FAQs

Both courses cover the same 12 modules, including Theory, Manicures and Pedicures, IBX, Builder in a Bottle, Dipping Systems, Acrylic, Hard Gel, PolyGel, Soft Gel Extensions, E-File, Nail Art and Salon Success. Both can be completed from home, include the same in-depth pre-recorded training, give you access to our student support community and lead to a nationally recognised certificate once you have passed the required assessments. The main difference is the amount of live training included. The Foundation Certificate in Nail Technology includes 84 hours of compulsory live lessons with a Monaco Mentor. Your Mentor guides you through practising each technique, watches you work in real time, corrects your application and helps you build confidence before your exams. This is our most supported and comprehensive option, and is best for students who want regular guidance, accountability and hands-on help throughout their training. The Introduction to Nail Technology is primarily self-guided. You receive the same pre-recorded course content, but live lessons are optional rather than included. You can book one-on-one online or in-person mentoring for $49 per hour whenever you feel you need extra help. This option is ideal for confident independent learners, existing Nail Techs refreshing their skills, or students who need a lower-cost pathway and are comfortable practising without regular live supervision. The Introduction course includes one free practical exam attempt for each required assessment. Additional practical exam attempts are charged at $49 per hour. Written Theory and IBX assessment resits are free. In simple terms: Choose the Foundation Certificate if you want your live lessons, mentoring and guided practice built into the course. Choose the Introduction to Nail Technology if you are happy learning independently and would prefer to pay for live mentoring only when you need it.

This is such a good question, especially if you are just starting out and mostly want to do your own nails, or maybe practise on friends and family.

In New Zealand, nail technology is not as simple as “you legally can” or “you legally can’t.” You do not necessarily need a formal qualification just to learn about nails or practise on yourself. However, once you start working on other people, even casually, you are taking responsibility for their nail health, skin safety, hygiene, chemical exposure, allergy risk and overall experience, which is where proper training becomes really valuable.

Certification is not just about having a piece of paper. It is about knowing how to work safely, how to avoid causing damage, how to recognise when a service should not go ahead, and how to make informed decisions when something does not look or feel right.

You may want to become certified if you plan to:

• work on friends, family or paying clients
• charge for nail services now or in the future
• apply for salon work
• get insurance
• access professional products
• build trust with clients
• understand health, hygiene, allergies, contraindications and safe product use
• eventually turn nails into a business

You may not need a full qualification straight away if you only want to do your own nails at home and have no plans to work on others. In that case, starting with our Theory or Safe At-Home gel Application modules may be a better fit than jumping straight into a full course.

Our honest advice is that if you are going to put products on other people, even friends and family, learn the safety side properly first. Nail products are professional chemicals, and good training can help you prevent avoidable damage, reactions, infections and bad habits from the beginning.

So is it worth the money? If nails are just a fun hobby for yourself, maybe a smaller course or individual module is enough. If you want to work on others safely and confidently, certification gives you structure, support, assessment and peace of mind that random online information usually cannot.

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough” Monaco was originally born as a salon in September 2011 when Penny went on her OE, travelling 12,000 km through Europe on a motorbike with a few changes of clothes and a tent. She didn't have a job to come back to, and so on a tiny 7" Netbook in Sorrento, Italy, she started the Monaco Facebook page as a salon and hoped like heck that she would be able to drum up enough work to pay the rent when she got back. With a wealth of experience in adult education in Customer Service and IT, and equal (almost to the day) experience in Nail Technology, Penny quickly set her sights on becoming an Educator for a new generation of artists. By 2014 this had taken over from the salon. Fast forward to today and that tent in Italy feels like a million years ago. Now, Monaco Nail Academy has helped over a thousand Nail Technicians around the country. Our Academy is one built on goals and determination. From a single bedroom in a rented home to a nationally-recognised Education team, Penny has proven that no matter the starting position, the race is yours for the taking. The atmosphere at Monaco Nail Academy is one of warmth and welcome. Students are able to build relationships that support and encourage their careers and make friends that last a lifetime. All the while, they work with Educators who understand the leap they’ve made and who will provide the most in-depth education available to Nail Professionals in New Zealand. Penny and her team share everything they’ve learnt with students from around the country who want to change their lives and careers. Our goal is to improve the nail industry through high quality products and highly skilled technicians. Seeing this dream come to fruition drives us every day to succeed.

