Learning and Studying

Your Success in Your Programme at The National School of Aesthetics Hinges on Your Learning and Studying

Your learning and studying influence your success in your beauty courses. Our governing bodies require you attend a certain number of face-to-face training hours in order to qualify. You will also need to complete a portion of hours in self-directed study (or where you direct your studying).

General Information about Your Programme and Your Study

Your commitment to your programme and to studying and practicing routines for your programme outside of class hours should be one of your highest priorities.

You should be putting in the following number of hours for your programme per week.

Programme Inside class
(hours per week)
Outside class
(hours per week)
Total hours per week
New Zealand Certificate in Beauty Therapy (Level 4) [NZ3444] 20 10 – 15 30 – 35
New Zealand Diploma in Beauty Therapy (Level 5) [NZ3445] 20 15 – 20 35 – 40
Programme Inside class
(hours per week)
Outside class
(hours per week)
Total hours per week
First 6 months Last 6 months First 6 months Last 6 months First 6 months Last 6 months
New Zealand Certificate in Nail Technology (Level 4) [NZ3443] 22 8** 12.5 – 15 20 – 25 34.5 – 37 28 – 33

* Indicates New Zealand Certificate in Nail Technology students will have to come two Fridays per month to meet with a team member to discuss and review their portfolio entries and review skills.

You need to put the time and effort into your programme, both on campus and off campus, to achieve and succeed. Tutors can tell if you are not studying or practicing routines at home. You owe it to yourself, your classmates, and your tutors to show up prepared with both knowledge and skills.

In your outside class hours, you should be:

  • Reading the chapters or text your tutors have assigned you
  • Fully completing your assignments, ready to be turned in
  • Studying
  • Reviewing tasks and lectures on our Moodle site (beauty therapy only)
  • Practicing routines and treatments
  • Documenting treatments on case study forms
  • Cleaning up your case study forms
  • Creating and tidying up your portfolio (nail technology only)
  • Taking further notes and undertaking further study
  • Preparing for class (studying, making sure routines are up to speed)

You should try to remain on top of your study and your assignments. If you feel rusty in an area, practice it or study it.

We only allow a certain number of hours you can be absent before you fail the programme.

Your Study Routine

Routine is an important part in successful study and many other disciplines.

Routine isn’t to say you need to do the same thing at the same time every day, but it is important to have a schedule that mirrors a similar routine from week to week.

For example, a weekly study routine can look like this:

SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday
9 – 12Class Class Class Class Class
12 – 3StudyClass Class Class Class Class
3 – 6 Study Study Study
6 – 9Study Study Study

See how the study routine doesn’t always have the study at the same time every day?

Setting down a routine can strongly reinforce your learning and make your brain and body know when it’s time to shift gears into “study and practice” mode.

With your routine, it’s important to give yourself some buffer time between other events or commitments in your life and your study time. An example of buffer time could be the time it takes you to walk in your door, put your belongings away, have a glass of water, and make your way to your study space.

It’s important to also take breaks. Trying to “cram” or engage in too much study in a short space of time sometimes can be detrimental to a person retaining that knowledge.

Your Study Spaces

Just like a study routine is important, where you study is important as well. This not only refers to the room or place you are studying in but also the surfaces and furniture you are studying at too.

Your Study Spaces for Theory, Reading, and Written Assignments

Having a clutter-free work surface helps immensely as it helps focus your mind. This can be a desk, a dining room table, or a breakfast bar in your kitchen area. Like having consistency in your study routine is important, having a consistent place or places where you study is also important.

If you can set up your study space with all the supplies you need – laptop or computer, pens and pencils, paper, good lighting, good ventilation and atmosphere (not too hot, not too cold, not too draughty), a nice, comfy chair – all the better for you. This means you can sit down and start studying right away without having to set up each time.

You should also have a distraction-free or distraction-light area to study in. Some people find minimal or no noise beneficial, so a room where you can hunker down and be in your own headspace can give you the maximum impact for your learning.

Remember you’ll have to clean the area at least once a week too, so make some time in your weekly routine to fit that in with your housework duties.

It’s important to avoid social media or other online distractions while studying.

