Why do people think very short courses are OK?

[Lynne Baker]

I have done a couple of short courses. I'm a registered general nurse by trade so had the anatomy and physiology knowledge, but learnt some pretty specific stuff on the courses.

I think that short courses are ok for those people who realise that these are purely foundation courses, and that they will need to do further reading and additional training in the future. There are those of us who are intelligent, professional, ethical and principled; we're not all naiive, dim, unscrupulous.

I too think the insurance companies need to take a look at what courses they're prepared to accept. I'm with BABTAC and they're jolly picky about what course they accredit, and rightly so. One particular makeup school was outraged that their so called professional (and eyewateringly expensive) course wasn't accredited with BABTAC.

Invariably those people who do a short course and aren't actually any good will be a victim of their own stupidity because clients won't go back. Except of course for the NSS salons when clients are daft enough to risk their nails.

It's an education thing, all round. Therapists need educating that you can't learn nails/facials/waxing in a day, clients need educating in recognising a poorly trained therapist, training providers need educating in setting realistic expectations for the trainees.

 

[glitz and glam]

i know someone who has just completed a 5 day course in more then one application i think she did l&p gel and silk. Does this mean she will find it hard to get insurance? she goes back in about 4 weeks for her exam.


I have tried to search on the internet to find out more about these sort of courses so i know what companies to avoid when i do my massage course next year as i want to go to a repitible company and learn it properly.
Does any one have examples of these sort of companies??

 

[Lynne Baker]

Before embarking on any courses you should check with your insurer as to whether they will accept the course.

 

[mollylolly]

I totally agree with Bagpuss with the "I wanna learn nails"

There are people out there who think that being a Nail Tech is easy and you can earn "loads" of money.

What these people don't realise is that it takes a lot of time, dedication and finances to learn your skills, as well as a lot of money to set yourself up with a decent kit so you can offer a variety of colours, designs, etc.

I know of a lady who did a 2 day course and gained a certificate that covers her to do everything it has taken me 5 years to learn. A few months later she became a tutor for the same company that she did her training with and now offers 1 2 1 training. I find it really sad that some poor student is going to spend their hard earned cash on inadequate training and will probably then have to go onto training with a reputable company, so they will be spending a lot more than they need to. She also started offering services a lot cheaper than me, and a few of my clients went and gave her a try, but they soon came back.

When I fist started training I had a real "thirst" to learn everything and bought every book available and read from cover to cover and every DVD available. I call these my "Babies" and still get them out and have a look at them and refer to them. I also have my trainer hand which I could never live without, especially if I want to try new designs and techniques.

In this industry, it is practise and more practise, together with the love of the Industry, dedication and a pride in what we do that makes us good at our jobs, and the referals that we get from clients speaks volumes.

Sally

 

[mum]

There are some great true professionals on here that understand the value and place of short courses.

The last post from Mollylolly is a perfect example of what I am talking about. It is this type of situation that is shocking. People providing that level of 'training' is often what those looking for total beginner find and then wonder why it goes wrong.

Checking about insurance is a good idea but, more importantly, those providing short courses to complete beginners shouldn't be encouraging the belief that they are qualified after a few days.

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer as there is no effective regulation. There are so many mobiles in all the hair and beauty areas and these fall below the radar for basic regulations such as H&S etc.

There is an on-going project that may go some way to address this but it will be a long time coming. The wheels of power turn very slowly!

 

[persianista]

There is a place for short courses to cover specific products/ services ,and I do use these for my staff regularly as a way of adding to and refreshing their skills. Ther is no way that anybody, no matter how passionate or bright can learn an entire trade in a few days, weeks or months.
I recently interviewed a 16 year old who had "qualified" as a beauty therapist on a 20 week course. When I asked why she had chosen that route into beauty as opposed to a more conventional course, she replied that"there's not much to it and I would have got bored if it dragged out to a year"!
All this rubbish about fast courses is an insult to those of us that trained and practised to properly learn our trade.

