what i don't get, and no offence to the guy who started this thread, is why people think its ok to teach themselves on other peoples property, using materials someone else is paying for, and quite possibly destroying someones house and devaluing it massively when they **** it up.
i was a plasterer for years doing internals on new builds mainly and traditional sand and cemenet renders but had never done mono, i wanted to get into it so i struck a deal with a guy i knew who was the dogs bollox at it, the deal was if i got a job in mono i'd finance it, pay upfront for scaff, materials etc base coat it, and bead it up so all had to do was turn up and hand ball it on with me and i'd split the profit 50/50 it was a good screw for him for a days work on a gable or front of a house and i learned from one of the best without putting the job, and/or the customers property, at risk.
if you can't do a deal like that with someone then go on a course, build a training wall in your back garden and have a few goes until you master it, but don't use a house, especially someone elses house as a training wall, that's just disgraceful.