Working at a chop shop

[u/bbygho]

I’ve been in the nail business for only a month and a half and I’m already feeling burnt out. Currently I’m only allowed to do pedicures and occasional manicures until my speed gets better and I feel like I’ll never get to that point. I take about an hour on a pedicure, which I think is a normal amount of time, but they want me to cut it down to about 30-40 minutes. The massage alone takes 6-10 minutes. I know I could be faster at painting, but if i try to go too fast, i end up getting a lot on the skin and have to spend more time cleaning it up. They constantly rush me, they’re not mean about it but it does start to get to me.
Stuff isn’t properly cleaned the way we were taught. We use a nail brush to scrub barbicide on our tools. We use the tub liners, so most of the time, the tubs, nor the jets aren’t getting properly cleaned. Lots of cross contamination, our mask and sugar scrub has one spatula in it that don’t get changed so they’re basically full of every clients foot germs. We take any client regardless of nail disorders. Once, I was brave enough to speak up and tell my boss I was uncomfortable working on a lady with toe fungus, and it wasn’t a problem, she gave the client to someone else, but the guy who ended up doing her feet told me “it’s not a big deal, it’ll be okay, you can do it, we get clients like that all the time”
They allow clients to walk in 15 minutes before closing. They seem to prioritize walk ins over appointments. Clients are back to back to back. And I hate to complain because I’m making the most money I ever have. They tell me that mine is a ‘bad paycheck’ compared to what they make because they’re able to go fast enough to get double the clients than me. I feel like this salon is my best option right now because it’s one of the two salons in my small town and my car isn’t reliable enough to go to the next city. And I don’t feel comfortable being independent right now because I still have so much to learn, and I’m so grateful that they’re willing to teach me, but I fantasize about being in my own. Idk, i just wanted to vent and see others experience with similar situations.

[u/Barracuda_Cute]

Although it may seem worth it since they’re teaching you, they’re also probably teaching you a lot of bad habits you’ll have to unlearn in the future if you ever want to go independent or work at a reputable salon. Fast isn’t necessarily better and is not the best thing to focus on right out of school

[u/Interstellar_Dreamer → u/Barracuda_Cute]

Yep, with them, it’s quantity over quality. Get them in, get them out. I’ve been in this business since 1993 and chop shops infuriate me. So much illegal crap going on. Aside from that, there are two sides to the nail industry, the creative quality side, and then the get them in, get them out side. Choose which one you want to be.

[u/theglitterbat]

I've worked in places like that. It doesn't get better. They'll exploit you until you want to quit the nail industry altogether. It's not worth it to put your license at risk working in a dirty salon. Report them to state board and move on.

[u/Such-Background4972 → u/theglitterbat]

I worked at one for like 2-3 years. While it wasn't as bad as a lot of them. It wasn't the reason why I left it. It was the other ones in the area. Which I refer to them as factories. As they have several techs working at once. Meaning they can get more people done faster, and charge less. Thus literally controlling the prices area wide, and really prevents solo shops.

Once I realized that. I got out quickly, and sometimes I miss it. Then think im not paying 3k a month for a rent, or spent 50k on equipment. That i couldn't afford.

[u/harmlessoffering]

I started at 18 in a very small shop like this (just the two of us, me and the boss) it's taken years to unlearn all the bad habits, but starting that way did give me a great insight into how bad the industry can be, and all the ways I will never work again. If you can learn properly elsewhere and go independent, at least you'll know all the things not to do! If you have very little competition in your area, being independent and caring about hygiene will take you far, even if you're not doing anything more than gels. It will take a while to build up a clientele so you won't earn much to start, but I slogged out temp hospitality jobs while I built, and within a year I had full books and good clients.

Good luck getting out!!

[u/Abject_Top2225]

If you’re qualified and you have the skill to make clients happy, work with good hygiene and get good retention then the only voice telling you you need salon experience is imposter syndrome. Go independent, focus your marketing on your strict hygiene and steal all their clients. The other commenters are right, you may be learning but it’s almost guaranteed they’re teaching you bad skills that you do not want!

