Beauty therapist

By ANGELA McCARTHY

Name: Terry Taylor

Age: 40

Role: Owner of Skin Deep Beauty & Skin Therapy Clinic

Working hours: 35-55 hours a week, including weekends

Average pay: $12 to $16 an hour starting pay


Qualifications: One-year Elite International School of Beauty Therapy Diploma in Beauty Therapy (Aesthetics, Body Therapy, Electrolysis). Swiss CIDESCO and British Cibtac and Itec diplomas.

Career prospects: Beauty therapist for cruise liners, spas around the world, beauty therapy products representative, self-employment, educator, examiner.

Q. Describe what you do

A. This job is 99 per cent touch. We make people feel good about themselves through treatments such facials, waxing, electrolysis and massage, such as Swedish, lymph drainage [removes toxins and excess fluids] and deep tissue massage. Treatment length ranges, so some days I'll see six clients, another day, 14 clients.

Why did you choose this line of work?

Before coming to New Zealand in 1997, I spent 19 years in the banking and insurance industry in South Africa. I was interested from a teenager in beauty therapy.

I like the idea of working with people in a nurturing way and believe touch is hugely important to human beings, but there had never been the right place or time to do anything about it. But the quantum leap of coming to New Zealand meant the move to beauty therapy was no longer insurmountable.

Q. What kind of clients do you have?

A. Our youngest client is 12, our oldest is a partially blind 94-year-old who comes every seven or eight weeks to have her eyebrows done and fingers manicured. Some clients are dealing with illness, like cancer, and enjoy the chance to feel nurtured. Others simply want their nails done. Our male client numbers are increasing and now make up 25 per cent of our clients. They usually want waxing or facials.

Q. What sort of training or experience do you have?

A. I got the Elite International Diploma in Beauty Therapy in 2001. I also took the opportunity at Elite International to do the Swiss CIDESCO exam and British Cibtac and Itec exams. It was a very intensive year of theory and practical work.

I did a placement of about eight weeks at Skin Deep and after graduating I worked there February and March part-time while also working from home. Then the owner said she was thinking of retiring and I had to make my next big decision - whether to buy it.

Q. What skills or qualities do you need?

A. A very good sense of touch and a professional attitude. You need the ability to listen, put people at ease and win their trust.

You also need to be methodical and organised because a lot of what you do is very routine.

Q. Best part of the job?

A. When a client walks out with a smile on their face feeling good about the experience you've given them.

Q. Most challenging part?

A. Clients confide in you continually, so you're absorbing that energy and you need to be able to filter it out at the end. It also involves long hours. Maintaining a constant high standard is another challenge. You can't have a bad day.

Q. Funny experiences?

A. A beautifully groomed man in a suit came in to make an appointment for the following week. When he turned up he was wearing stilettos, woman's flared trousers and a silky blouse. I didn't know whether to treat him as a male or a female.

Q. Advice to someone wanting to do same thing?

A. You have to know in your heart you want to work with people regardless of who they are. You can't afford to be judgemental or rude, you must always be diplomatic, patient and gracious. And you must like touching people.

Q. What are you career hopes for the future?

A. In 10 to 15 years I want to be an international examiner. It would be a wonderful way to see the world. To do this I'll need a diploma in tertiary education teaching and two years tertiary teaching experience.