 

[VHunter]

So, why do people still think that short 3-4 day courses with no previous requirement of manicure qualifications is OK?? So many training centres are all about selling product and getting through as many people as possible. They boast that the course is suitable for insurance! What sort of insurance?? Does anyone read the small print?

Without any previous experience and qualifications it is NOT acceptable to do a 3 day course in artificial nails (in any system let alone more than one) and be able to be set lose on paying clients! With or without any type of insurance. (insurance doesn't cover negligence and how can a 3 day course cover everything needed?)

There is not enough time to cover even a fraction of the background knowledge of H&S, anatomy and physiology, safety at work etc etc. How can there be time to practice complicated application skills and learn from the mistakes and different client requirements.

It really is time that so called professionals in this industry stopped supporting this crazy situation.

Rant over! Those that do it well and responsibly know who they are and really don't need and explanation or apology from me because they will know that everything I've said doesn't apply to them. Those that recognise what I'm saying will be saying "Yes but....."

There is no "Yes but.....". Stop behaving irresponsibly and start providing a good service to a great industry.

EXACTLY!! Those that create the schools, the distributors etc need to step it up.
In Montreal, there is no NVQ or similar, no licensing, no inspectors, no Habia, no Guild, zilch, nada, nothing!
The BEST you can hope for is a 3 day course. Some are 5 days, BUT those ones teach 3 or 4 different systems WHICH is even worse!

I fight agains this here, in my backyard in my very own personal struggle to GET the education I need to be 'qualified' and on par with my peers on this site.
Hence why, a while back, I had the idea of an online theory course that could be available to EVERYONE EVERYWHERE no matter what. If we at least have a strong foundation in the theory... it's a start in the right direction. I don't know if this idea will go anywhere soon.... but I hope so.

And the distributors too, need to take a little responsibility in ensuring that the techs they sell to ARE qualified to use the products.
But too many offer pitiful courses themselves, so how to proceed?
Good question.

Badger our governments? Harass our distributors?
Where does it 'start'?

 

[user 30245]

Im terrified now! I am a newbie and have booked myself on an NSI four day foundation gel course. It's costing me a serious amount of money! Any ideas what I will actually be learning? I cannot do a full time course (my local college only offers full time beauty therapy) the only option I have is night classes and I have to travel quite a bit for that and even further for the gel course I have booked. I am a perfectionist and always put in 100%. Someone please give me some re assurance!
Carolanne xx

 

[Bagpuss]

Im terrified now! I am a newbie and have booked myself on an NSI four day foundation gel course. It's costing me a serious amount of money! Any ideas what I will actually be learning? I cannot do a full time course (my local college only offers full time beauty therapy) the only option I have is night classes and I have to travel quite a bit for that and even further for the gel course I have booked. I am a perfectionist and always put in 100%. Someone please give me some re assurance!
Carolanne xx

You will be fine...NSI are a reputable company....we ain't saying that all short courses are bad....whats being said is that some short courses are being held by people who have done actually very little training themselves and that training is more than just a few days....its on going.

Don't stress...your course is fine. :hug:

 

[Violet Star]

Do you think salon geek could have an extra part to this forum especially for training questions and schools etc?

I think its great for salon geek to be here and all of us on here to advice people in the right direction when it comes to training. I think it would be good to have a section of the forum for training questions.

As when new people come onto the website they aren't always aware of the good short courses and the not so good ones they just talk to the tutor and think everything is fine.

 

[user 30245]

You will be fine...NSI are a reputable company....we ain't saying that all short courses are bad....whats being said is that some short courses are being held by people who have done actually very little training themselves and that training is more than just a few days....its on going.

