Best Nail Tech Schools

Do you want to know which is the best nail tech school? Then you should definitely read this article.

If you are interested in pursuing a career as a Nail Technician, there’s a lot of information that you should consider. With all the information available on the internet, it can get a bit overwhelming trying to decipher what course of action you should take to get started.

That’s where we come in. We’ve done extensive research and compiled the facts for you to help you get started doing what you love. It’s all here — from salary expectations to career outlook, and even a list of the best nail technician schools – to guide you through this difficult process and provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information available on how to become a nail technician.

Read more about pursuing a career as a nail technician below(with our top three schools), or click here to find a nail tech school near you!

What Does a Nail Technician Do?

Nail Technicians, often referred to as Nail Techs or manicurists/pedicurists, often work in salons as well as spas. These individuals clean, trim, shape, and paint nails, in addition to performing advanced techniques like French and American style manicures. They also spend a lot of time conversing with clients. So an outgoing personality would be a great asset for this career choice.

Working in the beauty industry can be very rewarding. That’s one of the main reasons many people go on to pursue this career. Making someone feel beautiful can change their entire outlook, and yours as well. Many people open their own salons and work for themselves as well, making this career choice filled with endless possibilities.

Medical Nail Technician

A medical nail technician works in a podiatry office wherein their job description is:

performs safe cosmetic pedicures on patients in a licensed salon room
assists the physician in his/her podiatry practice.
The medical nail technician salary is higher than that of a regular nail technician salary. According to indeed.com, the medical nail technician salary in California is 19% higher than the national average.

What is the Average Nail Technician Salary?

As with all careers, the salary of a nail technician varies, depending upon location and one’s experience. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary is around $9.24 per hour, which equates to an annual nail technician salary range of more than $19,000.

You may expect to start out at a lower hourly wage, which can be increased with experience. Do not be bummed out if you get a low starting salary as a nail technician. Every job starts that way.

Nail professionals and other beauty professionals often receive tips from happy clients as well. The nail salon technician salary also varies in different states.

Who is the first nail technician?

Based on early recorded history, the first beauty salon to employ manicurists and pedicurists opened to the public in the 1800s. This was when nail care started to boom for people of different socio-economic statuses. The average salary of a nail technician probably did not cost that much before but now, times have changed. Every nail salon must be hiring a nail technician. So there is a high demand that has increased over the years according to the nail salon industry statistics.

Best Paying States for Nail Technicians

Where is the Best Paying Cities for Nail Technicians, you ask? Look no further because we have compiled the states which give a pretty decent average salary of a nail technician. This is in no particular order.

• Iowa
• Missouri
• North Carolina
• Minnesota
• Wyoming
• Wisconsin
• Michigan
• Florida
• Washington
• Kansas

The nail technician hiring rate tends to be higher in these states as well.

Are Nail Technicians in High Demand?

Those working in the beauty industry have a solid career outlook. Concern over one’s appearance is especially important here in the United States; and therefore techs can expect to gain employment fairly easily, especially if you’re good at what you do.

The demand for this career is expected to increase over the next several years by a total of 16 percent. That is faster than the average for all career occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How to Become a Nail Technician

To work in this career, you must first get licensed by your state. To do so, you are required to complete training from cosmetology or one of the nail tech schools, and to successfully pass your state’s board exams. It may seem overwhelming now, but it is attainable, and it’s not as hard as you think! What manicurists and pedicurists do may not be a walk in the park, but it is definitely worth the journey.

Find a Nail Tech School

Your first step will be to find a great school to attend. You may be able to get trained as part of a cosmetology program. However, there are specific schools that have programs just for aspiring technicians. Are you wondering how to find the best school for you? Don’t worry, we’ll cover that later on.

Apply for Admission and Financial Aid

Once you’ve found the school you want to attend, the next step is to apply for admission and financial aid. You can visit fafsa.gov anytime to apply for the current year or the following year’s financial aid. At fafsa.gov, you will enter your school’s code so that the appropriate information is sent there. From there, you will be able to contact your specific school to determine if you will be receiving financial aid; and if so, how much you will be awarded.

Register for Your Classes

Now on to the fun part – registering for your classes. While some find this process challenging, it can be fun and exciting for others. Some beauty schools allow you to register for classes online, while others will require you to do so in person. Either way, you’ll be one step closer to achieving your goal of becoming a licensed technician.

Once you’re enrolled in school and have purchased your required materials, you’ll be beginning your training. The average program consists of around 375 hours of training. In these hours you will learn the skills necessary to have a successful career. Training will most likely take one year or less, but the length of courses does vary from school to school.

Keep Up with the Latest Trends in the Industry

One of the unofficial items in the list of nail technician duties is to keep up with the latest trends in the industry. Nail polish is one of the main tools of manicurists and pedicurists. According to the nail polish industry statistics, more and more people prefer to have nail art. Thus, it is imperative that nail art is included in the nail services aside from manicures and pedicures. This is a part of a nail technician job description as well as in the manicurist job description.

How much does it cost to get a nail technician license?

After you’ve completed your training, you will go on to sit for your state’s nail technician licensing exams. There is typically a fee involved to take these exams, but it’s relatively small and affordable. Once you’ve passed your exam, you will be able to begin looking for jobs in your field. Some schools will help you with this process even after graduation.

How to Find the Best Nail Tech Schools

We thought we’d give you some important tips to consider when choosing a nail tech school. The most important ones would be the prestige, experience of the school, the professionalism and competence of the trainers. Equally important are the teaching techniques, the quality/price ratio, the quality of the products you’ll work with, and the feedback of the ex-students.