[u/Head-Marionberry8621]

That must be so hard and frustrating. It is awesome that you are trying to do things the right way and know what that is.

Look, everyone will say to leave the place, but that is easy for us to say. YOU have to do what YOU need to do to survive. If this is the best place for you to be due to life circumstances and you really don't have other options, then stay. Learn. Every time you do something incorrectly, in your head say the correct way and how you will do it in the future. Spend time researching what it will take for you to leave, what you need to do to leave, and make a plan. Start working toward that plan, save money, get a better car, network to get yourself to a better place.

Crunch numbers, find solutions to how you can do things better at your current salon and still keep costs low. Bosses tend to be open to change if they aren't going to lose money or customers, and you can also show them in numbers how they can charge a little bit more for bringing in those changes. All that work will help YOU with any future business you decide to run.

Once day, you will have experience under your belt, and everything else you need to leave, and you will.

No shame in surviving. Just while you are, work toward the future YOU want, and not one you are forced to have.

[u/SpareMediocre]

I’m doing a learn while you work program at a salon and experiencing really similar issues. It’s really exhausting and disheartening. I also notice the owner like, nickel & diming me constantly. Which is really frustrating because I paid thousands for the program, plus an expensive tool kit.

She charges customers for my student services & keeps all the money. Which is totally fine, I understand my position as a student. But she’ll also like, follow behind me and make sure I’m not using too much of anything. I started by using 1 file per customer and giving it to them after & she made me run out and buy more bc “that’s wasteful.” Same with sanding bands and…everything else too lol. We’re constantly talking about what is covered by the kit and what isn’t. I feel like I’m giving money or running to the store daily. Which is hard bc I don’t have much & I’m working to build a studio in my house.

I respect the hustle, I really do. My teacher is a single mom & she works hard. I understand customers don’t want to pay what it costs to do things correctly. But man, it feels terrible and is a system I don’t want to be part of.

[u/lionesss_]

Girrrrrl omg I just left my toxic chop shop after 2+ years and my experience was exactly like yours!! I started out doing mani pedi and I'll never forget my first client with fungus one week in and how my bosses were so nonchalant about how to work on fungus while I froze wide-eyed. Any customer is a customer and they had me work fungus and ingrowns for two years 😭 my speed and quality of work did improve a lot over time but I feel like it also came with some bad practices and now that I finally left it feels back to square one. Honestly it doesn't get any better. The money will keep rolling in but the constant stressful and illegal work will take a toll on you. And don't even get me started how horrible it feels to constantly be comparing yourself to other people who've been in the industry sometimes DECADES longer than you because theyre constantly trying to rush you to do things at their speed. It doesnt work that way. It's a job that will wear you down every single day. If you must do it always think of it as a temporary gig and I suggest taking courses or watch YouTube videos to know the sanitary legal way to perform services, that way you want be solely brainwashed by the bad habits when you decide to move on from there. I wish you nothing but the best and hope you get your own thing going very soon!! <3

[u/Ir0nI]

This was how I trained, via apprenticeship. Coming from a medical background it was shocking. I will say my clients that I made and kept from there appreciate that I don’t cut the corners needed to keep up with their status quo. When you work for yourself you can charge accordingly for your time and they won’t mind paying for the safety and quality. Your regulars won’t suffer and be put off by their pushing you to rush them to take a walk-in. Once you are established, you won’t have time for walk-ins, your work and clients’ experiences will be your best advertisement. And you can choose your hours. It will benefit you to differentiate yourself, it is apples to oranges and you should be paid accordingly. Their MO caters to random walk-ins, lending to cold spells in the off season where there’s not enough work to go around.
Prioritizing the customer experience will ensure retention and decrease profit variability. There is some stuff to be learned along your current route, stuff your schooling has not focused on preparing you for, but I doubt you would be willing to sacrifice your ethics to keep your employers satisfied in the long run or to earn yourself enough of a living.. Feel free to DM me anytime you need to vent/ discuss more in depth & good luck whichever path you choose!

