Serious Talk about Training

If you are considering training for permanent cosmetics, whether or not it is with me or with another trainer, there are important elements to investigate and pre-class activities to complete to ensure you are prepared soon after your class to offer this new service.

Some of the pre-class activities are as follows: 

In review, to prepare for a permanent cosmetics class, you have investigated the laws and regulations in your state and know what provisions (if any) are spelled out for training and operational requirements.  You know or have a good idea of where you will work and are prepared to go forward with a business license which requires you to choose a name for that business and a location if you are not already a business owner.  You have made a decision regarding the hepatitis B serious of inoculations, and have begun that process or you have made a decision to sign a declination statement. You are prepared to order your business cards and have a camera you can operate.

Choosing a trainer you can work well with is critical.  People learn better from instructors they feel comfortable with.  Your trainer is one whom you should feel comfortable taking direction from.  The permanent cosmetic device used during a fundamental class should not dictate which trainer you choose.  You have, in all likelihood, never tattooed and have no idea which device will ultimately serve you best.  Tools of the trade are unique to each student.  Over time it is not unusual for permanent cosmetic technicians to expand their knowledge and which device comes first is really unimportant.  What you will be learning in your fundamental class are the basics, and all devices that are engineered to prevent cross contamination will perform the basics well. 

Location may be a driver during your search for a trainer.  If your trainer is close by, many offer the opportunity to come in prior to the class to meet and discuss important study materials in preparation for the class, provide demonstrations regarding how to practice stretching the skin for the different procedures before the actual on-site hands on portion of the class, or other valuable one-on-one pre class time which helps students prepare for performance during the class.  This is difficult and costly if your trainer is located a great distance away. Long distance training is quite acceptable for follow-up “Finishing Classes”, or “Advanced Classes,” with those who are recognized as offering short-term specialized training after you have completed your beginning class; but a local fundamental class may appeal to you because of the need for preparation and meetings with your trainer.  It is, however, recognized that many seeking a trainer for their fundamental class have no choice but to travel due to non-availability of good local training.

In my opinion, free training is a clever marketing ploy to get you to a specific location.  There are few valuable things in the arena of training that are free.  It is not unusual to hear from students who have traveled long distances for a “free” class only to find they were pushed to purchase supplies for which they have little knowledge of how to use successfully at the end of their short-term “free” class.  The damage is done at that point, they have paid for airfare, hotel, and car rental fees and they feel they have no other choice but to sign up for costly add-on classes from that same source in order to be directed as to how to use all the supplies they have purchased.  Be reasonable, permanent cosmetics is a service that has the potential of generating a good source of income.  It is not generally viewed as a hobby.  People who want to be trained want to be trained well and not shuffled from room to room listening to hours of lectures and deal with salesman like pressure to purchase products.  If it seems too good to be true, it most likely is.

Know the total costs associated with the class and what is and what is not included.  Some class fees include a product kit.  Find out what those products are.  Are they easy to acquire products such as gloves, aprons, cotton-tipped swabs, etc., that would be easy for you to order yourself or may already have?  Or are they products such as pigments, anesthetics, and other permanent cosmetic specific accessories you would find difficult to leave your class and order independently? The latter in my opinion is more important.  Many people who take permanent cosmetic classes are already beauty or medical professionals and have common supplies.  Does your training fee include a specific device?  Some trainers build the cost of the device into the cost of the class, some feel students should have choices regarding which one they ultimately choose to work with and the cost of that device is an element not included in a basic product kit. I am one of the trainers who offer students a device choice.  After some practice with different devices, my students are able to choose between a hand held device (non-machine,) a rotary or digital machine.  Since my students have a choice, a device is not included in their product kit.  Some trainers do not offer any product kits or devices as part of their fees.  There are as many types of scenarios regarding training and product kits as there are trainers, so ask and understand exactly what your class fee includes.

You will undoubtedly be confronted with price variances during your search for a trainer.  This may be a very confusing time, considering you have no idea how trainers come to a fee assessment.  In those states such as Oregon, Virginia and Oklahoma where training requirements are mandated by law, there may be very little variance in cost for schools offering fundamental permanent cosmetic training.  The hours, the class lesson plans, and the hands-on requirements are set in stone and you will likely sign up for a course conducted with a trainer approved by the state with many others in a class conducted over a designated period of time.  In those states where training requirements are not regulated, the task of choosing a trainer is more difficult.  The trainers may or may not have any specific credentials such as being an SPCP Certified Trainer. There is no law against this in states where training requirements are not regulated, and the burden is on you to decipher a potentially good trainer and training programs from inadequate ones.  Many industry leaders who train in unregulated (training) states will look to how much they lose working as technicians per day to determine their fees (also taking into consideration a product/tool kit, if included in their fee.)  Considering a successful technician may perform an average of two new procedures a day at an average of $400.00 per procedure, a prominent industry leader who trains as well as offers independent services when they are not training, stands to lose an average of $800.00 per day during training sessions.  Some experienced trainer/technicians may have a history of performing more procedures than average and they may expect a higher training fee.  What I suggest you avoid, in my opinion, is a one or two day class, regardless of any product kits that are included in the cost.  You just simply cannot walk away from a short term class and have all the theory and practical experience needed to being to offer permanent cosmetics safely and confidently.  What many of these classes historically consist of is a large gathering of new students with a poor model and trainer-to-student ratio during the hands-on portion of the class.    

