e-nails

[Planet-Nails]

Just out of curiosity, how many of the CND trained techs on here (aimed at CND as i have not experienced other training) felt that the FOUR day course was long enough before and just after their training?

When i originaly decided to take the first step and begin doing nails, i looked for longer courses for example night school as i didn't feel four days would be long enough.

Once i signed up and started the four day course, i was amazed to hear others on the course stating that they had quit their full time work to start a nail business some even buying premisis before taking the course.

On completion of the course although able to (in my opinion) do a decent set of nails, my hand trainer took a good bashing as did friends and family.

I do now feel that the four days was long enough, with me also putting in the hours of practising etc... but remember coming home after each day absolutley knackered and with brain ache at all the info i'd learnt!

Having said that CND have been excellent and in no way could i fault the teaching or aftercare (i've been back in a few times for further help)

Just be interested to hear others views on this.

Taz
x

 

[JackieMc]

Gordon,

I can understand that you were trying to point out that UV acrylics would not contain MMA. But I still feel it would be of an advantage to mention the differences between MMA and EMA to your students. I have only ever bought Creative Nail Design and EZ Flow monomers because I know they don't contain MMA, and that is because I was given the information about it when I trained. I have no idea how easy it is for a 'solo' nail tech to get MMA monomer in the UK or Ireland, but if the NSS's are using it, then it's obviously possible.

A uneducated (regarding MMA/EMA) nail tech could unwittingly work in a salon which does use MMA, and therefore should have the knowledge required to make a decision about whether or not to continue using it. If they don't know about it, how are they to know it's wrong?

There have also been a lot of people, on this board and others, asking about bringing products back from the USA. Whilst told that monomer is flammable, and therefore, should NOT be brought back by plane, I'm sure some people must risk it. There is the possibility that they might 'pick up a bargain' over there and bring a monomer back which contains EMA.

I'm sure it wouldn't add too much time too Hazel's classes to just point out the differences between MMA and EMA and to make the nail tech aware of what she should be looking for. We've all seen the things that are available on Ebay, some unbranded, and unfortunately there are people who can't resist a bargain. If they were fully aware of the differences, then are making an educated rather than an uneducated choice?

 

[artymarty]

Gordon

I would just like to make a public apology regarding the particular statement with which you took offence. I most certainly didn't mean it in the way that you have obviously taken it, and I am sorry for causing offence. Please accept my most sincere apologies.

Martine

 

[Fab Freak]

Hi Taz
Replying to your comments, I have not done the Creative Foundation course but I invested in the Total Technician Course by United Beauty and their course was over 4 days, Staring with the basics in the nail structure, functions of the skin, manicure, moving onto the preparatin of the nail, and tip application inc blending. then onto the application of an overlay, which span over 8 weeks and again it was drummed into you to practice and practice like crazy

Finally on the 4th day we had to do a single hand application within 1 hour 1/2 and then the written paper. If I remember well 3 girls were failed that day out of 8 of us and I really did feel after this I could apply nails, however it was reminded to us that one-2-ones would be beneficial in enhancing our skills as time went on...

Now i have done my Level 2 at night school over the last 8 months to learn L&P and I do beleive I learnt from both, i.e different techniques.

The four day course I did was enough to educate me on how to apply nail enhancements, using good sanitary working practices and caring understanding how to care for the natural nail and not to cause it any distress and when not to treat - however for the girls that failed this was obviously not enough to get them started, but for others it is.

 

[JackieMc]

Just out of curiosity, how many of the CND trained techs on here (aimed at CND as i have not experienced other training) felt that the FOUR day course was long enough before and just after their training?

When i originaly decided to take the first step and begin doing nails, i looked for longer courses for example night school as i didn't feel four days would be long enough.

Once i signed up and started the four day course, i was amazed to hear others on the course stating that they had quit their full time work to start a nail business some even buying premisis before taking the course.

On completion of the course although able to (in my opinion) do a decent set of nails, my hand trainer took a good bashing as did friends and family.

I do now feel that the four days was long enough, with me also putting in the hours of practising etc... but remember coming home after each day absolutley knackered and with brain ache at all the info i'd learnt!

