Am I in the wrong trade?

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MUA

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
109
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15
Location
Yorkshire
just recently I'm finding everything uninspiring and boring. Manicures/gel polishes bore the living day lights out of me. Eyelash extensions annoy me and waxing/massage just seems like too much effort :') also I'm getting pretty annoyed with clients thinking they can turn up 20 mins late without an apology and expecting to still get their full appointment.

I'm also finding all the aches and pains of leaning over contantly filing nails and breaking my back over a pedicure all abit tedious for minimum wage. Anyone else feel this way?
 
....how long have you been doing it for? If your working for minimum wage, you have your prices set wrong!
 
I've been qualified 8 years and working in a salon for 4. I'm employed
 
How you feel is completely understandable. I've experienced exactly the same when employed in this industry. The minimum wage is a massive mick take considering that the job is skilled and physically demanding.

I think it's important to have other job/career interests to give you other earning options as well as get you out of having to do predominantly physical work.
 
You don't sound happy & life's too short for this.
 
Thanks girls I'm so glad others have felt this way at some time! I was starting to feel like a miserable cow lol. I've looked into renting a room but not sure id survive on the basis of me doing only beauty treatments (no acrylics/ gel extensions)

I'd like to eventually re-train in another job but not sure they'd look past the 'you're only a beauty therapist' thing

Xx
 
Retraining is the nuts. What worked for me is doing part time/evening/distance courses in other stuff that interests me. At minimum it keeps life interesting but more so it opens more doors whilst giving me a feel for what I might actually enjoy doing (either instead of or in addition to beauty).
 
Quite a few I know enjoy beauty more by balancing it with other employment. I know people who have gone into; a law degree, banking, nursing, dental nurse assistant, teaching. They do beauty part time because the passion is still there but the need for work that better fulfils their needs is then satisfied too.
 
Go and have a treatment done at another salon/spa. I went for a massage today and it restored everything I love about my job! The fact it can make someone feel so good about themselves.
In regards to the people who find it ok to show up late only give them the time you have left of their treatment but charge normal price. They'll soon learn that when they turn up on time it benefits them. Why should other clients be made late cause of 1 annoying person- clearly I have issues with lateness :p
 
This is crazy I literally posted a similar thread to this! I love working but have lost my interest in hair altogether... I love tanning am going to look for a part - time job doing something related and still have clients too....
Don't do something you are not happy with cause it becomes a drain on your mental health....
 
Hey this is a bit like dejavu. Only i am the otherway round :) I am a qualfied nurse of 4 years and im burnt out already.... I work 12.5 hour shifts with 2x 20 min breaks (ifyour lucky sometimes) working nights/weekends/christmas.NewYear. I needed a channel to 'escape' as my current job i am totally worn out so i completed a Micro Ring Extension Course & i love it! I just wished i could do a NVQ 2 Hairdressing but the days/hours set on the part time course to start in sept in my local college would interfere with my full time Nursing Job so its not visable. I dont think any salon would take me on to train me inbetween my shifts as my rota is not set in stone. Anyways what i am saying is that it is never too late to start something new........ rome wasnt built in a day. Good Luck :)
 
Hey this is a bit like dejavu. Only i am the otherway round :) I am a qualfied nurse of 4 years and im burnt out already.... I work 12.5 hour shifts with 2x 20 min breaks (ifyour lucky sometimes) working nights/weekends/christmas.NewYear. I needed a channel to 'escape' as my current job i am totally worn out so i completed a Micro Ring Extension Course & i love it! I just wished i could do a NVQ 2 Hairdressing but the days/hours set on the part time course to start in sept in my local college would interfere with my full time Nursing Job so its not visable. I dont think any salon would take me on to train me inbetween my shifts as my rota is not set in stone. Anyways what i am saying is that it is never too late to start something new........ rome wasnt built in a day. Good Luck :)


Hello thank you for your reply :) I just seem to look at everyone else's job and feel as though they're enjoying it more. I'd love to try something else but feel ill just get looked at as a 'beauty therapist' a lot of people seem to dumb it down :(
 
MUA I think you just need a good holiday and some time out. The world is so fast paced these days we need to give time to ourselves.

Also change in scenery new uniform etc could help. Change your treatment menu the way you do your treatments could also add some variety.

On principal if clients are later then 10min I won't be able to do them.
It took the clients just ONE app where I sent them away for them to arrive on time.
I also still charge them for the missed app if they arrive late they get charged for the full app and I do what I can. I will not inconvenience my next client due to another being late.
Last week my client late I did her nails told her come back next week for the art, my next client was already waiting. And why must I punish her ?
Guess what she wasn't ever late again!
 
This exact thing happened to me. I was a beauty therapist for 12 years, 4 years in I got itchy feet but nothing I did helped, i had a training school, was an OPI educator and a lecturer at college but nothing helped with that tedious day in day out nowhere to go from here stuck at this salon forever trapped in my life feeling.... the constant neck ache, my left index fingernail was always filed at a dodgy angle and my fingers were covered in burn cuts from filing and then there was the pedicures..... and the boring massages.....
Then finally I reached my wits end and retrained as a hairdresser. I have never ever ever looked back and I absolutely love love love my job now. I was prepared for a drop in income when I started and thankfully it was fine. I'm now in a high end salon with so much potential growth ahead of me.
Life is too short to be hating your job. Do what you really want to do! Xxx
 

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