Rachel Lunn on… launching a nail academy during lockdown
By Guest Writer | 07 December 2020 | Feature, Tech Talk, Training
Scratch Stars Educator of the Year 2019, Rachel Lunn launched training centre during lockdown called The Nailroom- Rachel Lunn Nails and Training. Here, she shares her experience of launching during a difficult time and the inspiration behind going independently…
Rachel Lunn at the Scratch Stars Awards 2019
I think like many nail technicians and salon owners, lockdown gave us one thing we were not expecting – time to re-evaluate our work. Most of the time we are so busy with clients, teaching and general day to day running of a business coupled with home life, that there is no time to think or assess – ‘is this what I want?’ ‘Do I enjoy what I do?”
I knew my clients were supportive during lockdown but what about education? How has the industry changed since I started teaching in 2006 and how can I accommodate that?
The most obvious thing to me was the sheer number of brands available on the market today. It is a minefield and to someone wanting to enter a career in nails, it must be very daunting.
I started to look around at various training academies – there were plenty offering independent nail courses, as part of a huge programme offering all aspects of beauty and plenty of specialist nail training attached to a brand, but very little or none focused on nail training independently.
I thought to offer independent courses to give future nail technicians a chance to trial several brands during their training to let them discover which brand they are suited to and more importantly a better range to offer the individual client. It has never been a ‘one size fits all’ market and our options are now huge so let’s explore that.
Two things I needed to get started:
- Testing brands and products
- Writing manuals and lesson plans and course programmes.
I personally found the accreditation process hard work as it is not just a case of throwing manuals together. I wanted them to have good solid information. The beginners also have workbooks to be completed, then they needed to be sent to the designer to get ready for printing, as well as certificates and rebranding.
I wrote the manuals all from a student perspective, trying to take on board different learning styles. Something important to note is that no person absorbs information the same way, and a good teacher needs to be able to quickly identify and differentiate that. It is not always about out of this world nail skills, but instead, how you deliver and translate your knowledge to making those students produce good structured salon nails, then build on that foundation once the basics are mastered.
During lockdown I would spend days writing, then leave it for a few. The rest of the time I got back into nail art – which I had not embraced properly for years. I returned to the salon with over 300 designs and I had fallen madly back in love with my industry!
Rachel Lunn and Jill Shrigley
I asked my close friend and ex colleague, Jill Shrigley, to run her eye over what I had done and asked her to write some manuals. To my surprise, she rang me near the end of lockdown and said. “I have also been thinking – can I work for you as an educator?” Jill had also had time to think and make changes. I always planned to be alone, but two heads are better than one and we have over 35 years in teaching between us so YES of course.
When we returned to work it was time to test out the new brands we wanted to supply for student kits. Ultimately it is their choice what they wish to use when they qualify but ultimately our responsibility is to put them on the right path.
Our ethos as a training academy:
- Offering all levels from beginners to advance in all systems
- At home learning for majority of theory to allow maximum practical time in the classroom
- A series of practical case studies until we feel the student is salon ready
- All products are provided for training – their kits are for homework
- Unbiased, honest advice on different brands from the perspective of working nail technicians
- All systems must be used as per manufacturer’s instructions – no mixing of brands and the importance of why this is so important
- Encourage students to buy from official distributors and explore their standing, eg Facebook following, customer service reviews, brand ambassadors etc
- How to recognise SDS and focus on over exposure issues
- Always be there for advice- 24/7 even long after they leave the classroom
- Encourage student not to purchase “on a whim “ask first – I have cupboards full of unused stuff gathering dust
When it all came together – the feeling was amazing, and I launched my first class in September. Obviously, we have had to implement several changes, but all classes have been full, although at half capacity. All guidelines are in place and all PPE is provided.
The one thing I did notice on answering enquires was no one asked me which brand we used – they trusted my decision and wanted guidance. I knew then that I had made the right decision!