If you're wanting to see what Monaco is like, we highly recommend enrolling in our FREE 5-Day Nail Tech Launchpad! It's the perfect, no-pressure way to dip your toes in and see if Nail Tech life is right for you.

Yes, but we don't have a set office or classroom for you to see. Our team members all work from their homes and/or salons around the country, so you would be meeting with a Mentor in their salon. If you're wanting to see what Monaco is like, we highly recommend enrolling in our FREE 5-Day Nail Tech Launchpad! It's the perfect, no-pressure way to dip your toes in and see if Nail Tech life is right for you. There are also recorded online lessons on our YouTube Channel that you can watch for an idea of what these are like.

Click the 'Enrol' link next to the course you're interested in, phone (09) 574 5573 or email learn@monaco.ac.nz

Absolutely. Lessons can be completed online or in-person. Before requesting in-person lessons, please check where the mentor closest to you is, as the lesson will be held at their own salon. Alternatively, one of our wonderful Mentors can travel to you by prior arrangement. Email us learn@monaco.ac.nz before you enrol to confirm the cost of petrol or flights, travel time, accommodation and food allowance as well as the availability

In-Person Lessons are held in the salons of our Mentors, in many locations around the country. Head to our About page to see which Mentor is closest to you. Email us learn@monaco.ac.nz before you enrol to confirm the availability of your preferred Mentor at a time that works for you. Alternatively, one of our wonderful Mentors can travel to you by prior arrangement. Email us learn@monaco.ac.nz before you enrol to confirm the cost of petrol or flights, travel time, accommodation and food allowance as well as the availability.

Kits are optional at Monaco - they are automatically included in your Course fees, but you can remove them. For lessons you do need to supply your own product but it doesn't have to be product we sell, it just has to be professional-only. It's worth noting that all of this is reflected in our pricing - after you remove kits from the equation and look only at price versus the number of hours of training you get, we are one of the cheapest courses available in New Zealand.  

We have lots of wonderfully successful graduates from our online programmes. Online students still have live lessons with an educator, it's just on video chat. As an example, teaching in person, I am able to show a student how to move her file 2cm and suddenly get a better result. If we are online, I do the exact same thing, but I show you with my own file on my own hand and then as you mimic my movements I can correct you if needed. Scroll down to watch a real online lesson! If you're wanting to see what Monaco is like, we highly recommend enrolling in our FREE 5-Day Nail Tech Launchpad! It's the perfect, no-pressure way to dip your toes in and see if Nail Tech life is right for you.

The Theory of Nails Assessment is 100% online anyway, so that Assessment is easy. For your Practical Assessments, you will book a time either in-person or on Zoom, which is a video link with a Mentor. You set up your phone to show what you're doing and we monitor you while you work. At the end, we get you to angle the client's nails in such a way as we can see all the criteria we are looking for and we mark accordingly. You have your result straight away.  

Absolutely! We have a lot of students with anxiety and/or learning difficulties and still more who are just plain busy. Being able to do the assessment from home made perfect sense. It's 100% online and you will find out immediately if you have passed.

 

This is our highest qualification. The alternative is to study individual topics, sit their relevant exams and get recognition that you've done them. This is totally acceptable if it is enough to achieve your goals, but we would consider you to be a manicurist or similar, not a Nail Technician. Someone with the Foundation Certificate in Nail Technology has in depth knowledge of all areas of Nail Technology, has shown competence and has demonstrated experience. These are the people we recommend for jobs, media work and the like because we know they are the most knowledgeable and experienced.

As we are a private training school and not associated with NZQA, we do not accept Student Loans for our courses. However, you can enrol in one module at a time in order to spread out costs and then pay via Afterpay, which allows for interest-free payment plans. We also offer our own weekly payment plans on many of our courses.

We have recommended Kits for each module (see them here).  

We are the sole distributors of Be Creative Nail Art products in New Zealand and import them from the UK, so this brand is the cheapest possible with us. There are 3 distributors of Artistic Nail Design products in New Zealand, including us, but we have a Price Match Guarantee - If you find any of our products available from authorised NZ distributors at a cheaper price, we'll permanently match the price. There are lots of other brands you can choose to use too and we will always give unbiased education so that if you choose not to use the same brands as us, you still have the knowledge to use others. We don't recommend using products or brands that are sold on EBay or other international sites, or that are available to the general public without proof of qualification.  

