Nail technician
Nail technicians offer customers treatments like nail art, filing, polishing and extensions.
Typical Salary
£19,000 – £23,000
per year
Working Hours
35–39
hours per week
Day-to-day tasks
As a nail technician, you may:
- offer manicure and pedicure treatments
- clean, polish and file nails
- apply or repair false nails, tips and enhancements
- decorate nails with coloured varnish, transfers, gems or glitter
- advise customers on nail care and products
- store chemicals correctly and follow strict hygiene rules
Skills needed
- customer service skills
- the ability to work well with your hands
- active listening skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be flexible and open to change
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to sell products and services
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Entry requirements
Some local authorities request that you are licensed to run a nail business.
How to get into this role
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
Career progression
With experience, you could manage a salon or start your own business.
You could work with photographers, fashion designers or TV companies, preparing nails for photo shoots or fashion shows.
You may want to take further training to learn other beauty techniques or to teach nail art.
You might also move into product sales, selling nail equipment and materials to salons and nail bars.