Here are some common questions and answers about our Nail Courses. If you have a question which is not listed, please call us free 0800 482 669 and one of our experienced and friendly staff will help you.
If you would rather email us, our email is info@surmanti.co.nz

What’s Best To Learn First, Gel Or Acrylic?
They both produce great looking nails. This is what you should consider: Acrylics have been around the longest, so generally there are more customers for Acrylic Nails than Gels. However if there is a good Gel Tech in an area then there will be more Gel customers in that area. Gel is slightly easier to learn than Acrylic because you do not have to mix powder and liquid.

What Will I Learn?
If you go into how to become a nail technician and click on the course you are interested in attending, you’ll find a breakdown of what you’ll learn in each course. Our training programme is designed to quickly propel you through each module, leading on to another and before you know it you’ll be graduating.

Is It Necessary To Attend Every Class?
Absolutely, 100% attendance is required; because we are teaching you exactly what the industry is asking for, you would be extremely disadvantaged if you didn’t have all the skills. If you are unable to attend a class and miss a module you may be able to complete that module in the next available class. Otherwise, at the cost of $147 + GST per module, another session will need to be arranged with your educator.

If I Miss A Module Am I Still Able To Sit My Exam?
For best results, we recommend that you follow the step by step programme, if you miss a module you simply carry on with the next module, until you have completed the course… You are able to sit your exam however you won’t receive your certificate until you have completed all modules.

What Are My Options, When I Have Completed My Training?
- Contracting or Straight Commission - this is usually on a 45% - 50% split with a salon owner. The salon owner provides all the stock, pays the out goings, and typically takes most of the risk. A good salon owner will usually pay your withholding tax. Your income depends solely on how busy the salon is, if there’s no clients you don’t get paid but on the flip side if they are really busy you’ll quickly enjoy the rewards.

- Self employed - either at home or renting a space in a salon. One of the greatest benefits of being self employed is you can work as many or as little hours as you choose … no one will ever again dictate to you what your income will be …it’s now up to you to decide. The same applies to your hours; you can determine what works for you and your family.

- Hourly rate, employment… This is a great option to start you off on your career; you’ll generally have the leadership of some one who has experience within the industry. This is invaluable, learning from someone who is experienced and not having to make costly mistakes your self. I liken this option to doing your apprenticeship. Your hourly rate will vary according to your level of skill and will range any where from $12.50 to $20.00 per hour, many businesses also reward their staff with commission on sales.
There are also other options such as working on a cruise ship or becoming a sales representative within the beauty industry.

What Kind Of Money Could I Expect To Earn?
Your clients return every three weeks for backfills or rebalances to maintain their beautiful nails, the average client spends approx $1000 per year. (This doesn’t include retail or homecare products) This is not a lot of money on its own. But if you were to have 18 clients a week your income could exceed $50,000 per annum or even more.
One client @ $58.00 per visit (The average price of a pink and white backfill)
x 18 visits per year = $1044

This is not a lot of money on its own. But look what happens when you start growing your client base:
Client Income per Year
1 client - $1044
10 clients - $10,440
25 clients - $26.100
50 clients - $52,200
75 clients - $78,300
100 clients - $104,400
These figures are based on backfills / rebalances only; they represent over 70% of your income. A competent tech backfills within an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. Full sets, manicures, pedicures, treatments and nail art, all fall into the other 30% of your business. So, it is vitally important when selecting training that the focus remains on backfilling especially the pink and white (French look) backfilling, as this is the most popular and profitable. This doesn’t include the price of full sets – Valued at any where from $50.00 to $95 per set and no retail sales.

Is There An Age Restriction?
Absolutely not! You can be any age to join this course. We’ve had students that were asked to leave school for non attendance, to ladies looking to become self employed nearing retirement.

What Happens After I Have Completed My Course? Do I Have To Do Another Course?
It’s all entirely up to you, many of our students are so passionate about nails, they make the decision that nails is the right career choice for them, they then go on to complete our graduate diploma. And they then receive their Gel Course for FREE. Others take a little more time and revisit other courses later and some students are only interested in attending one course.