Put your phone away and on “Do Not Disturb”.

If you’re working on a computer or laptop, try to use it in focus mode or focus on the tasks at hand for you.

Your Study Spaces for Practical Treatments

Like your study space for your theory work, having a clutter-free work surface helps for your practical treatments. Besides ensuring you look after the hygiene, health and safety measures, a clutter-free work surface helps keep you and your client calm and focussed.

You’ll need a stable surface to work on, whether this is a treatment bed for facials and waxing or a table for manicure treatments. Good lighting and a nice, relaxing atmosphere help too. Adequate ventilation keeps the air flowing and reduces chemical fumes from treatments using chemicals like nail polish. The area should be warm and private.

Remember you’ll want to have adequate access to water and your supplies like products and implements. And don’t forget that for some treatments, you’ll need a comfy stool or seat to work from.

If you have a spare area where you are living that you can set up as a dedicated clinic room, this would be ideal. You can then have some or all your equipment set up and ready to go. This means you can get right to the treatment after taking care of the necessities like consultation and preparing your products, water (if needed) and so forth for the treatment itself.

It’s extremely important to keep any study spaces you use to perform practical treatments in clean and hygienic, as well as free from health and safety hazards. You should clean the area immediately before and immediately after the treatment as well as at least once a week too as a part of your normal housework duties.

Your Study Groups

Forming a study group can help you and your classmates discuss ideas and learn from one another. Sometimes, your classmates might have a unique way of explaining knowledge or demonstrating skills that will help you understand better.

There are different ways of engaging in a study group. They are:

Online

  • Snapchat
  • Facebook group
  • Messenger (Facebook / Instagram)
  • WhatsApp

In Person

  • Meeting at each other’s flats and houses
  • Feels safer, quieter
  • Helps you focus in a safe environment

Both Online and In Person

  • You can combine both methods for optimum blended experience
  • Really helps for those who have kids or have a variable work schedule

No matter which way you and your classmates choose, it is super important you don’t feel alone on your educational journey.

Your Efforts

You should always remain on top of your studies. This means fulfilling your hours both inside and outside of class.

You need to practice your practical treatments and study and complete your assignments at home, outside of class time.

You will struggle to be a competent and confident beauty therapist or nail technician if you do not practice your practical treatments and study your books and notes outside of class time.

If you do not practice your practical treatments at home and / or if you do not study and do your assignments at home, you may not pass your programme.

Your Mental and Physical Wellbeing

We all benefit from good mental and physical wellbeing. By keeping ourselves in a “good space” both mentally and physically, we can learn and engage better both in our studies and in everyday life. It’s important to look after yourself and your wellbeing while studying with us so you can be at the top of your game as often as possible.

This is not to say there won’t be stressful times or times where you feel unwell during your programme. But by keeping yourself as well as possible generally during your time studying with us can help you through the more difficult times.

We discuss mental and physical wellbeing more in the Ākonga / Student Support and Welfare section.

Keep Communication Open and Flowing

Communication is important in all aspects of our lives, and you should keep communication open and flowing with us. You also need to be honest and transparent. We can only help you if we know you need help, and the best way we can help is when we know the truth and weight of the situation.

If you have a problem, come talk to us. We usually can do something about it, or we can point you in the right direction to someone who can help you if we can’t help.

Communication is key in our industry. We need to be able to get our ideas and thoughts across in a clear and concise manner, and we need to be able to listen and understand what others are trying to say to us. This helps us all ensure we agree on a treatment, understand the way forward in treatment plans, and avoid acting where there might be hazards or safety issues, like contraindications to a treatment.

Keep Learning

We grow as people by continuing to learn throughout our lives. Learning is one important facet on how to stay mentally active and youthful.

Aspects of our lives change too. Look at the evolution of cell phones, for example, and our reliance on them. Like life, our industry and our careers can change as time goes by too.

Your programme teaches you a core set of skills and knowledge you can use and expand upon while you are active in the industry. You can add new skills and new knowledge to your existing skills and knowledge to help round out the treatments and advice you can offer your clients.

Keep learning. No matter if you’ve been in this industry for 5 minutes or 50 years, it’s important to keep learning.