We are acutely aware of the number of people looking for 'product neutral' courses. We do our very best to teach you in the most brand-neutral manner possible, however we have chosen to teach with Artistic Nail Design products as our core system. Through years of experience we have come to regard these as the highest quality, most reliable, and best value products on the market. We have the choice to align ourselves with any brand and choose Artistic. As you gain experience post-graduation you will learn that the application methods of different brands vary greatly, so while there are some courses that claim to be 'brand neutral', you will still be learning with a specific brand and focussing primarily on the methods required for that brand. We will do our best to give you a wide, well-rounded education that can be applied to any brand you wish to use in future. Most brands offer a 1-day 'cross over' course to make sure you understand any differing prep and application steps if you decide to change (although we think you will like Artistic!)

We choose to use Artistic Nail Design's Lacquer, Gel Polish, Dipping, Acrylic, Hard Gel and PolyGel Systems during all lessons, combining these base systems with many other brands depending on which product we feel is best for the job. We do sell Artistic products online as well. The application procedures for each brand differ slightly so while we attempt to teach you in the most non-brand specific manner possible, we won't be able to troubleshoot any issues you have with other brands.

This course is taught entirely in English however you are welcome to have an interpreter with you during live lessons (this would be at your own cost). With your Assessments, most of them are practical. The Theory Assessment is done online so that you can take your time, at home in your most comfortable environment. There is a time limit to ensure that you don't just look up every answer but you can also reattempt it every 12 hours. If that still sounds daunting, you can submit your Theory Assessment orally, with an Educator asking questions out loud in a conversational manner, as if they were a client trying to get advice. You reply in conversation and your Educator will note your score as you go. You can avoid a time limit by agreeing to complete the Assessment in a 'closed book' manner.

At Monaco Nail Academy, we understand that learning disabilities vary and that everyone learns differently. Our courses have been developed with input from neurodivergent individuals and graduates with learning disabilities (such as but not exclusive to dyslexia) to ensure we provide an inclusive learning environment for all students. Most of the Assessments we require you to pass are practical, and very relaxed. You chat to your client while completing a full service. It feels like you're just working in a salon. The Theory Assessment is done online so that you can take your time, at home in your most comfortable environment. There is a time limit but you can also reattempt it every 12 hours. If that still sounds daunting, you can submit your Theory Assessment orally, with an Educator asking questions out loud in a conversational manner, as if they were a client trying to get advice. You reply in conversation and your Educator will note your score as you go. You can avoid a time limit altogether by agreeing to complete the Assessment in a 'closed book' manner. Here’s how else we support you:

• Tailored Course Design: Our course materials and assessments are designed with the needs of neurodivergent individuals and those with learning disabilities in mind. We aim to make learning as accessible and manageable as possible.
• Community Support: You’re not alone! Our supportive community, including current and past students, is here to help. Connect with others who have similar experiences and find encouragement and advice.
• One-on-One Mentoring: If you need extra support, you can book one-on-one sessions with a mentor. They can walk you through the assessment and provide personalized assistance to ensure you understand the material and feel confident in your progress.
• Inclusive Language: We strive to use inclusive and respectful language throughout our courses and communications. We believe in acknowledging disabilities to ensure everyone knows they are welcome and supported in our community. We are not infallible though, so please tell us if you spot something you think we should reconsider!

At Monaco Nail Academy, we’re committed to creating a learning environment where everyone can thrive. If you have any specific concerns or needs, please reach out to us—we’re here to help!    

This is a question we get a lot! Monaco Nail Academy is definitely not 'just' a place for young people and that's one of the things we love about it. The youngest person to Graduate so far was 16 and the oldest in their 60s. At a guess we would say the average age is anywhere between 28-38.

We don't have an official minimum but the youngest we have had graduate was 16. Since we don't accept student loans and people use 'real money' to enrol, we usually just give everyone the benefit of the doubt that either they cared enough to work hard and save, or someone believed in them enough to lend them the money. So far this theory has worked out! The only thing we sometimes notice from teens is that they expect a lot more hand-holding than people who've been out of school for a while. As long as you're self motivated and have lots of initiative you will be absolutely fine and will have lots of support from us.

When you meet the criteria of the Foundation Certificate of Nail Technology, you will receive a certificate from Monaco Nail Academy. Our certificates are recognised nationwide. We also have graduates working across Australia.

