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Manicurist & Pedicurist

Skilled Trades

Clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails. May polish or decorate nails.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

General

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Clean and sanitize tools and work environment.
  2. 2Apply undercoat and clear or colored polish onto nails with brush.
  3. 3Maintain supply inventories and records of client services.
  4. 4Shape and smooth ends of nails, using scissors, files, or emery boards.
  5. 5Prepare nail cuticles with water and oil, using cuticle knives to push back cuticles and scissors or nippers to trim cuticles.
  6. 6Prepare customers' nails in soapy water, using swabs, files, and orange sticks.
  7. 7Remove previously applied nail polish, using liquid remover and swabs.
  8. 8Use rotary abrasive wheels to shape and smooth nails or artificial extensions.
  9. 9Schedule client appointments and accept payments.
  10. 10Assess the condition of clients' hands, remove dead skin, and massage hands.
  11. 11Roughen surfaces of fingernails, using abrasive wheel.
  12. 12Advise clients on nail care and use of products and colors.
  13. 13Treat nails to repair or improve strength and resilience by wrapping.
  14. 14Extend nails using powder, solvent, and paper forms attached to tips of customers' fingers to support and shape artificial nails.
  15. 15Polish nails, using powdered polish and buffer.
  16. 16Whiten underside of nails with white paste or pencils.
  17. 17Promote and sell nail care products.
  18. 18Decorate clients' nails by piercing or attaching ornaments or designs.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Nail Tech
  • Manicurist
  • Pedicurist
  • Nail Artist
  • Spa Nail Tech
  • Salon Nail Tech
  • Fingernail Former
  • Licensed Nail Tech
  • Fingernail Sculptor
  • Fingernail Sculpturer

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BusinessDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Customer and Personal Service67%
  • English Language53%

    English

  • Administration and Management52%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Personnel and Human Resources49%

    Business

  • Sales and Marketing49%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Production and Processing48%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Leading or coordinating othersNot at all
  • Handling conflict situationsAlmost never
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Time spent sittingAlmost all the time

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

International Pre-U

A-Levels, AUSMAT, IB and more. The flexible premium route, local or overseas.

1–2 years

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Manicurists and Pedicurists

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org