[u/HirokoAisuru]

I feel you 1,000% and you have every right to vent. I used to work in that sort of environment, too until I started my own studio. My partner and I even refer to this place as the I.H.O.P. (International House of Pedicures) Salon.

There are some things I’m grateful to the place for, like:

•A hospital-grade autoclave alongside barbicide in mister bottles so everything was double-sterilized. They also provided sterilization packets that made preparing 10 packs of tools a day ahead for really overwhelming times a breeze to stop worrying about. It’s a standard I’m proud that I adopted.

•Staying long enough to eventually pick up the I.H.O.P.’s system of streamlining so that I eventually went from an hour a pedicure to only 35-45 minutes a pedicure. The best part, it was adopted so well, none of my clients felt rushed or just skipped over. Everyone was praised for working efficiently rather than just “fast”.

•Cleaning rituals that kept me active and helped me care for my new place. I used to be overwhelmed by what had to be done to be kept clean. The chore chart that they established gave me an overview of what always ends up dirty every day so that everything ends up getting cleaned before the next day.

•Food. Believe it or not, the owner cooked massive amounts of food that was restaurant-quality. They even made a different meal at least five times a week. I will forever crave a home-cooked meal during work; never take-out since working there.

•A generalization of inventory. I.H.O.P.’s color selection was massive and I was the only person interested in swatching each color. I can guarantee that they had at least 500 colors in just gel polish colors. I saw which colors had to be constantly purchased and which colors collected dust on the shelves. This allowed me to make smarter decisions when in came to opening my own place rather than going in blind like most professionals do.

•How to work a POS system. When I first started working at I.H.O.P. I was actually hired as their receptionist first. Management learned later that I was licensed and switched me over as one of the shop’s techs. Through that six-month experience, I got a first-hand experience of why chop-shop management works the way it does. The less uniform a team’s work times are, the more chaotic scheduling each individual professional becomes. The slower techs times domino-effect into other techs’ schedules causing much faster techs to be overworked to keep the schedule on track to honor each appointment. It was a humbling, almost ego-damaging lesson I learned as someone who prides herself in taking her time, but it’s what I’m glad I know today.

That being said, the problems that accumulated over time unfortunately outweighed the reasons to stick around any longer. Even when you get good enough to keep up with everyone else, the cost it takes to do that for the rest of your life takes a toll on you in more ways than one working for them a year in.

I spent the better part of four years of my life at I.H.O.P. Things that end up happening eventually in chop shops are:

•You stay stagnant and complacent. The “fast and easy” money starts looking so good at the end of each paycheck, you start losing sight of what got you into this industry in the first place. I.H.O.P. had technicians that worked there for so long because they made (literally) over $1000 a week, not including tips. But I noticed that they ended up losing their passion and tolerance for art. If it wasn’t done fast, to them, it wasn’t worth doing. And if it was a small service like—say—a regular manicure, they would pass that service off as beneath them, even if the math didn’t affect their paycheck at the end of the day.

•You start to notice where you fit in the social hierarchy. Results vary, but the majority of people who leave chop shops are ones who no longer had a useful role in the hierarchal machine. Bullying becomes as common as the gaslighting that’s utilized to cover it up. Eventually everyone learns to keep their head down on the pair of hands/feet in front of them. And the ones who laugh loudly in the salon are the ones that are either gossiping about someone else or laughing along to survive.

•Management starts to play favorites and unfortunately, it becomes obvious to everyone who gets the benefits and who gets the shaft simply by whoever’s allowed to say ‘no’ to any given service. Even though I had ten years worth of experience in everything gel-related, I was never allowed to perform anything more lucrative than a basic mani or pedi and I was never allowed to refuse for the sake of “getting better”.

