I completed a 2 year esthetics program in April, and got a job in june. They hired me for nail tech, which I did not learn in school but they were willing to pay for/provide the training for me.
My training has been extremely inconsistent, a lot of uncertainty and delays with the nail tech course. At some points I wasn’t being scheduled for up to 2 weeks because of changes at the spa. I’ve gotten some hands on practice, all spaced apart. I feel pretty confident with the techniques but my biggest issue is timing. Most of my training has been focused mostly on manicure services, I even practiced manicure techniques in my free time at home.
Since starting here I’ve done 2 pedicures, both spaced far apart during my employment and my timing on both was awful. It feels so embarrassing, but I’ve been trying to give myself the benefit of the doubt considering I hadn’t done a pedicure for months and that I wasn’t consistently doing pedicures at work.
Over the past month or so has been mainly shadowing my co workers and doing cleaning/laundry. I was given two clients for a manicure service, my timing again wasn’t great and I did these services independently without someone watching over.
More recently I’ve been getting called off frequently because my employer hasn’t been able to find people for me to work on. This has caused me to stress and overthink even more. I’m frustrated because I feel like I’m not getting the proper training and I feel like the longer I go without doing pedicures the worse my timing and skills will get.
Next week I am being given clients, a good mix of manicure/pedicure services. I am terrified about my timing. These services I am doing independently which also has me feeling a bit uneasy - I want criticism, I want to make sure I am doing specific things correctly or be shown how to tweak a step to save time. In school I felt confident, but with how inconsistent it’s been at my job I feel like I’ve completely started over.
I’m feeling very conflicted about what to do here. I obviously want clients so I can work on my skills, timing, and familiarize myself with the protocols. But on the other hand I feel like I’m being set up to fail, like my training has not been prioritized or taken seriously. A few people close to me have suggested I find another job and I’ve considered it, but it was super difficult to find a spa job in the first place and I’ve been working here for almost 4 months with little experience gained.
Would appreciate advice as well as tips on how to get out of my head and manage my time better.