A nail technician is responsible for ultimately giving manicures, pedicures and other nail treatments to a client. In addition, they create incredible visual displays of art on nails, enhancing the beauty of their clients. So, what qualities and skills make a nail technician successful?
You’ve come across this page because you want to be the best nail tech you can be. Well, you’ve come to the right place. At Ray Cochrane Beauty Aesthetics Academy, we take aspiring nail technicians and teach them how to become successful and talented nail artists. As a result, we can guarantee that once you have finished reading this guide, you will feel confident and understand the qualities and skills a nail technician must have to become successful in their business.
So, let’s get started.
1) Passion & Commitment
Think of the saying, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” In a career as a Nail Technician, you have to be passionate about your job. Becoming a Nail Technician is a role you should avoid if you want to make some quick money. There might be times when you’ve been working on a set of nails for a couple of hours, and it will only be your passion that will keep you going.
Commitment is also crucial, as there will be many setbacks when starting your career; that’s just the way of life. But if you commit to becoming successful as a nail technician, you can turn those setbacks into lessons.
2) Practice, Practice and more Practice
When starting as a Nail technician, it might seem more fun to start with the intricate designs immediately. However, work your way up to the more complicated techniques by mastering the basics first. Practice at any opportunity on friends, family, clients, or just completing case studies.
You will still need to practice, even when thoroughly trained and qualified. So you will always be learning, whether it’s on improving your business or technical skills.
Watch tutorials, attend beauty shows and sign up for classes. There will always be a new tip or trick for you to pick up.
3) Creativity
You must bring your own unique creative flare as a Nail Technician/Artist. There are already many established Nail Technicians; what makes you so different? Find a creative way to set yourself apart from others, whether it’s your setting, the products used, or your designs.
Keep up with the industry trends, attend art classes, practice your freehand skills, or whatever will take you to the next level.
4) Professional Accredited Nail Technician Training
There are many reasons to consider professional and accredited nail technician training. Firstly, you must complete an accredited nail technology course to receive a licence to operate a nail salon in the UK.
Secondly, with an accredited nail training course, you will learn from a curriculum designed to take you from beginner to fully qualified. For example, the VTCT Level 2 & 3 Nail Technician course covers everything you need to start your career as a nail technician. On an accredited course, you must complete a certain amount of hours worth of training which will ensure you are thoroughly prepared. Therefore, an accredited course is a much better and safer option than courses that promise to have you trained in a couple of days. These courses can only cover some of what you need to learn, which might mean you start working as a nail technician when you’re not fully ready.
Throughout an accredited course, you are continually assessed by an expert tutor to track your progress in various ways, including observation of practical work, oral questions, assignments, tests and portfolio evidence. A benefit of learning whilst being assessed is you avoid forming bad or incorrect habits.
5) Health & Safety Training
A successful nail tech is not just someone who knows how to transform your nails from drab to glam; they are someone who knows how to look after their client’s nails.
As a nail technician, there are hidden hazards that you will need to be aware of whilst serving customers. For example, the chemical fumes that exude during nail application can negatively affect your health. In addition, nail polishes, primers, and polish remover can be considered hazardous due to the chemicals, so you will want to be able to avoid direct contact with the skin. Also, the dust that emits from nail filing can be dangerous to inhale and cause irritation. So, learning the correct way to overcome these obstacles is essential for your well-being in the workplace.
In the Level 2 & 3 Nail Technician course, you will learn about various nail diseases. This knowledge will prepare you to provide clients with the proper care and attention. Other elements of health and safety to consider when working as a nail technician are:
- Correct handling of products
- Personal presentation when speaking to others
- Client care and communication
- Proper routines and hygiene when working with clients.
6) Business Knowledge
As a successful nail technician, you will likely be an entrepreneur. When you’re your own boss, you must be proactive in keeping up with the ins and outs of running a business: the licencing, stock orders, taxes and more.
Completing our professional nail course will help you understand the ins and outs of running your own nail business. Not only is it covered in the course modules, but you can also network with other aspiring nail technicians. You can also ask your tutor, a successful nail technician, any questions about running a nail business.
7) Excellent Customer Service
When running a business, it only matters how great your product is if the service delivers. In addition, good customer service increases customer loyalty, retention and conversion.
Paying attention and striking up a conversation with your clients will make them feel more comfortable and at ease. The conversations will also help you learn about their preferences, making your job much easier. As a successful nail technician, you want your client to feel pleased with your work. If the client is uncomfortable around you, they can’t tell you what they honestly think about their nails, which might lead to them leaving unsatisfied. In turn, this will lead to negative word of mouth and, over time, a bad reputation. You don’t want that! Remember to offer your services with a smile.
8) Time Management
Effective time management is not only beneficial for the client, but it’s also beneficial for you. You need to be able to stick to treatment times to avoid overlapping or running behind schedule for appointments.
If you tell your client their appointment will last 1 hour; it has to last an hour. You don’t want an unhappy client in the chair now running late for their plans because of you. When you complete an accredited nail course with us, we teach you to complete your treatments within a set time. Sticking to treatment times will guarantee you fit in more clients daily to make more money.
A part of time management is also reliability. Keep notes of your appointments somewhere you can check the day before to ensure you remember all of them. You can’t be a successful nail technician with a reputation for being unreliable and cancelling appointments last minute.
How can Ray Cochrane Help you to Become a Successful Nail Technician?
Undertaking a professional and accredited nail course with us will ensure you’re on your way to success. Ray Cochrane will prepare you with the specific skills and qualifications needed to take you from a beginner to an expert nail technician.
The VTCT Level 2 & 3 Nail Technician course, taught at Ray Cochrane, covers:
- Manicure
- Pedicure
- UV Gel Nail Extensions
- Acrylic Nail Extensions
- Health and Safety Procedures
- Salon Customer Service skills
- Nail Diseases, Disorders and Contraindications
- Nail Art
We also provide models for you to practice your nail skills on to ensure by the time you finish the course, you can deliver a professional manicure and pedicure to your clients.
Our tutors are all industry experts who are still actively working within the nail industry. They are up-to-date with the latest trends due to their ongoing work. You can rest assured that you are learning from a passionate tutor, who continues to practice, is creative, and has business knowledge and time management skills to teach you how to be successful.
We offer the VTCT Level 2 & 3 Nail Technician Course runs two days per week for 10 weeks or one day a week for 19 weeks, with classes taking place from 10 am to 5 pm. A part-time course will allow you to continue to focus on other commitments in your life whilst pursuing a new career.
At the end of the course, you will receive a globally recognised certificate allowing you to work in nail stations and beauty salons. Our classes are small in size to maximise students’ learning capacity since tutors will be able to give ample attention to students during their time with us, so they feel looked after and receive the support they need.
If you match the following criteria, then you can enrol today:
- A good understanding of the English language
- 18 years old or older
- Keen interest and enthusiasm for the nail industry
- A good basic education
- No previous experience is needed
– Call us on 02074866291
– Email our admission team at admission@raycochrane.co.uk
– Find more information about professional nail technician training, click the link for our VTCT Level 2 & 3 Nail Technician training course: https://www.raycochrane.co.uk/beauty-training-courses/nvq-level-3-nail-technician-course-london/
We look forward to hearing from you and helping you start your facial career in 2022!
