Illinois is a great place to pursue a career as a nail technician, since there are many employment opportunities available in dozens of thriving metropolitan areas throughout the state.
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School Accreditation
You must attend a school that is approved by your state to provide training in the discipline you want to practice. Check with the school and the state board to be sure that your program of study will prepare you for any applicable state licensure.
A typical Illinois nail school will provide you with hands-on experience that will prepare you for your career and give you the business, interpersonal and trade skills you will need to be successful in this field. You will learn skills like nail tip design, overlay nail repair and nail removal techniques. Some of your future work duties will be cleaning, trimming, polishing, buffing your clients’ nails and even massaging your clients’ hands.
Nail technician schools in Illinois are accredited through the Higher Learning Commission and the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts & Sciences.
Nail Technician Licensing Requirements in Illinois
There are three requirements to receiving your nail technician license in Illinois. First of all, you must be sixteen years of age or older. You also have to have a minimum of an 8th grade education. If you do not have a high school diploma or GED you must take an Ability to Benefit test administered by the Illinois Division of Professional Regulation. Finally, you have to have completed 350 hours of approved nail training. Picking out the right school is as important as picking out your career, so make sure to select a school that has a good reputation and that has both financial aid and job placement assistance as well.
If you have a valid license from another state, you don’t have to worry. You can obtain a license in Illinois without having to take the exam required. However, you do still have to renew your license, and in Illinois you must renew on the 31st of October during years that end in an even number like 2010 and 2012. Renewing your license requires you to complete ten hours of continuing education per renewal period.
Employment Outlook for Technicians in Illinois
Chicago is the third largest city in the country and the fifth most populous state. This means there is a great opportunity for people who are looking to enter the nail technician industry.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nail technicians in Illinois earn around $20 average annually plus tips. Chicago is a huge tourist attraction, and as a result many of the nail technicians in the city prefer to cater to the tourism industry as well as to other high end or high volume clientele bases.