Many of our graduates choose to work from home as an extra income. You can do this, or you can open a salon, apply for salon-based jobs, work on a mobile basis, or freelance on photoshoots and film sets - you could even work on a cruise ship! You will be fully qualified and ready to work - in fact we encourage you to start working on understanding friends and family as you learn each new skill rather than waiting for graduation.

Not quite - requirements differ between city councils. So in Auckland for example you do need to be qualified, but it doesn't need to be NZQA.

Definitely not. In a recent survey of New Zealand salon owners, 0% of those surveyed said NZQA credits were a priority when employing new staff. When asked specifically to talk about NZQA, salon owners were nonchalant. In fact, I can quote one as replying to the question ‘How do you feel about NZQA’ with ‘Ho hum, really’! It would appear (and we agree) that NZQA isn’t everything. While it’s nice to have NZQA credits on your Record of Learning, not all industries prioritise those credits over all others. In the New Zealand Nail Industry, the quality of your work, variety of skills gained, and your overall attitude rank higher on their wishlists than NZQA credits (which to be honest, don’t actually appear on their wish lists at all).

There is definitely enough work out there. Most people work for themselves by choice but if you're wanting to work in a salon that's great - salon owners are starved for staff because so many people want to work from home - good salon workers are hard to find. If you do choose to work from home, again there are plenty of clients to go around, but of course you do have to put in the work to promote yourself.

We can definitely help, but this is not something we do regularly. Out of everyone who has ever completed our qualification over the last 10 years, we know of roughly 5 Graduates who have actively looked to work for someone else after qualifying - everyone else chose to work for themselves, either from home, in a commercial space or renting a table in a salon. We can however help you with whichever path you choose. We had 3 Graduates get employment with Leah Light Nails and Beauty Studios and we also get salons regularly asking us to help them find staff - we post these job opportunities in our Novice/Grads Facebook group, which you will get access to after you enrol.

Absolutely. When you finish your practical classes, you will have all the knowledge you need, but may still have some practice to do in some practical areas. We work extremely hard to make sure by the time you graduate you do so with an exceptional skill level, evidenced by the exams you do.

You are required to have models for most lessons for the most realistic learning experience. You can see exactly when models are required on the Lesson Guide for each Module, found here. It is your responsibility to ensure that the model has reasonable expectations about the service she will receive. Lessons are planned to give you plenty of time to practice but some application methods will be more difficult than others and in some cases you may not complete the full set. A sheet giving tips on finding models can also be found on this page. You are welcome to share models with a fellow student if they are studying the same topic and live in the same area as you. You do one hand each, taking a lot of pressure off your timing. Use your Regional Facebook Group Chat to communicate with other students and coordinate sharing.

• Ask your friends and family first – they are more reliable and more likely to be honest with you!
• Go on Facebook and advertise on your local community pages. Search terms such as –
  • ‘Grapevine’
  • ‘Buy Swap Sell’
  • ‘Trade’ or ‘Trading’
  • ‘Pay it Forward’
  • Your/Our suburb or city name
  • ‘Mum’ (for parenting groups, all Mums need pampering!)
• Create a Facebook page and post your work regularly, calling for models each time
• Create a public Facebook event detailing what you need and when. Invite your entire Facebook friends list and encourage your friends to invite their friends by offering a free cuticle oil to anyone who refers a friend.
• Advertise on Neighbourly
• Approach local kindys, schools, women’s gyms and other female-centric businesses and ask to advertise in their mailers or to give a half price appointment once you’re qualified to any one of their staff members who helps out as a model
• Approach the Women’s Refuge or Ronald McDonald House – they definitely deserve pampering!
• Approach Look Good Feel Better and Dress for Success
• Put flyers on Uni Noticeboards and Community Centre Noticeboards
• Ask EVERYONE. The check out girl at Pak n Save might be dying to have her nails done!

 

Sure! Use your Regional Group Chat to coordinate this.

We can't stress enough that this should be a last resort. As per our T&Cs, this can mean in some cases having to pay to make up missed sessions. If you do have to call in sick though, please use the Students and Graduates Facebook Group or your Student Group Chat. We have different educators on different days and all of them work from their own salons so there is no shared phone line. If you post in the Facebook Group, anyone who needs to see it, will. No one wants a PM on their day off.