3 Tips for Starting a Career as a Nail Technician

If you are creative, detail-oriented, a fast worker, and enjoy meeting new people, you will love starting a career as a nail technician. Nail salons can see over 100 clients per day and the great thing about nails is that they will always need to be redone in a couple of weeks. This means that you have entered an industry that has a continuous need to be replenished. As the economy continues to grow and the population continues to rise, more and more potential clients will become available. But how do you begin?

Salons want to hire licensed nail technicians because this formal education reinforces the quality of work that they are offering their clients. Questions you are asking yourself may include: How do I find a nail technician school? What kind of opportunities will be available after I graduate? How do I get a job? In truth there are three specific topics you should focus on when starting your new career as a nail technician: education and training, networking, and creativity.

Education and Training

The first step in starting your new career as a nail technician is to find the right school. You want to get into a program that offers training in various popular types of nail care techniques. Currently, the Florida Academy offers training in Nail Art, 3D inlay, hand painting, shellac, electric and manual filing, and acrylic, among other specialties. This is in addition to teaching students the basic anatomy of the hands and feet and how to properly identify the existence of diseased or infected tissue. Our program is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE) which is a national-level accreditation. Both of these organizations only accredit schools that are meeting their high standards of individualized private education in technical occupations. In other words, these are the seals of approval you want on your education to know that you are getting set up for success.

Networking

Like most industries these days, the beauty industry is all about networking. Who you know, what you know, what they know about you—it all matters! When starting your career, it is best to first start with your school’s affiliations. Former graduates of your school who have established themselves within a company, or started their own business, are more prone to recruit fellow alumni. Also, many salons will align themselves with a program which allows them to recruit straight from the school. It is also strongly recommended that you create a portfolio of your work. That means take pictures; document your techniques; show the world what you can do! Having this running record of your artwork makes it easier to self yourself to potential employers and also for professors or clients to refer you out to their friends and connections.

Keep an Open Mind

Doing nails is more than just, well, doing nails. It is an art form and you are the aspiring artist. The difference between your art and the pieces hanging up in galleries is that you have a very small pallet, you have a time limit, and you cannot stick to only one type of theme. There are several different mediums of nail art, and each technique has its own specifications. The key to being successful as a nail technician is to learn and master each of these techniques and to continue to learn new trends as they emerge. Do not limit yourself to one style or you will not make it very far. Every client has their own tastes and desires. The more versatile you can be, the more clients you can serve.

Get Started

You can have a profitable career as a nail technician, but you have to be willing to work for it. Hard work, dedication, and good organizational skills are important to succeed in this business. Just like any artist has to get their name out to the world and display their talent for everyone to see, you must be willing to do the same. But do not fret! You already have what it takes! Call Florida Academy and let us help you start the career you have been waiting for!