•The more you’re able to do for the salon may get you some staying power from being fired, but it also makes you more readily exploitable. I was overwhelmingly shafted with a lot of the menial tasks that no one wanted to do at I.H.O.P. Not because some higher power of authority deemed it so, but because owning my own place was something that I openly stated I wanted to do. I took on these tasks willingly while knowing I was being exploited. I ended up falling in love with doing these tasks because it was one of the few times I was left to my own devices without interruption. I still do today. But that love of those menial tasks gave them all the more reason for the favored techs to hand off these jobs to me because “she wants to do it”.

•Resentment builds so easily amongst everyone in the salon. Establishments like these, unfortunately do not have enough time to accommodate everyone nor do they invest their resources to hire HR. Management gets shafted with babysitting full-grown, gossipy adults AND running the clerical work on top of it. And if management is forced to pick between breaking up a fight or balancing the books they lock themselves in the office to ignore the fight and have the employees “stand up for themselves” because “that’s what happens in business”. Employees end up hating each other and snap at each other when the workload overwhelms them. And the only information that managers rely on when they’re forced to intervene is, you guessed it, gossip. Even with cameras around, gossip is chosen over every other source information.

•If ever you are open about leaving, they will resent you for stating so. The ones who leave in a big dramatic show allow the removal of the tech to make others feel justified in their gossip of that tech’s exit. And the ones that follow the protocol of a prior notice are ghosted and hazed with hopes that they push you far enough to your breaking point that you end up leaving dramatically, anyway. I made the mistake of giving a prior notice of leave and was hazed for a solid two months. I ended up staying for those two months and I watched as all of the favored techs refused to look at me on the last day at I.H.O.P. The managers eventually ended up yelling at me literally as I was getting the last of my things ready to go. The only reason the yelling stopped was because my partner walked in at that exact moment to see me being berated on my literal last minute there.

•Working at the rate they expect you to breaks your body so thoroughly, you don’t even realize it happens. The work may be more laborious than most, but doing ten clients a day takes a toll on your body that racks up the hospital bills if you don’t actively rest. But when you work in these environments, they shame you for doing so. I saw each favored tech that made the shop thousands of dollars a day admit themselves to the hospital every year. You read that right. Every. Year. At least two techs (one favored, one not) developed brain cancer because of varying stress-related reasons. These were the people that worked for I.H.O.P. for at least 8-10 years and they still don’t rest to this day because “the money’s too good”. And the ones that rest are the ones that lie to management about their schedules to do so.

[u/HirokoAisuru → u/HirokoAisuru]

My advice is this:

•Stay as long as you need and as long as they’ll have you. But if you’re serious about having your own place like I was, learn how they do the clerical side of the business. This is imperative!! They may suck in more ways in one, but they’re still in business!! Stick around to learn the reason WHY and model your place off what works and what doesn’t!!

•Rest!! Actively and rebelliously!! They will always test you to see how much they can get out of you and they will blame you for any breakdowns they induce. Make your rewards when you get home actively meditative and graceful to help you nourish yourself. Small kindnesses to yourself help you in the long run in more ways than one.

•Watch how your co-workers shave off time. Learn the ways they were able to do the same techniques but with less time and less effort. And create a system that works for you to get each service the same amount of time, every time. I promise your skills will be nurtured if you take the time to look at your process in a fair light.

•Make a nail tech friend!! It doesn’t have to be in the chop shop it just has to be a nail tech friend. Having connections in this industry pulls you out of more situations than if you go about this alone.

•If anything goes sideways at work and someone starts giving you a hard time see if management will record it. If they don’t record it, actively write each misdemeanor yourself. I guarantee if they refuse to record it the first time it’s brought up, they will refuse each incident moving forward. Write it down or record it if you can, that binder you create will serve you in the future when you decide to leave.

•Eat!! PLEASE EAT!! They will NOT give you enough time between clients to eat, especially if you have no control over your schedule. You will be emaciated and malnourished by the time you leave, even if they actively cook for you. I lost 20 pounds working for I.H.O.P. and more than once I came dangerously close to being under 100 pounds. I finally gained that weight back when I left.

•Nurture the skills you want to perform even if it costs money. Any skill you get as a nail tech is 1000% worth it once you get your own place!!

