Nursing or Beauty

[Gizmogeek]

OK I have a dilemma I am currently trying to decide what to do with career now that my baby is almost 1 year old and ready to go to childcare (childminder) a couple of days a week. I have a window of opportunity that I can take a couple or 3 years out to further my education.

Now heres the hard part I looove doing nails and anything with beauty currently just do nails tanning and waxing and have always wanted to do the full beauty therapy course and open a salon BUT i hear so much about salons not making money and although i know id love it i just wondered can you make a decent living and be self sufficiant if needed to with salon profit. i know its how long is a piece of string as to earning but in general average do you make a decent amount or am i better going down the nursing root for security and i can still do nails, etc part time (ill never sto doing that like it too much).

please help nursing and beauty therapy applications to be in by 15th jan and am sooo confused. if i do nursing i have to do it now before i have another baby which would be 3-4 years after i have completed. but i am a terrible decision maker and want to do everything but love doing beauty.

 

[loubylou]

You could do your nurse training and then take further training so you could administer botox etc,
you can still do your nails and beauty treatments outside of learning hrs,
and once qualified as a nurse with training for botox etc the world is your oyster, you will have the best of both worlds and be able to do which ever you wanted, nursing or beauty,
if you decided later down the line to open a salon you could make a big deal of your nursing skills etc and be able to offer lots of varied treatments, hth

make the most of the oppertunity x

 

[Passionate]

I went from doing my nursing training to now changing to beauty therapy. During those 3-4 years training in the hosptials you will not do one thing beauty related such as laser etc and it's really hard work so you have to prepared for that. You will most likely being doing 12 hour shift work and nights when you train so you may be too exhausted after that to do nails etc on the side, or you may not be... but you could always do it when your not training in the hosptials .As loubylou said it is a great advantage to have as you can expand alot with alot more treatments. As I'm just starting beauty I can't comment on salon profits etc, but there are pros and cons with both. If you have any more questions on it I'd be happy to help you out.

 

[Gizmogeek]

good point loubylou i am just so confused over it all but i think youre right ive laways wanted to further my education and i suppose i can always do both. youve made me feel a bit better thank you!

good to see what other people think too

 

[Gizmogeek]

I went from doing my nursing training to now changing to beauty therapy. During those 3-4 years training in the hosptials you will not do one thing beauty related such as laser etc and it's really hard work so you have to prepared for that. You will most likely being doing 12 hour shift work and nights when you train so you may be too exhausted after that to do nails etc on the side, or you may not be... but you could always do it when your not training in the hosptials .As loubylou said it is a great advantage to have as you can expand alot with alot more treatments. As I'm just starting beauty I can't comment on salon profits etc, but there are pros and cons with both. If you have any more questions on it I'd be happy to help you out.

how long were you into your nursing course? did you just think it not for you? thats what im a bit worried about wasting time doing the wrong thing

 

[Passionate]

how long were you into your nursing course? did you just think it not for you? thats what im a bit worried about wasting time doing the wrong thing

I was nearly a year into it, I found it very demanding and then I figured out that Beauty was really what I wanted to do. It wasnt really a waste of time though alot of the anatomy and conditions are coming in handy! But just because it wasnt for me doesnt mean its not for you! I think you made up your mind in the previous post anyway

 

[Gizmogeek]

hmm i know what you mean im wondering with having the wee one if the studying is going to be too much. ive still got til sep to decide. how good is thought when you finally go ahhh thats what i DEFINATELY want to do weight off shoulders i think! good luck with your beauty im sure you'll enjoy every minute.

 

[Elaine143a]

You could do your nurse training and then take further training so you could administer botox etc,




I'm with Loubylou on this one. Do your nursing while you can (not that it's ever too late), and then if necessary use those specialised skills to further your beauty should you wish to continue it in a few years time. In meantime you can continue with your nails etc to enhance your income.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Passionate]

hmm i know what you mean im wondering with having the wee one if the studying is going to be too much. ive still got til sep to decide. how good is thought when you finally go ahhh thats what i DEFINATELY want to do weight off shoulders i think! good luck with your beauty im sure you'll enjoy every minute.

thanks, good luck with your decision! :hug:

 

[daisyl]

I have to butt in on this one

I have been a qualified nurse for over 20 years, and specialise in medical aesthetics.

DO NOT DO YOUR NURSE TRAINING JUST TO OFFER COSMETIC INJECTABLES AT THE END OF IT. I cannot emphasise that enough. Do your nurse training because you want to be a nurse - it takes years of experience working within a hospital/medical setting building up your expertise to truly become then able to go out into the wider field and develop into a good aesthetic practitioner.

