People expect cheap nails and don't wanna pay more because as they explain to me : they always lift and break within the first week. No matter how hard I explain that mine don't they don't believe me, so they keep going to the cheaper salons (eventhough it's more expensive going every 14 days, as opposed to 4 weeks with me) So it's ok to be a "bad" tech (by that I mean people who have done nails in several years and they still lift, no shape etc.)

Unfortunately there is nowhere that new techs can search for knowledge (many people are not reading/writing english very good, so cannot direct them here) and as long as all this claimed professionals teach you how to do nails cheap, and you don't have anything to compare to, well then it's a long way to go here... Funny enough I think facebook is a good thing, without that people far from me wouldn't know my nails, and they do now, so in time I hope it will be better...