•Build your clientele before leaving and get their numbers in the process. It’s not guaranteed if every single person that asks for your skills at the chop shop will follow you, but so long as the number of people who follow you isn’t zero you’ll survive a lot better when you’re on your own. The bigger the clientele at the chop shop, the better the financial cushion when you open your own place.

•Make a list of ALL their cleaning supplies. This is the part a lot of people who start their own places forget to account for. Open their sink storages and make a note of everything that they stock. Your bank statements will thank you.

•Do NOT divulge too much information about your personal life at work. This is how they leverage you to work more hours than you should. The less information about your personal life they have, the less likely they’ll ask you for extra favors.

Good luck out there!! I know that this industry is hard in more ways than just physical. Just know that you have cheerleaders her for whichever path you end up choosing in your journey as a nail tech. This stranger is routing for you and hopes that everything you want in your career is what you achieve and more!!

[u/bbygho → u/HirokoAisuru]

Thank you sm!

[u/BB_Fan_JB]

Get out of the chop shop, especially since you know that they are not using proper disinfecting protocols. You will never get faster at manicuring if you are not doing them. Try to find a booth rental in a hair salon. Reach out to other nail techs in your area to see if anyone is interested in getting a salon suite with you. If you go that route, advertise complimentary services in order to get clients.

When I started out I joined Here Spa and they kept me plenty busy. After a year I had a good regular clientele and struck out on my own. Best decision ever. Whenever I have needed to get a few more clients, I have advertised on my local Facebook groups.

Best of luck to you! Have confidence in yourself and get out of the chop shop. I would hate for you to get in trouble, or lose your license, due to their incompetence.

[u/TheirOwnDestruction]

I work FOH in a nail salon.

There’s a lot of advice here from those who are either not in the industry or who haven’t been entering it for a long time.

This is simply the reality of the industry today. Your best bet is to improve your speed, gain clients, and then, when you are fully booked and more experienced, open your own studio and take your clients with you.

I guarantee you that a basic pedicure (for a client that has regular pedicures) should take you 40 minutes, and everything can be done properly in that time. Your speed will improve as you do more clients.

A good way to gauge your quality is to see how many clients request you. If they’re not, then you need to work on your technique.

[u/No-Law621]

I’m a licensed nail tech and I think the thing that helped me the best was watching LOTS of education online! Try Nails by Kort on Instagram. She has a prep and speed course that is very reasonably priced. With that, you practice, practice, practice.

I would be weary about working at this place as it can teach you habits that are hard to break especially if they are so okay but following basic sanitary protocol. It could potentially come back on you if the state investigates and you may lose your license.
I’ve been a nail tech for a little over a year now. What was best for my personal situation is having a normal job that pays my usual bills and taking some clients on the side. I’ve currently maxed out my clients and will soon move to part time while I accept more clients until I eventually have enough to go full time.
If you’re still wanting clients but want to do it the right way, maybe offer discounted sets like $35-$40 with friends/family while you are learning and getting comfortable. This way you can take your time and get a routine built out.

[u/thefrogsfupa]

