Retraining in Nails - advice please

[Stripecat]

I'd love to retrain as a nail technician, even just to do in my spare time and earn a bit extra.

Issue is I'm at a lose on where to start, which is what put me off before. My local college does a year long evening class which is level 2, then there are loads of short day/couple of day courses out there and I'm findings it a minefield to know what to actually do or what's best. Gels would be my preference but I believe college course covers both. I have emailed the college to ensure level 2 allows you to start acting working and offering services but no reply yet!

If anyone else has taken the leap I'd love to hear from you. My partner thinks I'll be exhausted after doing a full day at work then college in evening but I'd like to give myself a chance to get away from the rat race!

I worked full time and did my nvq level 2 beauty therapy after work on a monday evening, as a hobby more than anything when i had little else to be doing.

Absolutely loved it and went on to do my level 3, now own my own salon.

I know people who have gone and done short courses and to be honest there is no comparison between the courses - what took me 3 years to learn in no way could be crammed in to a few days.

My understanding is that my course taught everything from anatomy of the nail, proper manicure, nail health, prepping for gels etc. The day courses seem to only cover how to slap on a gel polish (quite badly) and how to cut the fingers off people by trimming what they believe to be cuticles.

Would highly recommend the college route - it's a lot of fun and you will meet some lovely people x

@Fluffypeach that was the positive attitude I was looking for, I'm glad you have found something you love to do! I hope one day I'll be able to get to that point!

Yes the course I've looked at via the college covers all that you have mentioned. The day courses offer very little detail on what's covered but do seem to be accredited, although not sure who by as they don't seem to be sponsored by any brand.

Can I ask do you solely do nails or have you branched into other treatments?

Yes I know and from a client's perspective they don't know the difference as everyone is accredited (which is annoying) but I'm so much more confident in my work knowing I've had the "proper" training!

I do offer all beauty treatments but nails are definitely by far and above what I do most!

Don't get me wrong there will always be lots of short courses to do as trends etc change but the college route is a fantastic starting point, plus it includes lots about being professional, running a business, following guidelines and regulations etc!

Have you looked into Insurance. The College are not going to tell you whether you can start seeing clients or not at the start. However I would imagine that the Insurance company will only cover certain qualifications.

Do the longer course. I did a short online one and it wasn’t great. Gave me the knowledge to be able to get insurance but I’ll admit I don’t know as much as other techs. The other thing is there are so many people out there doing nails in my area that there isn’t a lot of work.

Thank you everyone for your advice and encouragement! I have taken the scary 1st step and hope I won't regret it! 😊

I have went my the advice and my gut & enrolled onto the college course as I know it is definitely accredited and recognised and would prefer the practice time rather than rushing. I have looked over the course pack and it seems very in-depth which is what I prefer rather than "slapping some gel on!"

Looking forward to getting started! It's quite hard to get appointments in my area especially outside of "traditional" hours. However if I end up only doing my own nails I'll not complain too much, it'll save me some money in the long run!

Delighted for you - I really hope you love it! At the very least you will spend half the course time being pampered while you all practice on eachother :)

Best of luck:)

i suggest to check www.sublime-professional.com

Congratulations on enrolling — the instinct to go for proper structured training over a one-day course is absolutely right. The anatomy, nail health, and prep fundamentals you learn in a longer programme are what separates techs who get repeat clients from those who don't.
One thing worth knowing as you progress: once you have your Level 2 foundation, a lot of techs find they want to go deeper on specific techniques — gel chemistry, e-file work, Russian manicure — that traditional college programmes don't cover in much depth. That's where specialist online continuing education fills the gap. We cover exactly that at Sublime Professional (sublime-professional.com) if it's ever useful down the line.
Good luck — sounds like you're approaching it the right way!