Nail School, Nail Technician Courses & Classes Information

Jump to Your Question:

• Where can you find nail technician schools?
• What will you learn in nail school?
• How long is the nail tech program?
• How much does nail technician school cost?
• What is the average nail technician salary?
• What are some job options after I graduate nail school?

Where can I locate, compare, and contact nail schools?

If you're considering becoming a nail technician, the first step is to talk to nail technician schools about their programs, cost of tuition, curriculum and any other questions you have.

What is a nail school and what will I learn?

If you're looking to join an industry which has more than 355,000 specialists and counting according to 2011-2012 data from Nails Magazine, and enjoy being creative and helping people, attending nail school might be for you. Most cosmetology and beauty schools offer courses dedicated to nail technician courses and training, but there are also schools specific to learning nail technology dedicated exclusively to learning the art of nails and esthetics. A nail school offers students specifically focused nail tech classes and students train to become nail technicians, also known as manicurists and pedicurists, who specialize in nail art and design, manicures, pedicures, acrylics, gels, nail art, wraps, nail extensions and more.

In the world of cosmetology, not every nail school is the same. Most nail schools usually employ nail technician instructors to provide the nail tech classes and training to their students, as will some cosmetology and beauty schools. A licensed cosmetologist must be proficient in the basics of nail technology, but a trained nail technician may be able to provide more depth and comprehensive instruction to nail tech students. When looking for the right nail school for you, you may want to consider if the program features nail technician teachers in their training courses. Schools teaching nail technology usually offer a combination of theory and book learning, nail tech classes including art and design, and then hands-on learning with a student nail salon.

What are the requirements for nail school programs?

Training and becoming a nail technician takes an average of 400 hours in most states, but this does vary from state to state. Some states require as many as 600 hours, and some require as few as 100 hours. Look at our state license requirements page to find uot how many hours your state requires. We try to keep our nail tech licensing information as accurate and up-to-date as possible, but we always recommend you contact the licensing department for your state to verify if there have been any changes in programs or required hours recently.

Students mast also pass a state license exam at the completion of their nail technician courses. If you are looking to become a master nail technician (if it's available in your state), additional advanced courses may be required, and in some of those states a master nail technician exam must be passed as well. Most people complete the nail tech training program in 3 to 6 months, but part-time students or students in states where the training hour requirements are higher may take 6 to 12 months to complete the program.

How much does a nail technician school cost to attend?

Most nail technician courses taught at nails schools are offered on a full-time or part-time basis, and tuitions can vary, depending on the types of nail technician courses offered by the nail school, hours of instruction needed at the nail school, and the location of the nail school. Most of the nail technician schools we surveyed said that their nail program costs less than $5,000 to complete. A few schools did the nail program cost ranges from $5,000 to $9,000. It is also important to ask the schools whether materials like books, a nail kit and frocks or aprons are included in the cost. 

What salary can I expect to earn after graduating from a nail school?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manicurist and pedicurist salaries average $19,650 per year, but nail technician salary depends on a number of factors. Many nail technicians choose to work part-time instead of full-time, and salary has the potential to grow with experience, growing clientele, and increasing the number of hours you work. Another thing BLS data often does not account for accurately is the tips a nail technician may receive for their manicure, pedicure and nail services. For more information about beauty wages, compare the average nail technician salaries with the average cosmetologist salary. 

What are some of the nail technician job opportunities and careers?

After graduating from a nail school, most students find careers in the field of cosmetology at nail salons or spas, while others continue training and move into the field of skin care and massage treatments. In a 2011-2012 Nails Magazine report, 23% of licensed nail techs were nail technician booth renters, 15% were nail technician employees, then the rest were cosmetologists, students/apprentices and salon managers - some doing and some not doing nails. More than half of the technicians said their salons were nails-only, whereas just over a quarter worked at full-service salons. Some also worked at day spas, home-based salons, mobile salons or spas, resorts and hotels.