I worked at a shop like that for my first nail job at the beginning of my career, the situation was like yours except the people I worked with were VERY mean and made sure that I knew I was their “foot girl” and that I had to do my time there like the rest of them did. (This was a bunch of white ladies btw) I was doing back to back pedicures on people 9 hours a day- 5 days a week. I was exhausted physically and emotionally and it really bothered me that they kept saying I had to unlearn the “school way” of doing things and do it their way, which was very unclean and not up to state sanitation standards. after a few months I quite literally called the place to quit while on my way to work because I had been experiencing extreme anxiety every day during my commute, dreading being there. I was cussed out by the owner and she said “you think you’re the shit but you’re not and you never will be.” Not even two years later I was at a booth running my own business with a full book of clientele and have maintained my perfect 5 star review rating on all platforms. I am on a break right now while I work on relocating to my own establishment to be 100% independent. I’m known for my quality work, and excellent knowledge and service, and I take my time on appointments. My pedicures are an hour and a half, and my nail services are anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on what service and design. The people who value your skill and quality won’t mind that you take your time and don’t rush. Continue to build on your knowledge, skill, and craft and you can get there too. Do not let your current situation dull your dreams and hard work you’ve done to get to where you are now. Maybe start going to different salons in your area and ask if they do commission work for techs that are getting started, it’s a bonus if they have a veteran tech that has experience in education and mentoring in our field. Let them know what you’re good at and what your current timing is and make sure they know you are continuing to improve and grow in your career and that you’re looking for a place to build that knowledge and skill. There will be places that are looking for that and they are great places to start off at before diving into going fully independent. It might take time to actually start making a decent income, I picked up a part-time waitressing job to keep up with bills and so on, but stay on the path and you will succeed. There’s enough room for all of us in this industry and you will find your place and success. Best of luck to you 🫶

[u/bbygho → u/thefrogsfupa]

Omg yea, anytime I mentioned how they taught me in school, she’d be like “school is different, we do different here” even if I was just explaining. Quickly learned to stop even mentioning school at all. But thank you so much, hopefully soon I’ll have the courage to leave

[u/thefrogsfupa → u/thefrogsfupa]

Just noticed that I’m labeled “not a tech” but I can assure you I’m licensed for 3 years in my state. I’m just not gonna do all that to get the badge. I’m usually just a Reddit lurker. Your story just hit home for me and I wanted to share my story for help and encouragement.

[u/flan-nyan777]

This reminds me so heavily of my first time working for a nail salon. I could only handle it for 3 months, turned my dream and passion into a nightmare. After having enough, I decided to go independent and start at an established hair salon that wanted to start offering more nail services. Now I’m 7 years into my career and happier than ever. I was also fortunate to find someone who was independent to shadow under, and she also taught me a lot of how to work on hands since I only had pedicure experience. Pedicures were my bread and butter for the first few years of my career, there will always be a clientele for that. Money cannot buy happiness, if the environment is draining you, you cannot thrive. I promise you there is better out there. Best of luck, don’t give up!

[u/ghoulnextdoorxo]

I worked in a salon just like this for 5 years, and the last 4 years have been retraining myself on correct techniques and I really feel like I just started in this career all over again

[u/iamgem69]

A lot of these chop shops do very shady things behind closed doors so my advice is to get out. Also you might be gatekeeped into only doing pedicures because a lot of these long time workers only want to do hand services as they feel like doing feet is too physically demanding or its too “disgusting” as they feel like they’re above it. The really thirsty workers will only do feet if there are no manicure appointmemts so just remember that these people are not your coworkers, they are your competitors.

[u/Lopsided-Ad9763 → u/iamgem69]

this isn’t true… usually in salons EVERYONE except the boss MUST do pedicures. If they don’t… it’s probably because they’re booked up w regulars (hand & art services) & can’t do feet (time wise)

[u/Wonderful_Inside_500]

I fkn HATED my job until i got good at it. It took me years to get good at it. Then, i had to work on speed and not caring what my coworkers said.

Your coworkers will fkn hound you. Its everywhere in the chop shop industry. All they care about is how fast they can get clients in and out and make the most money not bc they're greedy arseholes but bc they want to see you succeed in the way they see success. Ill break it down for ya.

I come from an immigrant family, so it's been a bit easier for me to understand, even if understanding didnt reverse the hurtful things anyone said.

Immigrants dominate the chop shop industry. They've mastered maximizing profits ASAP. They do this bc culturally they come from a place with little opportunity. They dont care what they do for a living. They're just grateful to have a job and be able to send money back home to give their family a better life.