For a fundamental class, I suggest you seek out professional trainers who have small classes and the ratio of trainer to student is one-on-one during the hands on practical training portion. Students should expect to perform their hands-on procedures from beginning to end without sharing that procedure with another student.  For instance, one student should not tattoo one eyebrow or eyeliner on a model and another student the other.  Models deserve better service than this, (no two students tattoo identically,) and students deserve better hands-on practical training than this.  Private classes are generally more costly than semi-private (2 students.)   Both private and semi-private fundamental classes typically offer the student(s) the attention and hands-on practical sessions necessary to leave the class and perform “basic” permanent cosmetic procedures. Some trainers also offer larger class attendance for the theory portion of fundamental training where there is no loss of quality training per student, and then schedule smaller venues for students for the hands on model work sessions.  There are many ways to coordinate quality fundamental classes. 

Who you will work on during your practical hands-on periods during the class is also an important factor to investigate.  Unfortunately some reports indicate students arrive at their class unknowingly having been factored in as a model for another attending student.  Arranging and qualifying models for student hands-on work is one of the biggest jobs a trainer has.  Seeking out those people who would commit to being a model, those who meet the criteria in regard to age and their health profile, and those who will demonstrate the patience needed to be a model during a fundamental class takes a lot of the trainer’s time and effort.  This is yet another element of the class that students are usually paying for unless the trainer makes it clear that you, the student, are responsible for arranging for all or a portion of the models for the class.  Make sure if you don’t want to be a model in your own class for another attending student that this is not the plan on behalf of your trainer. If you are agreeable to this, advise your trainer accordingly. One important thought to interject at this point is that it is not a negative requirement for students to arrange for at least some of their model base if they are local to their trainer.  What you see immediately after conducting a procedure is not what you will see in 30-45 days after the procedure has healed.  There is great value in having the benefit of talking to your model during the healing process, the ability to take progressive photographs, and to conduct the follow-up focus appointment after the initial procedure has healed (permanent cosmetics is normally a two or three step process.)  These are also people who will market your new service for you to others in your area.  When investigating training classes, this is an important discussion to have with your trainer.

Quality fundamental classes are so critical for the new technician.  It is knowledge gained from this class that supports their first procedures, that enables students to further identify weak areas other areas of interest and to seek continuing education. 

In review, know what the laws and regulations at the state and local levels are regarding training requirements (if any.)  Choose a trainer you feel you can speak freely with, one who is interested in your success, and one whom you will feel comfortable taking direction from.  If Ms. or Mr. XXXX (potential trainer) is never available to talk to you before the class, one would have to wonder how available that trainer would be after the class, when you need support.  No one should be so busy or self appointed important, that they cannot take a few minutes to discuss training with a potential student.  If possible choose a trainer who is not long-distance so you can take advantage of any opportunities for pre-class meetings. As stated earlier, this is not always possible and the relationship between the student and trainer takes precedence over location.  It is always preferable that a student seeking training can do so with a local trainer whom they feel very comfortable with.  That is ideal, but ideal is not always obtainable or feasible.   Although the device you will be trained to use in your fundamental class is important, at times, from the perspective of cost, it should not be the all-encompassing element when choosing a trainer. Choose a class with a small number of students, and where the ratio during the hands on sessions is one-to-one.  Inquire what the fundamental fee includes.  Does it include products?  After your fees, what are the potential out of pocket costs?  Does it include post class support for any designated period of time?  Although not a completely empty offering, I would not put a whole lot of weight on a school that offers for the student to drop back in anytime.  That USUALLY, in some instances, means you can come in and watch your trainer work and assist with getting supplies for her or him during the procedure.  There is value in this offering, don’t misunderstand me, many people learn a lot through observation, but this offering, in my opinion, is not a tie-breaker for choosing one class over another.  Unless you are local to your trainer, you may never take advantage of this option.

For those seeking continuing or advanced education after fundamental training, there are many options to use training funds to the fullest.  All new technicians should join the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals (SPCP) on-line at www.spcp.org.  The support from this organization and their members is invaluable.  Their conventions and conferences are professionally structured, they offer many sources of advice from their Subject Matter Expert (SME) program, and each quarterly newsletter represents lessons readers would otherwise have to attend classes to obtain.   Many trainers also offer specialized continuing education training programs.  Some offer advanced classes, while others offer “finishing classes.”  Advanced classes normally encompass an advanced technique for a standard procedure or stand-alone procedures considered advanced in nature, such as Designer Eyeliners®, areola re-pigmentation, scar camouflage, and others specialized procedure types not included in fundamental training.  Some trainers offer to those who have completed their fundamental training, one or two day classes focused on the specific challenges set forth by a student.  These are quite valuable for the technician who needs specific attention to overcome a challenged area unique to technique or theory. 

I hope the information provided helps you make good training choices.  My intent is for everyone who goes forward with training to have a good experience and add the skills they learned to become part of the growing number of professionals who proudly offer permanent cosmetic services.


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