Career Advice on How to Become A Manicurist and Pedicurist |
General Career Information |
| Hope you like really scary feet. While it is possible to mix words about the nature of this job, working as a manicurists or pedicurist can often boil down to telling a woman, usually it’s a woman, that her feet are some of the “prettiest” that you have ever seen. By “prettiest” you mean that her feet resemble the feet of a mythical creature like an orc, or perhaps the more pleasant Minotaur. The setting of the nail salon may seem like a fun enough place, but remember, as a manicurist or pedicurist, you will be trying to make women look better. Often this will be a lost cause. Much of your job entails working on nails both on the hand and on the feet. |
Career Facts: |
In addition to working on the lovely fingernails and toenails of their clients, usually a ragtag collection of beasts of various sorts and ages, the manicurist and pedicurists also works with estheticians that provide other treatments such as massages and hair removal. Oh yes, there is a lot of hair that needs to be removed. |
Career Opportunities and Job Outlook- Very Good: |
| American vanity knows no bounds. As a result, you can expect to see a very impressive nineteen percent growth in the numbers of manicurists and pedicurists in the United States between now and 2018. While this number is strong, the number for estheticians is expected to be a staggering thrity-eight percent. In other words, your job search could potentially be a walk in the part |
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A Day in The Life: |
| Stop for a moment and take a good long look at your own hands and feet. Then look closer for an additional moment. If you cannot stand the sight of your own hands and feet, especially up close, then you have no chance of holding down this job. A day in the life of a manicurist or pedicurist will revolve around working with and reshaping the jagged, unkempt toenails and fingernails of all sorts of creatures. It’s not in any way shape or form as pleasant as it may sound. Manicurists and pedicurists often work in salons or nail salons. Additionally, many can only find part time employment within the profession. |
Average Salary: |
| Now you might be thinking that dealing with smelly feet must pay pretty darn well. Think again. The average pay for a manicurist or pedicurist is about $11 per hour, and that number includes tips. The top earners in the field can earn about $20 per hour, and this is roughly what the top ten percent earns. However, the bottom ten percent of earns only about $7.50 per hour or less than a dollar per toe, per hour. |
Career Training and Qualifications: |
| A degree from a cosmetology school is usually required. In general, the training required for manicurists and pedicurists is considerably less than a barber or hair stylist, for example. Yet most states do require manicurists and pedicurists to pass examinations. |
