Is Teaching Nails The Next Step For You?

The pandemic gave a lot of people the opportunity to change career paths, did you make the most of this time to explore your options? Something I know a lot of people considered was education, and a few of you reading this will have started or considered this journey.

There will also be a group of people who have zero desire to become an educator, this is fine. Teaching isn't the vocation for everyone, the mannerisms and attitude required isn't found within everyone, just because you may be very talented at a subject doesn't mean you are the right person to teach it.

If you want to be an educator in the UK you will need qualifications which is why the first and most important step in becoming an educator is to enroll yourself onto a teaching course. If you are outside of the UK you will need to clarify your countries rules.

Some of us who have been in the industry a while will remember PTTLS (Preparing to Teach in the Long-Life Learning Sector) which used to be the starting point for education, this has now been replaced with the AET (Adult in Education & Training) which is a nationally recognised qualification and the current first step into education.

It isn't only your technical skills that are important, the main focus of the AET is to work on your ability to teach and develop your ability to communicate effectively. Once you have passed your AET you can progress onto A1 Assessors, CET (CTTLS), DET (DTTLS) which focus on the skills you will need to teach adults.

Where To Learn

There is no shortage of educators and techs online and offline who are willing to teach you, the hardest part for you, is finding the ones that are worth your time and money.

Usually I’m all for online education, but when it comes to your teaching qualification I would recommend attending a class in person at university or college. You will most likely need to attend once a week and these courses last anywhere from 6-12 weeks. Expect multiple assignments as well as a demo mini teach before you are completed and certified.

Now that you have your qualification it’s time to explore which sector you want to teach in.

What Next?

Your next move depends on what you want to teach, you might be required to write manuals, lesson plans, obtain insurance and a lot more! The nail industry is like any  other and you’ll need to think about how to tailor your approach to this, it can feel overwhelming at times which is why it is so important to find a mentor to assist and advise you. For in depth advice check out my webinar here.

How Much Do You Charge?

The first rule of pricing is ‘Value Yourself’. Most nail technicians I know and work with do not charge their worth, don’t make this mistake as an educator too. Think about your skills, the time you’ve put into your education and the investments you have made such as becoming accredited or working on manuals. Want to learn more about pricing?

When Do You Stop Giving Feedback?

Unless stated, the cost of a course is for your time during that course and not giving feedback to your student forever, unless that is something you have agreed and charge for. Post course care is important, and the weeks following will be when your student has the most questions, but know when to stop. Your role was to teach them the skills, their role is to now put what they have learnt into practice.

 If they need further training because they haven’t quite mastered it, make sure you charge. No one took one driving lesson and then expected their instructor to do it for free until they mastered it. It should be no different in the nail industry.

I hope this has helped you gain a small insight into the what it takes to become an educator. 

Love,

Katie B x