It’s quite complicated to find the best nail tech schools. You need to do lots of research before making this decision. There are many nail tech schools but, unfortunately, just a few of them are good. For best results, we need to consider a few elements, such as:

The prestige and seniority of the school

By choosing a school with a history and verifiable results on specialized sites and forums in the field, you have a better chance of obtaining the expected results. Also, a school that promotes a brand of products will always have higher standards because its results influence the brand image.

Teachers

There are many well-trained technicians but only a few know how to convey information and be good teachers. That is why it is good to find out who the teacher/ teachers are. Social networks can be an excellent source of information in this regard.

A good trainer has lots of degrees of continuous improvement, a good reputation, and international studies – these are absolutely necessary. Besides those, you need to take into consideration his portfolio. A good trainer must be well trained not only in terms of the techniques used in his field of activity but also needs to know teaching methodology, pedagogy, and psychology.

Recommendations

If you know people who studied at certain nail tech schools, it is good to ask their opinion. The bad news is spreading fast.

Materials and tools used

A student must be guided in choosing the products and materials they are going to work with. It is very important that the teachers recommend professional products suitable for the techniques learned.

Price

This is the last criterion you should follow. The very low price can be a trap, although a very high one does not necessarily assure us that the school is the best. Professionalism is expensive, and quality must be the main criterion in choosing a school.

The Best Nail Technician Schools

There are many factors to consider when making the decision of what school to attend. You must think about how your school’s schedule will fit into your life, as well as the school’s location, costs, and benefits. We’ve taken the time to weed out the schools that aren’t worth your time or money and come up with a list of the Top 3 Best Nail Tech Schools you to choose from.

3. Milan Institute of Cosmetology

The Milan Institute is a family-owned school that has been helping students get their educations since 1985. With over 25,000 graduates, this school provides hands-on training for qualified educators to give you the experience you need to become successful. The Milan Institute is an accredited school with a reputation in the beauty industry. They are opening doors for potential jobs for graduates.

Why to Choose Milan Institute of Cosmetology?

With locations all over the United States, the Milan Institute of Cosmetology offers a great Manicurist/Technologist Program to help you achieve your goals. This cosmetology school offers the Manicurist Program at the following locations: Reno, Nevada; El Paso, Texas; and two locations in San Antonio, Texas.

At the Milan Institute, students will gain the education and hands-on experience needed to perform manicures, pedicures, apply artificial nails, repair those that are split and broken, and much more. We recommend the Milan Institute of Cosmetology because it’s a smaller, family-owned school that provides plenty of care and attention for each student.

2. The Ogle School of Hair, Skin & Nails

Since 1973, the Ogle School of Hair, Skin, and Nails has been offering students a high-quality education that plants them in their chosen career paths. This school does not offer a separate nail technician program, but the material is covered in their amazing cosmetology program, which can be completed in under one year. Ogle offers a variety of locations throughout the state of Texas.

The cosmetology program at Ogle consists of 1500 hours of hands-on learning that teaches students the basics of the beauty industry, in addition to professional skills that are vital to their success. At Ogle, you’ll learn makeup artist skills and professional barbering skills in addition to nail tech skills. Not only is this nail school accredited, but it also prepared students to take their state’s licensing exams, and strives to place them in their desired workplace.

Ogle offers financial aid to those who qualify and provides both full and part-time schedules for flexible education. We recommend the Ogle School of Hair, Skin, and Nails because it offers students a versatile education. So, the students can choose from many employment opportunities and career paths to take.

1. The Elaine Sterling Institute

The Elaine Sterling Institute, located in Atlanta, Georgia, offers students a 600 clock hour program in which one can become a nail technician in as little as 6 to 9 months. This affordable program delivers a wide array of the course curriculum. So, the students will receive the training necessary to prepare for state board exams and licensure.

Why to Choose The Elaine Sterling Institute? 

Curriculum

Level 1: Theory 140 Hours

• Personal Hygiene, Ethics and Customer Care
• Sanitation and Sterilization
• AIDS, HIV and Universal Precautions
• EPA, OSHA, Government Standards and Blood Spill Procedure
• Physiology and anatomy of the hands, arms, and legs
• Massage techniques and introduction to reflexology
• Nail Structure, diseases, and disorders
• Chemistry
• Implements usage, procedures, and safety
• Salon business and operations
• Client care and consultation
• Business development, Marketing, Advertising and Retailing
• Career Planning, Resume Writing
• Georgia State Board Laws and Rules
• State Board Examination Preparation

Level 2: 460 Hours

• Basic Manicure
• Spa Manicure
• Massage Techniques (Hands and Feet- Includes legs and forearm)
• Basic Pedicure
• Deluxe Pedicure
• Nail Sculpting
• Artificial Tip application and overlay
• Nail Wrap (Silk, Linen)
• Fill in application
• Artificial nail removal and nail repair
• Nail Art Techniques
• Airbrush Nail Art
• Paraffin Treatments on hands and feet
• Student Competition
• Advanced Techniques

Source: Elaine Sterling

The Elaine Sterling Institute offers both day and evening classes, as well as financial aid for those who qualify. We recommend this school’s nail technician program because it provides attention to students’ needs by qualified instructors. Also, is accredited, offering a vigorous knowledge-packed curriculum to eager students.

Conclusion

Choosing a career path can be a difficult decision. But for those with a creative flair who want to help others, a career as a nail technician can be rewarding – both financially and emotionally. There’s no better time than now to get started pursuing your career. Nail technician information provided here as your arsenal, you are equipped to make it happen. We wish you all the best of luck in making your dreams come true! The next time you see a sign “nail technician wanted,” go for it.