New part-time salon job

SalonGeek

Help Support SalonGeek:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Rose143

Very Proud Creative Geek
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
1,944
Reaction score
56
Location
Crawley, West Sussex
Hi Peeps,

I am rather embarrassed actually to be puting this on here but don't know where to turn anymore. I am really down and need some fellow geek advice please?? :cry: It's long, sorry .....

I completed my creative foundation course in Feb this year and my ambassador was so impressed with my work she offered me a job in her salon down stairs for three evenings per week. To me that was the biggest compliment ever because I practised for so many hours every night as you all know. She said I can keep my mobile business but we won't mention it to any salon clients, which I think is fair because I would never dream of stealing her clients. We also agreed on my working on a percentage basis. So when I have salon clients booked in I will come in but I can basically come and go as I please, so very flexible hours and this really suites me BUT ..................

On Wednesday I had a new client booked in for a full set of L&P pink and whites. They were the grubbiest nails I have ever worked on she didn't even bother cleaning her nails before coming in after being in the garden. Her cuticles were over grown and thick, her nails were a strange curve at the free edge so I battled to get the tips on properly, thank God for gelbond! Anyway it took me 2 hours, my normal time is 1 and a half hours. I think Denise (my ambassador) was a little dissapointed I took longer. I explained to her that I tried my best, which she seemed to have accept. She is really understanding BUT ........... she does not seem to understand what level I am on, she has another nail tech who does the most dreadful sets I have ever seen in my life!!!! Denise seems to trust this nail tech more than me. I was doing soak off and all of a sudden this other nail tech took over from me and started screwing everything up. I have never blown my own trumpet but I know when a set looks good. This nail tech can't even do pink and whites like she's suppose to. Denise saw me do a full set in 1 and a half hours at the 121 we had and she still does not seem to want to pass clients on to me but she keeps saying, we gonna get you fully booked and making lots of money. Then after asking me not to mention my mobile business to anyone as agreed, she tells everybody I am mobile and part time salon based.

I am really good at what I do, not fantastic like most of you but this is why I wanted to work in a salon part-time, to get the practice and salon experience. Today I had natural (pink) overlay over tips and was asked if they were my real nails because of the colour and how thin they are. I felt really good!!

I just feel really sad because I really think I am a hell of alot better than some techs at her salon, I said to her yesterday, I don't think you understand what level I am on and what I can actually do. The reason I said this to her is because a nail biter came in for a full set and I pulled out my tips and started to size them up incase they were to short & needed sculpting instead, Denise rushed over and said I'll get one of the other girls to do the tips for you, I didn't want to argue in front of the client so agreed. I said to Denise when she left, I could have done those you know. She apologised and said she was worried about my time. She and her sister take an hour to do a full set of tips and overlays. The clients are booked every hour. I cannot get my time down to an hour if she doesn't give me the chance.

What shall I do peeps?? I really enjoy it there but i don't need this I need to make money while my business picks up, this is really bothering me and I am taking it to heart and I am scared it knocks my confidence :cry:

Please help?????
 
Hiya


Im really sorry your having a conflict of interest after what started out as what seemed like such a good idea.

I think you should have a chat with the owner and explain how you are feeling in a calm manner. Tell her honestly that you feel she is undermining your confidence every time she is putting another tech on your client. She probably doesnt realise she is doing this. It could be just a simple case of misunderstanding each other. She might think she is helping you, where as you are thinking she is knocking your confidence and if you both sit down and talk about it and clear the air you will both know where you both stand.

Love

Debbie xxx
 
awww hun, why not try have a quiet word with her and tell her the things you feel you need help on , and the things you dont etc.. also tell her you will ask her if you feel you have a client that you cant manage , at least then it might help ease any confusion, sorry i cant be of more use , i hope you get it sorted love dee
 
Well I think you've done so well to get where you are since February! Well done! But IMHO I think an hour to do a full set of L&P is a incredibley fast time. I've been doing nails nearly four years now and I give myself a good 1 3/4 - 2 hours to do L&P plus polish. The only thing is I find that trying to get your time down so quickly after doing foundation is the fear of dropping the old standards if you know what I mean...... I think it's far more important to get the quality of your work at the standard where you're confident........then work on your speed.

May be you should explain this to her. Don't let this knock your confidence, I think you're doing so well.............and that maybe your boss is probably being a little hard on you (maybe she has more confidence in you as a tech than you think, and she's trying to push you harder). Who knows!

HTH
Good luck!:D
 
WOW! at you Rose for coming this far since February - that is an amazing achievement and you should be very proud of yourself. YOu have obviously worked hard building your existing business and confidence and it is a real shame that your confidence and ability is being undermined now.

I think that first you should speak to your employer 121, perhaps out of work time, and tell her how you really feel and see what she says ... as has has already been said she might not realise how good you are and in her own way is trying to shield you? At least if you tell her how you feel and get a response, whatever it might be, you will know where you stand and can then go on to make your decision about what or where you go next.

You come across on here Rose as straight talking and very confident in your other posts and it would be a real shame to let that talent and confidence take a knocking - so it is best dealt with straight away IMHO
I also think that to able to do complete set wiht consultation and after care etc is very fast. I was worried at one time about my time but decided I was not going to compromise my standards ( I am not saying that this is what your employer does btw) to be able to do nails in this time. Maybe as I become more experienced my set times will improve whilst retaining the standards I was taught.

Sorry if I have not been much help Rose and I know when you are in this type of situation how hard it feels. It all goes round in your head and seems no way out - sometimes you just got to bite the bullet :)
Take care and I wish you luck and hope it all turns out for you the way you hope :) :hug:
JO xx
 
Thank you so much to all who replied, I really feel alot better since reading your advice and kind words. I am so glad I can talk to you guys, you all mean the world to me, seriously don't know where I'd be without this site, gets me through the worst of times!

Love you all!!! :hug:

xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Hi Rose, sorry to hear your problems, what a great opportunity to work for a creative ambassador, but in my honest opinion an hour for a full set is not enough, I worked in salon where we were given an hour and 15 Min's per client whatever the treatment, what if your client has really bad cuticles or wants nail art, then you get behind and this can really p off your next client and so on. yes I can do a set in an hour, white tips are fine, but anything else and I don't feel that I have done the best work that I am capable of.

You are a creative technician and you have been trained to the highest standard, it would be unfair of anyone to expect you to do your very best in one hour, maybe that is why she lets other people take over, to give you time to practice and perfect your art, have a word with her, I am sure she will understand and you can reach a compromise. it sounds like a wonderfull opportunity to me, so don't give up hope.
 
Thanks for that Jac, this is my concern actually (quality of work) because I was trained to always do the very best I possibly can of course without taking 3 and a half hours but anyway I think the nails that the clients leave there with can be alot better.

I am very happy there, just a little dissapointed that she would trust another tech who's been there since december and who's doing the crappiest nails I have ever seen, as a "creative technician" she has not got a clue what she's doing (she did a conversion course and is not bothered about the quality of her work). I just can't believe Denise allows this quality of nails. I get along really well with her and look up to her and really appreciate the chance she's given me but I am never gonna improve without the clients. I have a 121 nail art course with her on Wednesday for 3 hours so I think I will talk to her then and hopefully clear up any misunderstanding.

I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression of me, I know this is a fantastic opportunity which is why I felt so down about it. Anyway, will let you know how I get on!!

Thank you all for your advice! :hug:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 

Latest posts

Back
Top