The pros & cons of online nail education
By Chloe Randall | 04 February 2021 | Expert Advice, Feature, Training
Scratch chats to award-winning nail artist and brand ambassador for Georgie Smedley Group, Diana Pajeva, about the pros and cons of online learning in the nail industry.
“When looking for the right online course, nail professionals should, first of all, check the the quality of the course and ask themselves if they are going to benefit from it. Read the reviews about it from other students, check the works of your educator to make a decision on whether you trust her/his expertise.
“Also, ensure that you’re able to receive feedback from your educator as there’s a chance you’ll still have questions after completing the course.
“Video and sound quality are very important when choosing a good online course. You have to be able to see everything closely and understand your educator as if you were present in a class. If there’s no example of the video, don’t be shy to ask questions about it before investing your money into a nail course.”
What are the pros and cons of online education vs face to face?
Pros:
1. Accessibility – As you are able to cover bigger areas, people from all over the world have the opportunity to take the course and enjoy the benefits of it. The educator is no longer limited to one city.
2. Class size – You’re no longer limited by the size of your class. Depending on the platform you use, the number of students is almost unlimited. But you have to be prepared to deal with the amount of enquiries, always to be there for your students, check their homework and help with mistakes. It’s all time consuming and has to be taken into account if you also work with clients.
3. Longevity – In order to create an educational product, you have to invest your time, energy and finances. You have to work hard on it to perfect it to the highest quality, but then it starts working for you. You can keep offering it to students for months or even years if the techniques you teach are still relatable.
Cons:
1. Marketing and self promotion – Being an educator these days means you have to be present on social media, you need to be prepared to win over the attention of your future students. They need to trust you, trust your expertise in order to want to learn from you and that takes time.
2. Competition – Being no longer limited by the location also has its downsides, meaning that your competition is much wider too. Plan your promotional campaign in advance. Think of all the things that help you to stand out from the competition and use them to your advantage.
3. Expenses – First, you have to invest in good quality lighting and filming equipment. This is the basis of creating a good educational online product. When it comes to editing, you can pay a professional to do it for you, which would be a big time saver, but also an additional expense. You can learn to do it yourself, but if you have a few courses to film, you might consider using a professional help.
4. Distance – In comparison with face to face courses where you see your students’ work, it can sometimes be hard to assess the results from the photos you receive from students. Bad lighting, poor quality photographs can make it very difficult to provide feedback.