Having said that CND have been excellent and in no way could i fault the teaching or aftercare (i've been back in a few times for further help)

Just be interested to hear others views on this.

Taz
x

I think as a Foundation course, 4 days is fine. The course I did was very thorough (thank you Jo Carlise - now sunning herself in Spain!), and we were given all the information we needed. However, studying, lots of sets of nails, reading Doug Schoon's book and anything else 'nail related' I could get my hands on was required before I felt confident that I 'knew my trade'. I think it was about a year before I started on the general public! I did further training to enhance my skills and I think this further training is tghe key to becoming a 'good' nail tech as opposed to a 'successful' (as in money terms) nail tech. I've said before that there are salons around me that dish out the most awful nails and completely wreck some peopl's natural nail. I would imagine they class themselves as 'successful' because they always seem to be busy, I have no idea why people go back to them - they obviously know no differrent. I'm attaching a pic of nails of a client who came to me after going to one of these 'successful' salons for over three years...... her 'nail tech' (and I use the term very loosely) had never thought to voice any concern over the state of her nails, and they had been in this condition for over two years. She just kept on applying those full sets and sat back and watched the Euros floating into her bank account. The rest of the nails were the same, these 2 pics just give you an idea of what they were like.

So, after all my waffling, a nail tech has to continue with further education after ebing given a sound foundation, which, in my opinion, was fine for me when I trained with CND!

I'd like to point out - the pics attached have NOTHING to do with the 'e-nails' training course or their nail technicians, they were just to add to my opinion of the difference between 'good' and 'successful' nail techs.

 

[geeg]

Just out of curiosity, how many of the CND trained techs on here (aimed at CND as i have not experienced other training) felt that the FOUR day course was long enough before and just after their training?

When i originaly decided to take the first step and begin doing nails, i looked for longer courses for example night school as i didn't feel four days would be long enough.

Once i signed up and started the four day course, i was amazed to hear others on the course stating that they had quit their full time work to start a nail business some even buying premisis before taking the course.

On completion of the course although able to (in my opinion) do a decent set of nails, my hand trainer took a good bashing as did friends and family.

I do now feel that the four days was long enough, with me also putting in the hours of practising etc... but remember coming home after each day absolutley knackered and with brain ache at all the info i'd learnt!

Having said that CND have been excellent and in no way could i fault the teaching or aftercare (i've been back in a few times for further help)

Just be interested to hear others views on this.

Taz
x

For all of you who did not read my reply to another thread a few weeks agao I am going to post it to clarify yet again that the Complete Creative course is not 4 days but one year ... mas o menos!!


If a dedicated nail technician completes his/her Creative training it will take approximately a YEAR.!! With hours and hours of practice and commitment in between asessments. At the end, those dedicated technicians will be Creative Master Technicians. THEN they can claim to be fully trained by Creative. Until then, one could only claim to be part trained and will not have completed the course.

Those technicians who only choose to take certain modules of the Complete Creative course and never do anything else, can in my opinion not claim to have been fully trained by Creative Nail Design.

I still believe Creative Foundation training to be the best foundation a budding nail technician can have, but is is just that ... the foundation on which to build ones skills. One must go on and complete the course.

The fact that someone has some Creative training will not mean that they have a passport to being automaticallly the best nail technician in the world. There are plenty of technicians who use Creative products and are not doing fabulous work ... they certainly will not have completed the whole course and will not be Creative Masters. To become a Creative Master Technician takes time and study and skill for which one is assessed. NOT everyone passes ... it depends again on the time and effort the technician has put in to becoming the best he/she can be.

If you added up the hours spent both in and out of the class room on a Creative course, it is in many cases , more than the time spent on an NVQ course. We are pretty proud of the standard most of our technicnas reach over a 4 week period. In many cases the work produced is better than I see coming out of salons! But the important thing to remember is that the 4 weeks represents a start not the finish.

 

[Bodacious]

OOps what did I start!!!!

 

[geeg]

OOps what did I start!!!!

A pretty good discussion actually.

 

[Bodacious]

LOL!

I have though chosen to do the CND foundation course, did the first three days last week

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

Is four days enough ?????
Well it is to build a foundation towards becoming a successful, well educated Nail Technician......