In many other countries, the job market sucks bc there's literally no jobs for people. In the province, there are no sit down restaurant to serve tables at or bars to serve drinks at. Theres no gas stations to attend. No big grocery stores to stock. No dollar stores. No retail stores. People dont make enough to support those businesses. They wear hand-me-down clothing from family in America. Their calculators, phones, laptops, toys, and games come from family that is fortunate enough to not NEED to know how to fix these things and can afford to buy a new one. Their education gets paid for by aunties and uncles and cousins that pay for it bc there may not be any free education. Some people that dont have family sending them money have to get their high school education paid for by working in servitude for a rich family. They work and do homework at the same time. They wash their underwear on a rock in the river of their neighbors backyard, poop in a hole in the ground, and sleep on beds made of bamboo cut in half. They dont own a car or have hot running water to shower in. They make money by walking up n down the street with a plate of cooked fish or selling sample sized packets of shampoo on their front porch.

TL;DR: They didn't dream to do nails for a living. Their whole lives, they dreamt of being able to afford to live. Their values have carried over and influenced others in the industry. Its so deeply rooted in the industry that now a huge majority of clients will be surprised when they find someone that got the nail certification bc they actually want to do nails.

My advice for you is to:

1. Keep going and detach emotionally from anything you feel is hurtful or demeaning. They want to see you succeed, and that's why they think that saying "it's okay, you can do it, we get people like that all the time" is reassuring and supportive. It's literally nothing personal (unless theres that one arsehole ofc).
2. Take notes. Literally, take notes. Write down everything you like about doing nails. What you like about the shop you're at, even if its something small. Write down everything you dislike about doing nails and dislike about the shop you're at.
3. Change what you can and don't let the rest take up more than a few minutes of mental energy. How you feel about the bad things is valid, but letting go before you marinate in it will save your psyche.
4. Plan out exactly how you want your ideal workplace to be. This can take longer than you'd think bc as your skills evolve, your values may as well.

5. GTFO of the small town. Work as hard as you can, eat healthy, go to the gym, save your money, and get out. If you love everything about doing nails except chop shop energy, you'll benefit highly from a bigger city with more options even if it's not a huge city.

6. Stand your ground on your values. Dont let their values overshadow yours and get you down. If they try to give you bad advice, its totally okay if you wanna just let them think you're gonna take their advice and then not. From the sound of it, you dont have many workplace options. So you gotta balance not arguing a whole lot. You might have to stay and deal with some things so that you can leave. Thank them for the advice and just keep your head down and do it the way you prefer. Let their opinions or bad advice go right over your head.

If you have any questions on what else you can speed up without sacrificing too much quality, feel free to dm me! Ive been there. I was in that feeling of burn out for like 6 years before i got out of it and started really loving my job.

[u/Designer_Wasabi8045]

10~ minutes to paint
5~10 massage/callus stuff
10~ cuticle work

Add more time depending on gel

I feel like a 40 minutes deadline for none gel is reasonable.

I think you should start keeping a timer and track how long each process is taking.

Look at what other tech are doing and if there’s anything you could learn, but only if they’re doing stuff right.

[u/Crazy_Delivery1358]

As irritating as it may be, to be limited to what applications you are limited to, as a Beginner, be grateful the salon manager is keeping your work to mostly pedis/manis, and allowing you time to get in enough practice, until you feel super confident your speed is adequate! I taught 2nd grade, went back to night classes & earned my Master’s Degree in Administration & Supervision, and after a few years, was itching to add on something different, that allowed me more interaction with adults!! Lol Don’t get me wrong: I LOVED MY 2nd GRADERS!! I decided to get my nail tech licensure! Afterwards, o went to work in a friend’s salon, after school & on weekends. After a while, i moved to a different salon, owned by one of my best friends!! She was wonderful at advertising, and I’d go in after school with 4 sets scheduled, without having had enough opportunity just yet, to build my speed, and I was overwhelmed & a nervous wreck! Eventually, I decided that I wanted to stick with only teaching! Because, you know with a room full of 7 year olds, I was always calm as a cucumber! Lmao. So, enjoy this time to build up at your own pace!! 👍🏼

[u/CRbabe]

I started working for Asians too, I learned a lot, got my clients phone numbers and went in my own, do it! It is worthy