How much does a manicurist earn in a salon and at home: the average salary that manicurists and pedicurists receive in Russia and Moscow

iQ Review Independent journalism

10/13/2015 at 18:32 11 min. 81159

Today IQ Review brings to your attention an introduction to the profession of a manicurist, pedicurist and nail extension specialist. This specialty is purely female, creative, it’s not difficult to learn, and it’s possible to earn money. Readers of our magazine should be interested. A nail technician with extensive experience will tell you more about his work, as well as about the difficulties that everyone who wants to master this interesting profession will have to face.

Why did I choose the profession of a manicurist?
What do they teach in nail service courses?
How to find your first job How to get a job? Looking for a job in a beauty salon
Workflow - how to gain your clients

Why do I work in a salon and not at home?

How much does a manicurist earn?

Pros and cons of the profession

Why did I choose the profession of a manicurist?

My story is similar to thousands of stories of other girls who chose the profession of manicurist and pedicurist. But let's take things in order. My name is Tatyana, I am 45 years old, I live in Vladivostok, and for 25 years I have been a nail service master. Not a manicurist! We really don't like this word. Of course, there is no need to tell you what a manicure is, because every woman has had a manicure done in a salon at least once in her life, and some men too. But, nevertheless, for the uninformed, I will say that a manicurist is a specialist in caring not only for nails, but also for the skin of the hands.

Patterns on nails

For me, choosing a profession is destiny. I got married very early, so I didn’t have a profession. After the birth of my child, I got a job as an administrator in a beauty salon because I didn’t know how to do anything else. They accepted me because of my attractive appearance and the ease with which I got along with people. I chose a girl from a manicure salon as my friend, I often dropped in to chat with her, and so that the hostess wouldn’t grumble, I made an appointment with her for a manicure. Back then I didn’t even think that I would become a manicurist myself. Everything came out naturally.

My friend got married and moved to another city. The salon urgently needed a manicurist, and Tamara Petrovna, the owner of the beauty salon where I worked, sent me in an ultimatum to a training course for manicurists.

My universities

Suppose you woke up this morning and realized that you can’t continue to live like this: the boss is a tyrant, the salary is small, there are no career prospects, and new shoes won’t buy themselves.

“I’ll become a manicurist, let them teach me!” - you decide suddenly.

And here is the first disappointment: becoming a universal nail service master at the click of manicured fingers will not work. You will have to first gain theoretical and practical skills. The basic courses are classical, hardware and combined manicure. In a good manicure school with an experienced teacher and no more than five to seven students per set, a basic course costs about 7,000 rubles.

The second important point is the course of sterilization of instruments. True, in small cities this topic is not given due attention, but in St. Petersburg and Moscow you will not be able to get a job in a decent salon without the appropriate certificate.

And this is just the beginning. To become a good craftsman and set up your own small business, you should also undergo training in:

- leveling the nail plate,

- gel polish coating,

- nail modeling,

- nail modeling without surface filing,

- design.

In St. Petersburg, training will cost approximately 50,000 rubles, in Moscow - twice as much.

In the future, in order to meet the demands of time and modern trends in the world of nail styling, you will have to constantly continue training, take courses and master classes from leading experts. If, of course, we are talking about becoming a pro in your field and earning decent money, and not considering it as a hobby or part-time job.

What do they teach in nail service courses?

Manicure courses were organized in one of the branches of the famous hairdressing academy. I listened to the masters with my mouth open, I wanted to remember and write down absolutely everything. As it turned out, most of the information was never useful to me. But I’ll still tell you in detail what they will teach you in the manicure and nail extension courses.

The first thing that is paid attention to in the courses is the hygiene of the master. However, from everything that was told to us during the courses, there was enough basic knowledge about the use of protective clothing.
The next point in training is the processing of tools. Of course, this is an important point, but an experienced master can teach this in practice in 20 minutes.
The topic “Structure of the nail” is covered in detail. I happily forgot all the clever names that they stuffed us with during the courses within a year.
The most incomprehensible topic for me was “Communication with the client.” Do you think they will teach you how to communicate with a client? These are the pipes! They won’t tell you in the courses that clients can be silent and they come to you for beautiful hands, and not to discuss city news. Nor will they tell you how to correctly understand a client when he is trying to describe the color of nail polish and the shape of the nail that he wants. All they can do is repeat again and again that you need to communicate with the client.
I consider the most important of the theoretical topics to be “Nail Diseases”. Be careful here, because there is nothing worse for a master’s reputation than infecting a client with a fungus. Although, in my opinion, the time allocated for studying this topic is being misused. Students are forced to study diseases of nails and skin in detail, but it would be much more useful to simply show photographs with diseased nails and examples of skin diseases, and say that if it looks like this, then a manicure cannot be done, there is a danger of infection or it is harmful to the client. And if it looks like in these photos, then you can safely take it, because this disease will not harm anyone.
The main topics of the profession - manicure, nail extensions and design - are given so little time that you will not learn anything unless you practice on friends and relatives.

