How to Become a Nail Technician

British households are spending more on beauty treatments than ever before. Statistics suggest that the average man is spending £3,366.35 on beauty per year, whilst the average woman spends £3,059.91 annually. This makes specialising in a beauty service, such as becoming a nail technician, a financially lucrative career move right now. Nail technicians are specialist beauticians who focus on repairing, polishing and decorating their clients’ nails. Many nail technicians will also offer pedicure services.

If you have a passion for beauty and are a confident people person, then choosing a career as a nail technician could be the right path for you. But how much is a nail technician salary and how many nail technician jobs are available? Here’s everything you need to know about how to become a nail technician:

What is a Nail Technician

A nail technician, or nail expert, is an individual who grooms and tends to an individual’s nails. The most common services offered by nail technicians include filing and shaping nails, manicures and pedicures, painting nails, and offering more advanced services such as gel nails or acrylic nail extensions. Some nail technicians offer specialist nail art, painting beautiful patterns and designs onto their clients’ nails and commanding higher fees for doing so. Some nail technicians also offer hand and foot massages as part of their services, but you may need additional beautician training in order to offer these advanced services.

Working as a nail technician is a great way to express your creativity, as you will be able to explore unique nail art and colour patterns with your clients. What many people also find appealing about this career path is the flexibility it offers. If you choose to work as a freelance nail technician then you can set your own working hours, working around your lifestyle and your other commitments. If you work in a salon environment then your hours will be more fixed, and it is likely that you will work a set shift pattern. It is likely that you will also have to work some evenings and weekends to fit around your clients, with Saturdays being the busiest day of the week in most nail salons, and evening and weekend appointments being the most sought after. Even in a salon environment, the more established you become, the more flexible you can be. This is because your loyal client base will keep returning to you and will be more likely to work around your schedule.

Personal Qualities of a Nail Technician

If you’re thinking of becoming a nail technician, then the following personal qualities will help you to be successful in the role:

• Excellent people skills and communication skills. As nail technicians are constantly client-facing, you need to be comfortable being around other people all day and making small talk with individuals from a wide range of different backgrounds
• High-level customer service skills, and the ability to leave your customers feeling satisfied at the end of their treatments. Your customer service skills may also help you to sell additional products to your clients, which could increase your income considerably
• Steady hands and the ability to work well with your hands
• An interest in beauty, particularly nails, and a desire to keep up with the latest trends within the beauty and nail industry
• Good creative and artistic skills if you are planning to specialise in providing nail art services
• Patience and keen attention to detail, as creating nail art designs can be both fiddly and time-consuming. The average nail makes a very small canvas!
• Good hygiene practices, to ensure that your tools and workstation is always as clean as possible. Your role will involve washing both your hands and your workstation, between each client
• Good written communication skills, as you will be required to keep records of each of your clients and any treatments they receive
• Basic computer and telephone skills so that you can take bookings from your clients and keep a clear diary of any upcoming appointments
• The ability to be flexible and open to change. From a change of appointment times to a change of treatment, dealing with changes for your clients in a calm and controlled manner will help you to grow your business and make your clients feel better at ease
• Good active listening skills. This will enable you to listen to, and engage with, your clients whilst you are also concentrating on providing the highest possible quality of nail services to them
• Finally, you will need to have good sales skills. As a nail technician, a huge part of your role will involve selling products, services, and ultimately yourself! If your clients like you then they will keep coming back to see you again

What a Nail Technician Does

The role of the nail technician will be different each day and will depend largely on the needs of the clients that you are seeing. One day you might be painting a sophisticated bridal manicure, the next you might be applying leopard print nail art! No matter what colours or patterns you are using, as an entry-level nail technician a large part of your role will involve:

• Cleaning and shaping finger and toenails. Cuticle treatment and removal will also form a part of this basic nail management service
• Painting and colouring clients’ nails. This will involve showing your client samples of all the nail colours that you offer and working with them to choose a colour where necessary. Use your expertise to provide help and advice on the best colour for the occasion, for example
• Preparing the nail base. This could involve either removing previously applied nail varnish or removing previously applied gel or acrylic extensions
• Check for any signs of skin or nail problems before treatment. If you notice these, you should be able to calmly but firmly advise your clients to seek advice and support from their GP or other healthcare service
• Offering nail care and treatment tips to help clients prolong their nail colour and improve their nail health
• Sterilise all nail tools and other equipment before and after use, ensuring they are clean and prepared for each new client
• Clean the nail bar or beauty station before and after use. If you are self-employed, ensure that your equipment is all well cleaned and that you leave the space you are working at in your clients’ homes clean and tidy too
• Encouraging clients to book their next appointments and ensuring that your schedule is booked and maintained in advance
• Building rapport and relationships with your clients and working to maintain these relationships at each appointment