How Many Students In A Class?
There are never usually more than 4 to 6 – students in each class. This allows for lots of individual attention. If however you choose the one to one personal training option, it will be only you and your educator, how cozy is that.

After I Have Completed My Training, Where Do I Buy My Stock?
When you first complete your training we recommend that you use our free phone number 0800 482 669 to order any thing you may need, as this allows you to talk through any questions or concerns you may have, and to benefit from years of experience that our company educators have gained. You’re also able to either email, fax or log in to our online shopping site.

Is There A Time Limit To Complete A Course?
Group Courses are to be completed within the set time frame; personal training or one to one courses are run at your discretion.

Who Do I Call If I Have Any Problems During Or After The Training?
Easy - just call our free phone 0800 482 669 number and you’ll go directly to one of our corporate offices. You’ll actually get your own personal educator to assist you with everything from trouble shooting techniques to creative ways to making money. Our educators are available to you on an ongoing basis and look forward to assisting you in any way possible.

How Long Does My Certificate Last For?
Your certificate itself has no expiry; however we do recommend that you be recertified each year, to ensure you keep up with the latest industry trends and developments. Not to mention any new ways of doing things faster and smarter.

Is The Certificate I Get Recognized?
Our certification is nationally recognized within the nail industry. On completion of the courses and on passing, you would be qualified as a Nail Technician in the system that you have chosen.

Do I Need Any Qualifications To Do This Course?
We have trained people from the ages of 15 onwards. All you need to be able to do is read and write! And most importantly have a great attitude!!!

What Happens If I Don’t Pass The Exam?
This is one thing every one fears!! – The same thing probably came up when you were about to sit your license or your school exams… Don’t worry, after years of teaching we understand and have designed our programme around this…
If you don’t pass the exam the first time round, your tutor will give you very clear instructions as to what has to happen in order to pass. A typical solution would be to complete another 2 practice sets of nails, come back and resit. Now we aren’t talking months later, because we know you want to get started with your new career. We keep working with you until you pass, if there is a problem you can rest assured you’ll be covered with our training guarantee.

Why Do Your Acrylic And Gel Courses Have So Much Backfilling?
70% of your business will be backfilling (backfilling is where we place new acrylic or gel on the new nail growth), backfilling or rebalancing is the bread and butter of you new career. Learning full sets will simply not pay the bills or keep you going.

Can I Get A Student Loan?
Our classes are extremely affordable, and because you get such a large student kit there’s really no need for a student loan. However if you find you need some assistance, we do have payment options available. Please call free phone 0800 482 669 to discuss this.

Why Do I Need Models?
It’s really important to have people around you that you trust and that will support you when you are learning something new. There is nothing worse when you are concentrating and trying so hard, to have the extra stress of knowing the model you are practicing on doesn’t like what you are doing. We have seen this so many times, and it almost inevitably ends badly. The way we learn best is by seeing the results of our past work, all work when it leaves generally looks o.k. …But give it 2 to 3 weeks and it’s usually a different story. If you do nails on a complete stranger do you really think she’s going to come back and let you have a second go? How can you tell if your work will really stand the test of time? If there was a problem you’d want know, wouldn’t you, so you could correct it. It would be terrible to think you did clients and they never returned. That’s where a network of reliable and supportive friends and family… and friends of family is invaluable. We’ve even had husbands turn up get their nails done only to go home and have them removed.
To a large degree you will be perfecting the art of acrylic application on your practice sheet, so when you practice on your models, they will be pleasantly surprised... It’s also the quickest way to get clients.

Is My Credit Information Secure?
We make every effort to protect the security of your personal information. Our website is hosted on secure servers and utilizes SSL secure server software. Any personal information that you provide is encrypted so that no-one can read it while it is being transmitted over the internet. Any information collected by us is stored in private files behind a firewall designed to protect your information by denying unauthorized access by outside users.