How to find your first job

Women's manicure

How to get a job? Looking for a job in a beauty salon

Now I’ll tell you how to find a job as a manicurist. To get into a more or less decent salon, you need to have experience. If you do not have a certificate of completion of courses or work experience, you can only count on the fact that you will be hired as an apprentice to a master, and will be sent to courses from the salon. But competition in the service market is so high that this option is unlikely.

Material on the topic : How to quickly find a job.

However, even if you completed courses and received a master's degree in any, even the best academy, this does not mean that you will become a good specialist. What kind of master you will be depends on you. When you leave the training center, you will know a lot, but you are unlikely to be able to do anything. As for experience, experience is different from experience. Let’s say a course graduate working in a low-traffic salon, even a very expensive and prestigious one, will never have the same experience as the girl who, after completing the course, came to work in an economy class salon with a huge traffic volume.

Workflow - how to gain your clients

If we talk about the peculiarities of the profession, get ready for the fact that sometimes you will have to sit alone in the salon all day long, because not a single client may come during the entire working day. Be prepared for the fact that there will be many such days, and even when you become a master, empty days will still happen. This is one of the disadvantages of the profession, but you can’t do without it. People are such that they don’t want to go to a beginner, even if you are a three-time master, they don’t know about it yet. And if a good master with a huge client base works in the salon, then be prepared for the fact that visitors go to him, and if he is busy, they make an appointment with him the next day, refusing to be served by you. This is the time to burst into tears! On days like these you want to drop everything, spit and leave.

But I didn't leave. I gained my clients in about a year. And big earnings started 2 years later. In the work of a nail service master, it is important to be not only professionally trained, but also a little bit of a psychologist. Clients come across different types, you also need to be prepared for this. It is necessary to understand what the client wants.

Not all people can explain what they want. Oval nail shapes do not always turn out to be oval, and red polish is red. Ask clarifying questions.

Create a portfolio to show examples of your work, then it will be easier for the client to navigate her expectations. It's normal if you feel scared at the very beginning of your working life. You may be afraid of cutting the client, afraid that after the service the client will say that you are a useless master. All these fears pass, confidence appears, and over time you will not even remember how you overcame your fears.

Where do manicurists train?

Every day new pedicure and manicure specialists appear, creating competition for those who have been working profitably in this field for a long time. The educational center in Chelyabinsk trains highly qualified nail service specialists who are able to perform work of any complexity - manicure, pedicure, extensions, which is very profitable for the masters.

Is it possible to learn on your own at home, using videos on the Internet or the experience of friends? It is possible, but learning the basics of the profession, turning a beginner into a professional online is almost impossible. An undertrained master will not withstand the high competition in the nail services market. And such a master will spend a very long time developing his skills, since no one will control errors in work or help correct poor-quality manicure.

Hardware manicure “PUMPING” for masters with experience working with the device.

After completing the course you will acquire additional professional skills:

— speed (manicure + removal + coating in 1 hour)

— quality of manicure “clean does not mean long”

4000 rub.

More details

Preparation for championships and competitions Trainings on all types of competitive movement

1500 rub.

More details

Hardware manicure “Flexible disk” An innovative method of treating nails with a soft cutter from the INKI company

6000 rub.

More details

Manicure + gel polish We invite everyone who loves the popular gel polish coating to free training using professional safe materials.

0 rub.

More details

Perfect nails Perfect natural nails - it's possible!

ARTICURE - all techniques for leveling, repairing and creating beautiful shapes of nails in a three-day intensive course

6000 rub.

More details

Pedicure specialist 3rd category Basic course with the qualification “Pedicure specialist 3rd category” - the basis of nail service. You will master all modern techniques of classical, drug, hardware pedicure, learn how to work with SMART discs, and an introduction to podiatric problems will allow you to work with complex legs.

17500 rub.

More details

Hardware pedicure - basic The course is designed for beginners and working professionals. All hardware technologies are tested in practice

cutters

disposable caps

Advantages of learning manicure at professional courses

studying at Uchebnoye is profitable, since little time is spent on it, and the price of training is fully paid off in the first weeks of independent profitable work;
The Training Center employs nail service experts who monitor the quality of work performed, record errors, and help work with first clients
The Training Center provides all the necessary materials to learn how to do high-quality manicures and extensions;
in professional courses, future specialists can be trained from scratch, so initial preparation is not required;
The CA will definitely help you find a profitable job so that the competition does not swallow up the master in the very first days of work;
specialists are trained individually from scratch
The courses will tell you how to find profitable and advantageous working conditions.