If you choose to undergo further training and specialise in offering additional services to your clients, then your day-to-day role could also include offering the following treatments to your clients:

• Applying acrylic or gel nail extensions for your clients. These can be shaped in a variety of ways and are available in several different length options depending on your client’s needs
• Creating unique nail art designs, and hand painting these onto your clients’ nails. Alternatively, you could create nail art by using nail stencils or nail wraps. This would create a more uniform design, but without the unique skill of hand-drawn art
• Applying nail stones, jewels or diamantes. These are often applied over nail art or nail varnish
• Offer hand and foot massages as part of a relaxing hand or foot treatment programme

How Much Does a Nail Technician Earn?

Your earnings as a nail technician will depend on whether you choose to work within a salon environment or as a self-employed business owner, how much experience you have in the field, and the types of services you offer.

Freelance technicians set their own rates, whilst if you work in a salon, you can either work as a salaried employee or rent a chair in the salon. Chair rental works in different ways in different salons: You could either pay the salon a monthly or daily fee to work from their premises or you will pay them a percentage of what you earn from each client. As a salaried employee you will earn either an hourly rate or an annual salary, with high-end salons paying slightly more than high street ones. Salary ranges vary wildly but expect to earn between £12,500 and £25,000 in a full-time salaried role, taking in all of the factors outlined above.

If you’re just starting out as a nail technician, you may choose to do so in conjunction with your existing career. You can expect to set a rate of between £14 and £45 per nail treatment (with the lower rate set for simple nail shaping and polishing jobs, and the higher for gel or extension services). If this route is the most appealing to you, don’t forget to factor in the cost of purchasing your tools and products, as well as any insurance you will need and your travel costs. Before you set your treatment prices, take time out to conduct thorough research into the prices being charged by other mobile nail technicians in your area to ensure that your prices are competitive.

Qualifications Needed for a Nail Technician

If you’re thinking of becoming a qualified nail technician, then the two most popular routes into this career are to take a college course or apply for an apprenticeship. It isn’t a legal requirement to have a qualification to work as a nail technician, but most employers and clients would prefer that you did. The following qualifications would all be beneficial when applying for a salon nail technician role or starting your own business as a nail technician:

Level 3 Nail Technician Course
Level 3 Make Up Artist and Nail Technician Course
Level 3 Nail Technician and Start Your Own Business Course

You’ll usually need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, to begin working on a level 3 course. If you don’t already have these qualifications, then you could also look at level 1 or 2 courses and use the credits you earn within these courses towards your application for a level 3 course.

If you would prefer to become a nail technician via the apprenticeship route, then a nail services technician intermediate apprenticeship. This is a 12-month programme that is made up of workplace and home study. To be eligible for a nail technician apprenticeship you will need some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent.

On the Job Training

Once you are a qualified nail technician, you could choose to undergo on the job training to enhance and diversify the treatments that you can offer to your clients. Makeup artists and nail technicians often work closely together, so securing a qualification in makeup artistry would enhance your portfolio, enabling you to offer both makeup and nail services for occasions such as weddings, parties, and big events.

If you wish to enhance the nail technician skills that you offer to your clients, then many nail artists are self-taught. If you’re creative and patient, then you could practice your nail artistry techniques independently (using nail blanks) before offering these services to clients. There are also nail artistry courses available. Undertaking a massage course would also be beneficial, as this would enable you to offer more high-end hand and nail services to your clients with incorporate hand massage, giving your business a new revenue stream.

Professional Bodies

The Federation of Nail Professionals (FNP) is a relatively new organisation, having been established in 2020, and is the only professional body specifically aimed at nail technicians in the UK. Membership of a professional body such as the FNP is a great way to demonstrate to your clients or employers that you are committed to pursuing a career as a nail technician and developing your skills within the industry. Some of the benefits of membership to the FNP include: having your name and the services you offer listed on their directory of members, access to a peer mentorship programme, and professional support and advice when you need it.

If you plan to diversify the services that you offer, then you may find that membership to a less specific professional body better suits your needs. The Beauty Guild is a professional body that welcomes nail technicians, beauty therapists and holistic therapists to register their services on their database, helping to drive up standards and increase accountability across the beauty industry.