Nail technician courses

A nail technician is someone who will provide manicures, pedicures, and other various nail treatments depending on the needs of a client’s nail care, as well as their preferences. They are usually self-employed or work in salons, spas, barbershops, or nail salons.

They help groom, shape, and paint a client’s fingernails and toenails, whilst being responsible for the care and decorating of both. With this, they need to have an understanding of the biology of these two body parts, so they know how to best treat them.

Nail technicians will also apply and design acrylic and gel false nails, groom a client’s cuticles, remove calluses and dead skin, remove shellac nail polish, provide arm and leg massage, and much more.

According to National Careers Service, the starting wage for a nail technician is £15,500 per year, going up to £25,000 for a more experienced technician.

The average hourly base salary is currently £11.29p/h, meaning the average annual salary is £22,015 p/y.

• Nail clippers
• Different types of nail
• Nail files
• Glue
• Buffers
• Sanitisers
• Cuticle clippers
• Cuticle oil

An attractive aspect of this job role is the flexibility it can bring. If you are a freelance nail technician and work for yourself, you can pick and choose your own hours to fit your lifestyle.

If you work in a salon or spa, your hours are often set. Most of the time you will be required to work weekends as Saturday tends to be a salon or spa’s busiest day, so you must be prepared to give up some of your weekends. You should also be aware that you will be required to work in the afternoons or evenings, as this is when people book most of their treatments.

Some nail bars offer chair rental, so you are working in a salon meaning you may only receive a percentage of each client’s money paid and will need to pay the salon a monthly or daily fee.

If you market yourself well and get yourself a loyal client base, being a nail technician can be a very flexible and rewarding career choice.

The study method you choose depends on your personal learning style. Your options are:

Study pack: if you choose the study pack option, you will be sent a set of printed course materials.

Study online: if you choose this option, you will be sent your login details to our online portal through which you will access your course materials digitally. You can access your course via a desktop/laptop computer, tablet, or smartphone.

When you enrol on an A Level course with OSC, you will receive the following benefits:

• Dedicated personal tutor support with unlimited email access.
• Dedicated learner services from our learner services team.
• Course materials with learning activities.
• Assignment marking and feedback from your personal tutor.
• A predicted grade on completion of your tutor-marked assignments, if required for your university application.
• A free CV writing service and employability guide if you’re focusing on career advancement.
• A free Student Discounts membership to save you money on your favourite brands.
• The option to add your exams (and practical assessments where applicable) to your enrolment, meaning we will book and pay for your exams and assessments on your behalf, giving you one less thing to worry about and allowing you to focus on your studies instead.