But in order to get there further education is the key.............
It is up to the individual Technician to pursue the ladder of education, you can advise them, but you can't make them !!!!!

Now the key to good education is the follow up education within a company or college or whomever is teaching..........and to make it clear from the start of the basic course, that this is what it is basic education with the door open to advanced levels of education...........
The level of the teachers knowledge in this field is also very important.........
This includes teaching wanna be Technicians about all aspects in the Nail Industry..........and yes this includes MMA............
I do not use MMA, but I know how to deal with it and the problems arising from the use of MMA, something that is important, in my opinion........
It is still being used by Technicians and to say that is isn't is not true..........
I have photo evidence from just this year with regard to MMA application and finish and the problems some clients have to face afterwards...........

Now I am aware that Hazel also has a PGCE in teaching, the equivalent of a Master's degree............... So why not make the full use of this and expand the teaching criteria............. bring it as close to an NVQ standard of teaching as possible????

I started 13 years ago with a five day foundation course 40 hours and a written test, and yes some failed this course...........I didn't fail I passed and thought I knew it all, because my certificate said so lol.............. How naive, but then soon realised to be really competent I needed more practice, more education, so I looked for it.....it didn't come knocking on my door........

So last year I have did my FDFC with Gigi , this was the closest I could get to a brill education to a good NVQ standard and more, and many thanks to her and her patience, this made me want to be even better educated so I did my Masters with CND this year, I spend every available moment in my salon and at home studying and practising......... God knows how many hours lol.......

Now prior to this, I did look at the NVQ3 option and it left me a bit cold.......... as it stood then, it was just a small part of the beauty NVQ....module 19...not specific enough in it's then form...Now we have big changes and it will be worth taking......so you can guess, I still haven't finished yet.....how many hours have I spend in education so far, I don't know, but the thing I do know is, I am a competent, safe, educated Technician........... A Technician that moves with the times and the industry....................

So in a nutshell to CreativeMads question..............Four days is just the beginning, it's a sound start!!!!!
This is just my humble opinion and may not represent other Technicians views.......... and sorry for the essay length post............But I am very passionate about my profession and education !!!!!
Now I am off to have a V&O and a ciggy lol................

 

[Lily]

Hiya,

I dont think 2 day or 4 day courses are long enough.................it's a life long learning............infact yesterday me and Samuel learnt something new whilst sculpting.............................i never stop learning, if i'm not attending courses or trade shows i read every nail mag going, allthough some are better than otheres, but i still have to get them (much to Hermans anoyance) and have got almost every book going.........................logging onto this site too is a learning tool and something we should all respect...................and respect other peoples opinions................we are a free country with feedom of speach and we all have the right to exercise this.

In my opionion LEARN, LEARN AND LEARN
Amanda

 

[geeg]

Now I am aware that Hazel also has a PGCE in teaching, the equivalent of a Master's degree............... So why not make the full use of this and expand the teaching criteria............. bring it as close to an NVQ standard of teaching as possible????

I have to say that this thought occured to me also. If I held the equivilent of a Masters degree in teaching (which I don't), and was a Government recognised Assesor (which I am) I would be following the government guidelines for the number of hours needed to obtain the qualification in Artificial nail Structures. My own sense of PRIDE in what I do would not allow me to knowingly short cut the education I gave to my students.

It may be possible to physically 'fire out' verbally all the information a budding nail technician requires in 2 days and give them a book or manual to f'ill in the blanks' so to speak, in case I didn't get it all in (I couldn't do it though ) but that doesn't mean that the students are getting it!! I may not have a Masters degree in education ... but I am a teacher, and I see my role as a simple one ... to see that my students 'get it'; understand the information and put it into practice and become successful. They are my pride and joy and their success is the reason for doing what I do in the first place.

You think my heart doesn't swell with pride when I see my protégés like Ketan Patel, Jacqui Jefford, Liza smith, Ruth fordham, Dawnie, Marco Benito, chocolate , and a bazillion more, take their places in the forefront of the industry as successful admired people??? You bet I do. That kind of satisfaction to me is what teaching is all about.