You can list the advantages of studying endlessly, and to see this, you can visit the Educational City of Chelyabinsk.

The path of a beginning specialist is not at all as difficult as it might seem. Many people dream of starting a profitable business, but not everyone knows how to start.

Why do I work in a salon and not at home?

Different patterns on nails
Many girls, having learned the craft of a manicurist, do not find employment in salons, but Freelancing for beginners, or How to become a freelancer on Upwork. Step-by-step guidework from home or go to clients. I'm sure this is not the best use of your skills. I think this is unprofessional. The sterility of instruments suffers; if you go to a client’s home, you don’t always know exactly what instruments you may need, so you either forget something or carry around unnecessary ones. The lighting may be poor, and the client may be distracted by household members. You can set up an office at home and calmly work as a manicurist at home, you say.

How much does a manicurist earn?

As you understand, your earnings will directly depend on your skills, the salon in which you work, and the services that your salon provides. Is it profitable to be a manicurist? You can't say for sure. There are probably salons where the salary is “white”, but the vast majority of salons work according to a “gray scheme”, so you won’t have to count on a full social package. However, receiving a salary “in an envelope”, a good master can easily save for a future pension and still live comfortably.

Once in one of the printed publications I saw a list of professions whose workers remain satisfied with their earnings even during a crisis. In the first place there were manicurists, cosmetologists and hairdressers. How do hairdressers live? People want to look good at any time, so the profession will always be in demand. In addition, clients, as a token of gratitude, bring flowers and sweets, coffee and elite alcoholic drinks to their masters, and this is not only pleasant, but also economically beneficial.

The earnings of craftsmen can range from a couple of thousand rubles to several tens of thousands. For example, at the very beginning of my activity I did not receive even 3 thousand rubles (if you focus on today’s prices). Now my average salary is 63 thousand rubles per month. But, again, I note that this is an average figure. Before the New Year or graduation ceremonies, I can earn more than 100 thousand rubles. Earnings can also include tips left by grateful clients. Yes, this happens, and quite often.

Handyman working at home

Providing manicure services at home is very popular among nail technicians. Working from home not only increases profits due to the absence of rental payments, but also allows you to arrange your work schedule in accordance with your personal needs. If there are any things to do, then the master can arrange a record of clients in such a way as to have time to get everything done.

The salary of a master at home depends on the established client base and level of skill. On average, you can earn from 15,000 to 50,000 rubles by providing manicure services. But before starting work, the master will have to spend money on purchasing equipment and materials. First, a beginner will have to recoup his costs. This may take a month or more. It is also worth considering that clients will not pay newcomers like experienced professionals.

The manicurist will talk about his experience in the video:

At the initial stage, prices are set at no more than 300-600 rubles. With full employment, taking into account that the master will rest on weekends and holidays, you can earn 15,000-20,000 rubles. As you gain experience and have regular customers, you can gradually increase the price for the services provided. High professionalism will allow you to earn up to 50,000-60,000 rubles. for a month. But you shouldn’t count on such income in the first months of work.

Pros and cons of the profession

The work of a nail service master
The work is creative, it is interesting and pleasant for a person who is passionate about his work to work. But, like any profession, there are also obvious disadvantages .

You need to carefully monitor your health - most masters develop back diseases over the years - because you will constantly sit in one position, leaning towards the client’s hand. Here, at least five minutes of exercise during breaks between work will help you.
You constantly work with chemicals, breathe them, remove tools from disinfectant solutions, so many craftsmen have allergic diseases, skin diseases, and respiratory diseases.
You need to be prepared for the fact that your earnings will not always be stable. For example, in winter they are significantly reduced - women wear gloves.
Sometimes you get so tired of communicating with clients that you no longer want to talk to anyone, but you probably have a family that is waiting for your attention. Be prepared for such difficulties.

If you are still sure that you want to become a manicurist, then here is my only advice: always do the job with 100 percent effort. Be attentive and diligent - clients notice everything, and if you don’t try, but do your job carelessly, then they won’t come back to you.

Try to learn new techniques and improve your skill level. Whenever possible, take part in competitions and attend seminars. And then there will be no end to your clients. And smile! A positive attitude is essential in this job. Watch your appearance, because the proverb “A shoemaker without boots” in our profession is equal to disaster. The client is almost constantly looking at your hands, keep them in perfect order, just like your workplace. By following these rules, you will become an excellent manicurist, I have no doubt about it.