Career Overview
Clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails. May polish or decorate nails.
Also Known As
- Manicurist
- Nail Technician (Nail Tech)
- Pedicurist
Alternate Job Titles
- Fingernail Former
- Fingernail Sculptor
- Fingernail Sculpturer
- Fingernail Technician
- Licensed Nail Technician (Licensed Nail Tech)
- Manicurist
- Nail Artist
- Nail Technician (Nail Tech)
- Pedicurist
- Salon Nail Technician (Salon Nail Tech)
- Spa Nail Technician (Spa Nail Tech)
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Clean and sanitize tools and work environment.
- Apply undercoat and clear or colored polish onto nails with brush.
- Maintain supply inventories and records of client services.
- Shape and smooth ends of nails, using scissors, files, or emery boards.
- Prepare nail cuticles with water and oil, using cuticle knives to push back cuticles and scissors or nippers to trim cuticles.
- Prepare customers' nails in soapy water, using swabs, files, and orange sticks.
- Remove previously applied nail polish, using liquid remover and swabs.
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Near Vision
- Finger Dexterity
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Oral Expression
- Speech Recognition
- Manual Dexterity
- Oral Comprehension
- Selective Attention
- Control Precision
- Speech Clarity
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Social Orientation
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Empathy
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Relationships
- Support
- Independence
- Recognition
- Achievement
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
Tools & Equipment
- Callus shavers
- Credit card processing machines
- Cuticle knives
- Cuticle nippers
- Cuticle pushers
- Cuticle scissors
- Dry heat sterilizers
- Electronic cash registers
- Emery boards
- Finger separators
- Finishing nail stones
- Foot baths
- Laptop computers
- Manicure airbrushes
- Manicure tables
Work Environment
- Exposed to Contaminants
- Physical Proximity
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
- Contact With Others
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $27,910 |
| Median | $34,660 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $47,990 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 147,820
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.