By the sounds of it, I would recommend you doing beauty because you have to be totally dedicated and 100% want to become a nurse for other reasons if you are going to stay the length of the training. It is a medical degree course, alongside working long, long, hours during training. Believe me, as a newly qualified nurse the pay is really not that great, compared to the hours and stress. It is not profession to enter into unless fully committed and you just don't sound like you are. In no way do I mean that to sound disrespectful, but you have to understand the training involved is very intense and not to be undertaken unless you really want it for the right reasons - and those reasons are not simply to offer aesthetic procedures.

A qualified nurse can NOT prescribe botox (remotely or otherwise) unless they become a qualified prescriber - which it is worth noting to undertake the prescribing qualification there are certain entry criteria. Mainly being that you have to have at least 5 years post registration experience. So even as a newly qualified nurse you would not be then able to do your prescribing degree. (Its not just about botox either).

So to sum it up - do your nurse training for the right reasons ie really wanting to become a registered nurse and being passionate about it. Because it is by no means an route to simply providing aesthetic txs. Being a beauty therapist does not compare. So based on your post, I would advise doing your beauty therapy NVQ. hth. X

 

[mcmog]

I've got to agree with daisyl.

I was a staff nurse myself for several years and the training is incredibly tough - the demands on your time are huge and it's physically and mentally tiring work, not to mention the shifts and the academic work.

If you do a three-year course you will have almost no free time - it was six weeks holiday a year when I trained, only the four-year courses allowed enough time for more "standard" student vacations. Students are supernumary now but you will still be expected to work the shifts in whatever clinical area you are placed in - 7am starts and 9.30pm finishes are the norm, plus nights and weekends where appropriate. You will probably also have a lot of travelling time as a student, there aren't enough clinical areas in most cities for students to stay close to home and it's not unusual to get packed off somewhere 30 miles away for a placement (the uni I went to didn't care if you didn't have a car either!).

Once you qualify there is no let up - the added responsibility and the pressures of the NHS mean that you'll very often work a lot of unpaid overtime and you also have to keep up to your PREP requirements, ie you still have to do homework.

Shifts are generally not fixed and you won't know what you're working from one month to the next, so it's hard to plan ahead and I would think that it'd make running a business nigh on impossible.

It's also worth bearing in mind that you will HAVE to wear your nails short and naked, and the constant hand washing is not a friend of tanning products!

The "secure job" thing is a myth too - there are very, very few jobs around for newly qualified nurses now.

Nursing can be a wonderful job but the pressures in the modern NHS are immense and some of the things you will see and do in the course of your duties are very distressing (not to mention all the yucky stuff!). If you are not 100% committed to a career as a nurse I would advise you to steer clear and put all your energies into making a go of beauty - it sounds like that's where your heart lies.

If you still want to be a nurse in 10 years time then go for it, but I reckon you'll probably be too busy with your successful salon to even consider it!

EDIT - I've just realised you have a one-year-old baby...to be honest even if you had no doubts whatsoever about wanting to nurse I'd tell you to wait. Childcare to fit round irregular shifts is a nightmare for nurses, and you will need to find a lot of time to study.

 

[Vanilla Pod]

I work in a hospital theatre as an ODP, i have done this for years, it gives me good wages and they are always short of staff, so jobs are secure, pension good and i now do nails, eyelash extensions, and spray tanning when i am off work as i love beauty so i combine both. Personally i would never give up my day job, but i enjoy my beauty and get paid for it too - bonus !

 

[persianista]

Only you can decide which career path is right for you.The whole salon ownership issue that you raised is a "how long is a bit of string" question. Most salon owners spend a long time in the industry and build a client base before opening or buying a salon. One in three salons closes down in it's first year. Many salons are highly profitable. The variables involved in salons are so many that it is impossible to predict what profit there may or may not be. For some its the route to riches, for others, bankruptcy.

 

[helpimlost]

I sympatise with you I really do. Im a hairdresser by trade but I have worked in the nhs for 5 years now and have a midwifery application away, but i think about my family and what they would have to put up wit if i did the training.

Im withdrawing my application and going down the holistic route and hope to specialise in pregnancy massage etc

good luck! x

 

[smooth]

Ok, nursing is hard work, yes you do have to do shifts and work weekends but while you do your training you do not work public holidays (xmas etc). It is possible to train with children, I had 2 young children when I entered my nurse training and then had child number 3 during my second year. I managed to remain in my cohort and continue with my study even though my (then) husband was away on a deployment with the navy.

You can do part time to allow more annual leave but I certainly agree with not going into nursing unless it is something you definitely want to do. You could be taking the place away from someone who passionately wants to be a nurse. Going down the botox route is not that easy, you have to have 3 years post registration experience, then you need the backing of your employer before they will sign the form to say you have the skills, a prescribing budget and support to undertake the non medical prescribing course.

What do you honestly want to do? You will know deep down what the answer is, all we can do is give you our point of view on nursing and beauty.

 

[daisyl]

As this is an old post now - which route did you decide to take?