Don't stress...your course is fine. :hug:

Thank you Angie, as i said im a perfectionist so try to get in as much practice as possible! :green: xx

 

[Annebet]

I think fast track courses are fine for already experienced tech say at least 6-12 month work proof of qualifications ect which all the big company's do CND, NSI, EzFlow ect ect.
I have booked and payed for a workshop in September and have been told that I am the only one in my area to do this, other's have rung thinking it was a course for beginers why she doesn't know as it is advertised as a one day workshop, so obviously this is people thinking they could have done a one day course and be a nail tech. The big problem for me is it is for 4 people and if another 3 don't book it might have to be cancelled so I will be well upset if that happens, I am actually thinking of offering more money so I can be on my own if it comes to it, it is an NSI workshop day which I am want to do just to make sure I am working with the product ok and just an day of extra training and to see if there is any new hints and tips and if they where to do another next year I would go again probablly every year as I think there is so much to learn so we need to keep updated. sorry waffled a bit there lol

 

[allieXayrshire]

not sure about your local NSI but NSI glasgow offer 1-2-1 training and also refreshor courses for troubleshooting and extra help. I have done one of these and it was really helpful and not overly expensive . I was also quite lucky that we had had terrible weather and the other people on the course had cancelled that morning as they couldnt travel so i was the only one on the course hth xx

 

[missym29]

Reasonable question

I did say in my post that 3-4 days with no previous. Then boast about it being enough to get insurance.

4 days as part of on going education is is good! There is time to learn a bit, practise then go back to sort out problems.

It the 3-4 days all together in isolation that I am talking about.

Conversion courses can be any length for an experienced tech. Now that is about selling product but selling it responsibly so the brand is used at it's best!

So far this site is full of techs of the 'responsible persuasion'! Excellent :lol:

Now I wish someone would disagree with me

I did a gel and acrylic nail course in 7 hours and walked away with a certificate that is approved for insurance by the guild ??? I have no previous experience in maincure/nails etc.... and although I did pick up the basics on how to stick a nail extension on, how to apply gel and acrylic I wouldnt of dared go and charge people for a set ! I asked the trainer a few questions about why the nail had bubbled, gone silvery etc........ and she didnt even answer me, I was so disgusted that when I got home I emailed the company and told them that the course dissapointed me, and they sent a very rude reply back, people see babtac and the guild as high representation and a sign of professionalism, what they dont realise is that these people with these certificates probably have no more experience in the treatment they are doing than themselves ! worse still I am now on an nvq course level 2 and 3 and..........aww I dont even want to go into it.............lol !

 

[redsadie]

So, theoretically, if I wanted to set up a training course, I could no problem, but obviously if it's not accredited then I couldn't offer a certificate, so what's the point???

If theoretically, I wanted to set up a proper training school for something like a 6 week foundation and it was accredited, then this would be ok regardless of how long I had been in the industry?

How long would you say you had to be in your profession before you realistically could become a trainer? Do some of these courses get accredited even if the 'trainer' has no real experience? If so, how? Just because they have completed a 7303??

I want to go down this route purely because of the rubbish you see people fall for (through no fault of their own, they just don't know any better - I was lucky I found CND first ). I want to be educated to the highest standards and be able to be an ambassador for the best (in my opinion) nail co. in the UK, so I then am able to partake my knowledge and expertise to others.

I have only been trained for a year (and I am good at what I do in my opinion - I am also modest and intend on enrolling on my 3 Masters courses in the next few weeks as soon as SS come back to me with dates, then moving onto the different systems CND have to offer.

Thanks

Sarah. xx

 

[BobSweden]

Sorry, if I am repeating others comments here. It's late and I don't have time to read 4 pages before heading back to bed ;-)

In Sweden the average course time to learn manicure and obtain either a gel or acrylic nail tech certificate is between 14 to 20 days depending on the school. Even this is too short in my opinion as people can't possibly get the practice and knowledge they need to make a new career in such a short time.

I am very surprised that some companies that rant on about their excellent training, then go on to offer nail tech training in 6 days in the UK. Seems churning out a new client who will buy their material is way more important than actually have a course long enough to help them be successful or to raise the professional standards in the UK.

