Aesthetician to manicurist
An aesthetician already meets 68% of what the manicurist role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
36.7/ 100
1 How much of what a manicurist is expected to do is already part of an aesthetician’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the manicurist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A manicurist role treats 9 of its required skills as things an aesthetician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise customers on usage of cosmetics
- cosmetic manicure
- cosmetic skin treatment
- cosmetics
- cosmetics industry
- identify customer's needs
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A manicurist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an aesthetician background worth leading with.
- already held use hair removal techniques assisting and caring
- already held cosmetic skin treatment services
- already held manufacture cosmetics handling and moving
- already held cosmetic manicure services
- already held sell cosmetics communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held test make-up information skills
All 27 carried skills, including the 9 the manicurist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 8 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn apply nail polish required
- still to learn decorate nails required
- still to learn shape nails required
- still to learn treat nails required
- still to learn conform to cosmetics regulatory requirements required
- still to learn sterilise working environment required
- still to learn skin types required
- optional, not held perform body piercings optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a manicurist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 27 skills that carry over
- already held advise customers on usage of cosmetics skill
- already held cosmetic manicure knowledge
- already held cosmetic skin treatment knowledge
- already held cosmetics knowledge
- already held cosmetics industry knowledge
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held maintain equipment skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held administer appointments skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held give massages skill
- already held issue sales invoices skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held maintain professional administration skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage a small-to-medium business skill
- already held manufacture cosmetics skill
- already held monitor stock level skill
- already held offer cosmetic beauty advice skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held recommend cosmetics to customers skill
- already held sell cosmetics skill
- already held test make-up skill
- already held use hair removal techniques skill
1 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held perform body piercings optional
14 held skills the manicurist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply permanent make-up skill
- not needed by the target role cosmetics ingredients knowledge
- not needed by the target role determine skin type skill
- not needed by the target role hydrotherapy knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep up to date with spa products skill
- not needed by the target role make-up techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage indoor tanning sessions skill
- not needed by the target role offer free samples of cosmetics skill
- not needed by the target role perform body wrapping skill
- not needed by the target role perform facial treatment skill
- not needed by the target role support individuals on nutrition changes skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role treat facial hair skill
- not needed by the target role use laser therapy for skin conditions skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn skin types required
Common questions about this move
Can an aesthetician become a manicurist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An aesthetician already covers 68% of what a manicurist is expected to do: 27 skills carry over, 9 of which the manicurist role treats as required.
What skills does an aesthetician need to become a manicurist?
7 required skills are missing, plus 1 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is apply nail polish.
How hard is the move from aesthetician to manicurist?
Its learning distance is 36.7 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.