The face behind the name – meet Abigail James

Have you ever wondered who is behind all of the hard work that Jacalyn James does? Well, now you can find out. Meet our owner Abigail Jacalyn James! Abigail is here to tell you a little bit more about Jacalyn James and answer some questions.

Why did you start Jacalyn James Beauty education?

Jacalyn James is a beauty and aesthetics training academy based in Plymouth, Devon. We also offer training at other locations in Liverpool and Cheshire. Jacalyn James was started off the back of my many years of experience. Working not only in the industry as a therapist, but also having worked with a number of other training providers and suppliers.

One of the common patterns I found was the continued lack of in-depth training courses that provided a rich array of information and really challenged the student. I’m keen to help the industry raise its standards, and to allow therapists to flourish with confidence in their chosen areas of expertise. Expanding knowledge, providing a rich practical training program, alongside in-depth examination and case studies is, for me, key to setting the right expectations and raising those standards.

I have to admit I was never academic and loved all things practical when I was learning. Getting the right balance on Jacalyn James’ courses is important to me. Lots of rich online and upfront theory so that when the student arrives they can maximize the practical day. 

I also believe that, although not essential, salon life is an important aspect of the industry. Our educators, including myself, recognize the importance of training for this environment. We are salon business owners. With many years of experience. Our training and knowledge will support any student when it comes to taking their training forward. And offering treatments successfully within the salon environment.

So what makes Jacalyn James different?

We offer a range of advanced skincare courses as well as myself being the first person to bring No Needle to Devon in 2019. We also offer a range of beauty courses and work as OPI nail educators. As a company we are expanding quickly with lots of new and exciting courses coming!

What makes us different from other training providers is the depth of our courses and the structure in which they are delivered. All students must have a base level of beauty starting with Anatomy and Physiology. We include Free refreshes A&P across all our courses. All students will then have to complete all online pre-studies and exams before they can get onto one of our practical days. It doesn’t matter if a student has 20 years of experience or is a beginner. Passing your pre-study exam is vital.

We also believe that the standards we set with our courses are second to none. Students will be challenged, case studies have to be at a high level, and certification is only given once you have met the standard and criteria expected. Again, this ties in with our drive to help raise stands in the industry and will make our students feel even more confident that they can succeed.

Do you find that when running courses through Jacalyn James, you inspire yourself and others?

As an educator I like to think that I inspire my students to believe that anything is possible with great training and a strong ambition to succeed. I teach a range of students, a number of them being completely new to the industry. I love guiding them towards their goals and seeing them potentially move on to greater achievements in their life. That’s what inspires me.

Do you have any particular passions when it comes to teaching Specific courses?

I love anything that involves the skin. The skin fascinates me and I love sharing my passion and knowledge with students around these subjects. I don’t think I can pick a particular course though. I naturally love all the courses and treatments whether I’m teaching, providing a customer with a treatment, or even receiving treatment myself!

What would you say to a student who has just enrolled on a Jacalyn James course?

Firstly thank you for choosing Jacalyn James, you have made the right choice and we won’t let you down. It’s important to me personally, and the team, that each student knows that we take your training very seriously. Training, personal development, and learning is an important part of an individual’s growth. It’s a commitment of not only time but also a financial commitment. We make sure that our students get the most value out of this commitment of time and money. 

As a beginner, we also recognize the excitement but also at times the heightened anticipation. Myself and the team are here to help every student make this a success. We are here to support and guide students not only through our courses but onwards throughout those important career steps being taken.

Finally, what’s next for the future of Jacalyn James?

We have some pretty exciting things in the pipeline for 2022. Not only are we expanding our course range but we will also be taking a slightly different direction in places with some of the accreditation. All will be revealed in the near future!

Injectable training is also an area that we have looked at expanding into. We do plan to take some small steps into this field. We are very aware of some of the negative news of late which has meant a far more cautious approach.

Finally, we also have changes coming in the business as we expand our locations for training and bring you some exciting online features to help students during their training.

With the possible changes coming into the industry around government legislation and new standards needed to be met, our primary focus is on making sure that what we offer today, and for the future, will not only meet but exceed those standards and the expectations of our students.

Jacalyn James is the perfect place to train for salon/business owners and for beauty students too. Providing high standards of excellent quality training across the nation. We also offer affordable payment plans, ensuring that our courses are accessible to everyone. 

If you would like to further your skills in beauty or skincare, book a place on a course today with Abigail James.
To book a place on any of our courses, you can call us on 01752 418 171, visit our website, message us directly through our Facebook page, or send us an email at [email protected]