One of the main problems with the nail industry is that the cost of entry is simply way too low. Imagine for a moment that the minimum training was 6 months and the cost or training £10,000 - this could not only raise standards in the UK, reduce the number of people who drop out, but also lower the number of people who create low cost salons.

I don't expect this situation to change anytime soon, because the nail manufacturers would need to actually do something and do it together to make these changes. So far, they have done next to absolutely nothing to try to raise nail techs status as professionals in the beauty industry, or use their marketing departments and a fraction of their profits to advise consumers on the potential risks of choosing low cost salons. How difficult would it be for their PR departments to issue articles to Cosmo, Elle etc on how to choose a professional salon and to warn of the dangers of MMA, or poor sanitation? Yet this thought simply did not occur to them.

Of course, you can't blame people attending these short courses when the so called reputable companies offer these and make no effort to warn potential customers that even after the course, they will be totally unprepared to start a new career as a nail tech, and that it will take months of practice and getting help from friends or this forum before they are ready to earn money.

 

[The Pink Orange]

Hi all,

I just wanted to add my opinion, sorry if I have repeated what others have said I didn't read all posts.

I was a hairdresser for 12 years before I started nails, I looked all over for NVQ type courses and nothing! The ones I found were not started due to a lack of students. I then found a course offered by a national wholesaler which was advertised as 'ideal for begginers' so I booked! Trusting the the company I had purchased off for many years. How little I knew!

I have to admit that on the day I thought what have I paid for?! although didn't realise just how bad untill I had further training! I wasn't even taught to blend! I done 2 nails and received a certificate, I was told to do 5 sets then I would be able to charge!

After my fab training with justine (cnd braintree) I did complain to the previous supplier, and was told by the area manager who said she had worked for 2 of the big names that my complaint was unjustified!

My thoughts are, if this is what such a large company can get away with, as a newbie how are you ment to know?!

 

[FlawlessBeauty]

Unfortunately, i don't think you can be sure with any course, long or short, unless you can speak to someone who has already done it. This person obviously would not have any ties to the trainer.

I did a 2 year course at college and most of the classes were great, but the nail tech class was awful. The teacher was quite rude about everybody's work.

She did a nail on one of the girls as an example and as a joke, later on another girl asked the teacher what she thought of this nail, pretending she had done it, and the teacher pretty much told her it was cr*p.

How can you trust her after that?

 

[1999judy]

I haven't been on here for a while but I've just been reading something that has prompted me to start a new thread.

There are always so many threads from people worried about bad press stories, discount salons, other technicians damage to nails, no clients etc etc. The answer always comes back to the level of education and skills.

So, why do people still think that short 3-4 day courses with no previous requirement of manicure qualifications is OK?? So many training centres are all about selling product and getting through as many people as possible. They boast that the course is suitable for insurance! What sort of insurance?? Does anyone read the small print?

Without any previous experience and qualifications it is NOT acceptable to do a 3 day course in artificial nails (in any system let alone more than one) and be able to be set lose on paying clients! With or without any type of insurance. (insurance doesn't cover negligence and how can a 3 day course cover everything needed?)

There is not enough time to cover even a fraction of the background knowledge of H&S, anatomy and physiology, safety at work etc etc. How can there be time to practice complicated application skills and learn from the mistakes and different client requirements.

It really is time that so called professionals in this industry stopped supporting this crazy situation.

Rant over! Those that do it well and responsibly know who they are and really don't need and explanation or apology from me because they will know that everything I've said doesn't apply to them. Those that recognise what I'm saying will be saying "Yes but....."

There is no "Yes but.....". Stop behaving irresponsibly and start providing a good service to a great industry.

Many reasons...
the first being money....lets make a quick buck...do little training...use inferior products....and make money for nothing.
If you feel this way you won't last 12 months.
BUT you will feel superior momentarily....and self confident...until you realise EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG.
My rant over lol

 

[kennedia]

BUT you will feel superior momentarily....and self confident...until you realise EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG.
My rant over lol

Is this really a constructive or fair comment? Is it really even true or what the thread was initially about?