We’re starting a new series to inspire all of our current students and graduates! We want to share with everyone how well our Ray Cochrane Students proceed to do after completing their courses.
In today’s piece, we have sat down with Katya Androva who completed our Level 2 & 3 Combined Nail Technician course and is now a successful nail technician. So without further ado, let’s hand it over to Katya, who will tell you all about her motivations, career progression and course experience!
Hello, my name is Katya (IG: katyaandrova2), I am a graduate of Ray Cochrane Beauty School from Bulgaria. My journey started in Italy, where I moved to find new working opportunities with my husband and children. However, after 5 years, I had learnt Italian but was still working in the hospitality industry as a waitress. I was sure this was not what I wanted to do with my life, and the job market was not looking promising.
We decided to return to Bulgaria to rethink our next step, and once we returned, we considered moving to England! It was the next sensible step as my sister was already living there. So we went through the process, and honestly, I was not scared or nervous. I just knew that I wanted to give my family the best life.
When I got here, I managed to settle in quite quickly, made lots of friends with other Bulgarians. However, I quickly realised that most of the people I knew were getting by in life in jobs that didn’t make them happy. This was not what I wanted for myself, so I decided to create plans for my future.
The first step was to learn and practice my English. I signed up for an English course at a local college. I also made friends with parents at my kid’s school encouraging me to practice my English every day. Eventually, I was very confident speaking English and could easily communicate.
The next step was to find a career I was passionate about. The lash extension industry was so popular at the time, and there were many courses available for affordable prices. I got qualified and started securing clients, but I didn’t enjoy it! It was tiring on my back, my eyes would hurt at the end of the day, and it just didn’t suit my personality. I realised then it didn’t just matter about money! I also had to love the job I was doing day after day.
My Passion for Nail Technology
At the time, I was doing my nails on my friends and family and had a steady hand. Once I told them that I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do. They all recommended that I become a nail technician. I enrolled on the nail technology course at Ray Cochrane Beauty School, where I fell in love with everything nails.
On my course, I managed to make friends with my colleagues, who were all from different walks of life. Some of them were mothers like me who were looking to make a change in their life. Some of them were school leavers who had a passion for nails and beauty. Imagine, even some of them were nail technicians who wanted to update their skills!
Honestly, my classmates inspired me and I was able to learn a lot from all of them. The Ray Cochrane staff were also super helpful, and my tutor took the time to explain everything to us, even taught us extra information. I couldn’t have been happier with choosing Ray Cochrane to complete my nail technician course.
IG: katyaandrova2 / FB: https://www.facebook.com/katya.androva
Finding Success as a Nail Technician
Once I had completed my course, I started working as a freelance Nail Technician. Starting was challenging as I had to establish a client base and get my brand out there. I started offering discounted nail work to anyone willing to book me. I knew I needed to practice and build my portfolio before I could start charging what I was worth.
By doing these cheaper nails, I managed to build a portfolio on Instagram and Facebook and get my work seen. The recommendations started pouring in, and I was soon fully booked!
After only being qualified for about 6 months, Londora Nail Boutique reached out to me. They had seen my work on social media and were impressed by how booked I was. They offered me a job and a chair in their busy salon based in Wimbledon. Even though being a Freelance was fun, I decided to juggle both and accepted the offer.
I am so glad I didn’t get scared to change my career path because I am now waking up happy every day. I love my job and am so glad that I decided to pursue a career in Nail Technology and become a nail technician!
Thank you for listening to my story, and I hope that I can show anyone and everyone that it is never too late to find a career you love! Just believe in yourself and take that leap of faith.
