So You Want To Be a Manufacturer Educator?

You want the fame, the glory, the lavish lifestyle of a manufacturer educator.  You want to travel to all of the shows and be the one tech that everyone comes to, to learn from and get demo nails from.  Well, that life just isn’t that glamorous.  Actually, it’s downright exhausting.

Most think that you get paid very well being a ME.  If you compare what you make sitting behind your table in the salon to what you make as a ME you end up asking “Why am I doing this?”  The pay is MINIMAL.  You don’t even make minimum wage at times.

Sure, you get perks like free education and product discounts, but you have a lot of bullshit you put up with too.  There’s lack of communication.  People in other states not understanding the states and area where you live and think it’s perfectly okay to have to teach a class that is a six hour drive from home and they expect you to drive said six hours, set up, teach an all day class and then drive six hours home.

When you finally make them realize that it is not humanly possible to do all of that, they will put you up in a hotel.  Now, you don’t get paid for that 12 hours that you are driving.  Yes you get paid mileage, but that is for wear and tear on your car and to put gas in the tank. 

Now then there will be times that they will book you a class where you have to fly to the location.  You usually have to fly the day before and come home either the day of the class or the next day.  Again, those travel days, you don’t get paid.  All of these days and hours add up.

A lot of ME work full time in the salon.  They are salon owners.  The days that classes are scheduled (Sundays and Mondays) are usually their only days off.  So, you have to teach classes on your day off and you barely make minimum wage.

Then, you will get to the class and you always have at least one know-it-all that thinks that they are better than you are.  That they know more than you do and eventually, they try to take over your class.  They will even go as far as complain to the company about your performance as a ME.

The cattiness and the outright hatefulness you will experience from your fellow Nail Tech Sisters is a real eye opener.  Some of these gals are the most vindictive bunch ever encountered.  They will talk behind your back, belittle you and your work all the while trying to make them look and feel better.

The supplies that you are give to work with are sometimes old.  You have brushes that are totally unusable.  You will be missing important things like topcoat and you will be given odd colors to work with that just don’t go together.  Class attendees will look at you like you are crazy, but it’s not your fault, this is what you were provided with.

Now comes time to work some shows.  Expect to have a flight with no less than five layovers.  You will zigzag across the United States and spend an entire day in multiple airports before you get to your final destination.  You then have to physically open boxes, put together furniture and set up the show booth.  You will now have to work for one, two or three days at the show, for sometimes eight or more hours with very few breaks.  You will be talking and demoing constantly.  Again, you are being judged by your peers, most of the time unfairly.

By the time the show is over, and you have zigzagged back across the United States to get home, you usually get home before midnight, plop into bed only to be up in the morning to head back into the salon.  NO DAYS OFF and you are EXHAUSTED.  Again, that pay check is really, really small.

Sometimes, you don’t get that paycheck.  Sometimes they try to change the rules on you and pay you less.  Oh and don’t forget, you still have to pay taxes on that little paycheck that you are getting if you get more than $600 in a year.

So, think long and hard before you take the plunge.  Ask other ME from that company for their confidential opinion.  Figure out if it is worth it to you to work and slave for peanuts in exchange for some free education and a product discount.  For me, it just wasn’t worth it any longer.  I like money and being paid for my time and talents.  I make more money and get more personal satisfaction in the salon and I no longer have bullshit in my life.