Waxing Lyrical Nails A Career In Beauty
The Age
Saturday October 2, 2004
Kylie Marshall has worked for a short time in the beauty industry. She talks to beauty therapist Juanita Keck, who runs the Powder Puff Salon at Southbank, about a career in beauty.
KYLIE: I've had quite a few different jobs. I've worked in hospitality (bar work and waitressing) and I've been heavily involved in work with animals (in veterinary settings and horse racing), which is where I'm back working now. I also worked in sales for about six years. More recently, I met a man who owned a beauty salon and started working with him. The work appealed to me because I had a back injury and couldn't do any heavy lifting. I did some 20-hour short courses at NMIT where I learned waxing and basic manicure, pedicure, and hand and foot massage. Learning these elements of the beauty industry suited that particular salon owner, but I knew to get work in other places, I would need accredited training. Before Christmas last year, I worked voluntarily for eight weeks in a Sunbury salon. JUANITA: Straight out of high school, I completed a one-year beauty therapy course at the Melbourne College of Hairdressing and Beauty. I preferred to do that than study over two years, which is what other TAFEs offered. I worked in a salon, then went back to teach at Melbourne College for two years. I trained further in cosmetics, did repping for skin-care companies, some film make-up work, and hairdressing. I had been managing salons before I opened my own here at Southbank four years ago. That was pretty challenging and took a while to get up and running, especially because when I started, there were very few shops here. Now, business is really good. The salon has three rooms, two nail tables and a solarium; we need four people working full-time to cater for the appointments. KYLIE: When I went to work in the Sunbury salon, I realised it would have been easier if I had all the skills and done an accredited course. Do you agree that that's what you need to be employed in this industry?JUANITA: It can depend on your employer and your attitude to work. The good thing about having a broad sweep of skills (of which there are many in this industry), is you won't get bored. I prefer not to hire people who are solely nail technicians, for example, because many of them get bored with that one focus. To correct their boredom, they often move from salon to salon. I tend to hire people who have all the beauty therapist's skills, or who would like to learn them. KYLIE: What do those skills include?JUANITA: Hair removal, facials, nails, feet and hands, body exfoliating, tinting. Most people come to this salon for waxing and facials. The work also requires a thorough understanding of the human body and its key systems, including skin biology, anatomy and physiology, nutrition and knowledge of the overall cosmetic chemistry.KYLIE: Which skills are the toughest to learn? JUANITA: Probably diagnosing skin problems and knowing how to treat them correctly. I find waxing, on the other hand, quite easy. KYLIE: What has kept you in the industry all this time? JUANITA: I've been in the industry for 14 years, and I've stayed purely for a love of it. Of course, I haven't done the same thing for 14 years, which has also kept it interesting and challenging for me. The hours are quite long and while the work is lightweight, it's not as glamorous as people make it out to be.KYLIE: What is job availability like?JUANITA: The beauty industry is growing and is expected to keep doing so. Salons are always looking for well-trained, professional staff. Here in the city, I get fewer applicants than friends who own salons in the suburbs. KYLIE: The courses I did were quick, quite easy and cost around $700 each - even though, because they're unaccredited, they don't guarantee you work. For people who are seriously considering this work, where do you recommend they train? JUANITA: First, anywhere that's accredited. Elly Lukas Beauty Therapy College in Collins Street is probably a favourite, as is the Melbourne College of Hair and Beauty. To complete the diploma of beauty therapy full-time over 12 months costs about $10,900. You can also study the diploma of beauty therapy at Chisholm Institute (Berwick), Box Hill Institute, Gordon Institute and Victoria Uni.KYLIE: What is the difference between a beautician and a beauty therapist?JUANITA: A beautician - certificate III (about $5500) and IV (about $9900) - does waxing, make-up, nails, tinting and ear piercing. Completing IV includes massage and facials, but not business management and electrolysis, which is what the diploma includes. KYLIE: What can beauty therapists earn?JUANITA: It depends on the award (state or federal). I pay above the average of the state award, which is $15.80 an hour. I pay between $18 to $20 an hour. Of course , the more clients you have, the more you get paid, especially with commissions and bonuses. In all, you can take home a good wage. Most people who work here are in their 20s, but many are also in their 30s and 40s.
© 2004 The Age
