We often don’t see disabled people working in the Personal Care industry, specifically, in beauty occupations. However, many services are ideal for a person with mobility issues. For example, Nail Techs or Lash Techs sit for most of their day.
Training in certain services can prove to form a lucrative career for a person with a mobile disability. For instance, self-employed Lash Techs charge around $80 for 1 hour of service.
Are there government supports to help me find employment?
There are there supports for beauty industry workers with disabilities. Disability Related Employment Supports a.k.a. ‘DRES‘ is a provincial employment support that funds supports or services for Albertans to help them find and maintain employment.
There are also supports for employers who want to hire people with disabilities.
If the eligibility criteria for all parties are met, you may find supports in:
education/training,
job search, and
the workplace
Examples of eligible assistive services:
job coach
note taker
academic aide
tutor
Examples of eligible assistive technology:
Set-up, installation and training on use of specialized equipment and/or software
ramps
wheelchair lifts
widening doorways
making a washroom accessible
raising lowering or adapting a work station
adapting equipment for the specific use of a person with a disability
All Service Providers know that tips make a big difference! They are a great way to plump up that bottom line. To a degree, entrepreneurs have the ability to maximize their potential for tips by controlling different aspects of service delivery.
Service Providers who are self-employed have control of every detail of the client’s experience. For example, décor, cleanliness, and punctuality are only ripples in the vast sea of customer excellence you can offer to attract a certain clientele.
Tips are a game changer, however, it can get a bit confusing when it comes to claiming them come tax time, especially if you pay yourself as an employee, or have employees.
Do I include tips when calculating CPP and EI deductions?
There are 2 types of tips.
Controlled
Direct
Controlled tips
Controlled tips are mandatory to the client. For example, spa parties may include a mandatory 18% gratuity that is included in the bill. If you include or “control” the tip amount in the final bill, then these tips must be included in the insurable earnings (wages + VAC pay + tips + commission). Anything considered “insurable earnings” must be accounted for when calculating the EI and CPP deductions.
Direct tips
Direct tips are out of your control. A client may or may not tip you or your service providers. Only the client is in control of the amount of tip they choose to leave. You as the employer are simply passing the tip from the hands of the client to the hands of your service provider. Direct tips are NOT considered insurable hours and are therefore not included when calculating EI and CPP deductions.
The declaration of tips is the responsibility of the tip reciever when filing their personal taxes.
Your goals and values will help you decide whether you want to pursue a job versus a career. But first, let’s clarify the difference.
Job vs. Career vs. Occupation
An occupation is a group of similar jobs that require some type of training and the continuous development of your skills and knowledge in order to remain current in the field. An occupation is a specific category of work; examples of occupations in the beauty industry include Estheticians, Hairstylists, and Nail Technicians. People can have different kinds of jobs within the respective occupations; for example, Hairstylists can choose to specialize in specific skills within their position, such as cutting vs. colouring.
A job is a particular position you hold doing specific duties. In the beauty industry, if the occupation is Laser Tech, an example of a job is all the duties you would provide at any particular spa, for example, providing IPL/Laser treatments, product sales, customer service, sanitation duties, and any other duties you may agree to when you accept any given job.
A career is the sum of all work activities. You can think of it like a portfolio of all the efforts you make that are related to field you work in, in our case, the beauty industry. In addition to the work activities you achieve, also included are any activities that you do at home, at school, in your community, etc.
Our job bank is beauty industry-specific and accessed by beauty professionals looking for employment opportunities in Alberta, Canada.
About us
Executive Spa Group (ESG) is a beauty industry resource centre. In addition to one-on-one career and employment services, we offer free online resources to help employers connect with job seekers.
Browse job bank by Category
Job seekers can search for jobs based on job category. With 27 categories to choose from, our job bank accommodates many beauty industry employment opportunities.
Browse by Job Type
Job seekers can also search for opportunities based on job type.
ESG tips when job searching
Photo credit: Andrew Neel
Contact ESG for help creating a resume
Inform contacts used as references of your active job search
Avoid lengthy resume or cover letters
Keep job search records
Ensure voicemail is appropriate for job search
ESG tips when interviewing
Arrive on time, no excuses!
Prepare “ready-to-go” answers using the STAR method
Create your own list of questions for them
Do not offer private information until an offer of employment has been made in writing
Career Development is essential to a long lasting beauty career. With so many new services and the advancement of existing ones, it’s important to stay current.
However, work gets comfortable and it’s easy to forget about career development. Updating your skillset every couple of years increases the longevity of your career, in addition to your satisfaction!
How does ESG help?
Connect with our Career Consultants. As trained professionals, we can help you clarify your goals and organize your career path.
ESG can guide you through the ever-expanding world of beauty educators. Our experts can help you answer questions like, “Are there night classes available?” or “What’s the best course for my budget?” In addition, we can help you find loans or grants to pay for your education when applicable.
What happens AFTER training?
ESG can assist you in finding employment or starting a small business after completing your training.
Furthermore, ESG can provide other resources for every new step in your career. If you reach a point in your career that you decide to hire staff, we can help with that too. Contact us today!
EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP
(780) 604-2772 (Call or Text)
info@executivespagroup.com
Photo credit: Pixabay
