Which course?

[Dawnie13]

Hi everyone,
Im new here and just wanted yours views on what courses you thought were best.
I'm currently applying for a local college course( nail tech and nail art)
Do you think that private courses are better cos' smaller classes with their own cert etc... or local courses? (IHBC cert.)

 

[Lellipop]

Hiya,
Personally i think that there is no one way to go in nails. Everyone goes about doing things in their own way, I would suggest that you get as much info as you can on all the different courses out there and then decide what will best suit you and what you are hoping to achieve.

 

[Jane]

Hi everyone,
Im new here and just wanted yours views on what courses you thought were best.
I'm currently applying for a local college course( nail tech and nail art)
Do you think that private courses are better cos' smaller classes with their own cert etc... or local courses? (IHBC cert.)

Hi Dawnie!
If by private courses you mean company lead then yes, in my opinion, they're better. By nail tech if you mean nail extensions etc I believe you'd be much better off training with the company/distrubutor of the product. They are the people that know their products inside out and will teach you how to use that product to it's full potential. Gigi Rouse has written a very good article (somewhere here, sorry can't think what's it's called) on the cost of trying numerous products.
The only college course I've done is an IHBC in manicure. It was generic but taught me vital info on anatomy and physiology etc. From what I've heard and read on college courses teaching nail extensions they're not highly rated, neither are the tutors. Often they tend to use low end products available from the general hair/beauty wholesalers. Students then wishing to further their education into higher end products then have pay to do the appropriate foundation course.
Do some research, decide which system you'd like to do, get plenty of info and talk to the education team of various companies.
Good luck.

 

[Jane]

The article by Gigi I mentioned is called "Getting on with a system"
Here's the link,
http://www.thenailgeek.com/showthread.php?t=4270

 

[sueE]

Hi Dawnie,
i am also new here,
but i am currently doing a VTCT level 2 nail tech course at collage,
the corse is nothing like what i was expecting.
It is good for learning all the basic information you need to know about nails but now we are finally doing extenions I feel not enough information is there, and i agree with Jane collage product are not very good at all. After the cost of the course, the kits we had to buy and then ended up going out and buying better products finanacialy i would have been better off doing a company training.

 

[yogacat]

Personally, in a general sense (bearing in mind i am not a nail tech), i reckon that a good way to study is to attend a college course, regarding it as a foundation. After this, attend independant courses with someone good (i'm not well up on individual companies).
The college based courses give you lots of classroom time, and a good foundation to work from, while the shorter courses hone your skills.

 

[geeg]

I think this is one area where you are not wise to be too general.

The art of Nail enhancemnt is just that, an ART a SKILL that IMO must be taught by someone who can teach, is inspirieng and who knows the job. Then after the initial teaching there is the honeing of skills (the apprenticeship if you will) and the colleges do not support this time pweriod.

Sadly, the colleges are not meeting any of these criteria on a general level. I've just heard too many stories over the years and seen results that don't prove to me that nail courses at colleges 'in general' are doing a creditable job of preparing a person to go out into the world prepared the way they should be.

 

[talented talons]

Hi, i did my nail course with star nails, which i have to say taught me so much regarding everything you need to know. I was taught nail anatomy, physiology, sanitization, salon etiquette, dealing with clients, pricing, marketing, as well as being shown four systems so we could try each one then specialise in the one we got on with.

We tried fibre glass, acrylic L&P, gel & acrylic lite. I found our trainer to be so helpful, (being a nail tech herself for 12 years) she was so pasionatte about it all and made it a pleasure to learn. You do have to make the effort yourself to get more infomation, but our trainer gave us numerous web sites and books to try out. I just got the books from the library, so i could see which ones i got on with most. I've passed my basic course in Acrylic L&P and i am now doing an advanced course to hone myskills and eventually get a diploma in my chosen system, then i will go from there.

It is hard but i think it's good to go with recommendation, so get everyones input from here, and good luck.:biggrin:

 

[Daisy 100]

Hello

I am newbie to all this too! Yes I agree its totally confusing especially going to all the shows etc, I will be shortly qualifying from from local college for the VCTC Manicure and Pedicure course, which I think is a fantastic course it rreally stands you in good sted for whats ahead, at least you have a little idea of what the industry is all about, and gives you a little insight into what people are talking about! After about a month of pondering and getting all the information about the different courses and of course talking to my partner about the money side of things, I finally decided on the Creative four day foundation course and I am soooooo excited! The company just comes across so professional and is a superior product, I will let you know how I get on its the second week in may wish me luck!

Good Luck for the future x x x x

 

[Bryony]

Hi Dawnie,

I agree with Lesley and yoga cat. Decide what you want to get out of the course then research like mad until you find a college or supplier which gives you what you want.

I am doing an ITEC in manicure and pedicure which, from what I've learnt so far is a great course - it covers anatomy/physiology/hygiene/first aid etc.etc.etc. The course is taken over a number of months so you have a chance to study/practice between sessions.
I am also looking into courses for extensions once I've done my ITEC. From what I have seen/heard having a good base knowledge is invaluable. Many courses for extensions are just that - they show you gel/L & P whatever but some don't even teach you how to do a basic manicure!!!
It's tempting to jump into doing a course that lets you get out there earning ASAP but I'd say it's worth spending the time to get a good foundation. My ITEC is a stepping stone - it doesn't try to teach everything in one go but instead focuses on one element which it teaches properly.

Sorry to ramble as usual- HTH!

B

 

[Dawnie13]

:biggrin: Thanks everyone for your info, it all helps!
Oh and good luck daisy for may. x x x