Chicago Nail Tech: Licensing, Schools and Pay
Last reviewed 26 September 2026Chicago is Illinois' largest city and anchors the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro. Sublime Professional has no campus here -- this page covers Chicago-specific facts; the full Illinois licensing rules live on our state page, linked below.
Licensing for Nail Technicians Working in Chicago
To work on clients in Chicago, you need Illinois' statewide nail-technician licence -- 350 clock hours and IDFPR's nail technology exam. See Illinois's full licensing requirements for the hours breakdown, exam type, renewal cycle and source citation.
Nail Schools Near Chicago
IDFPR licenses schools statewide but doesn't publish a Chicago-specific roster we could read as of Sep 2026 -- search IDFPR's own License Lookup before enrolling anywhere.
What Nail Technicians Earn Near Chicago
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay for manicurists and pedicurists in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI metro area at $18.32 an hour (May 2025). It covers employees only, not booth renters or the self-employed. It is what people already working in the area are paid, not what any school's graduates, ours included, can expect.
Source: BLS OEWS, series OEUM0016980000000039509208 (May 2025), bls.gov/oes. Read 2026-09-26.
Where Online Training Fits
Our course does not count toward Illinois's 350-hour requirement; only training on the route IDFPR sets (see our Illinois page) does. From home, you can start on gel, acrylic and Russian-manicure technique now, with Darya Shevchenko's feedback on photos of your practice work. It ends in a Sublime Professional diploma, not a Illinois licence.
Nearby City Guides
Next Steps From Chicago
Build technique alongside Illinois' own route -- $597, or 3 interest-free payments of $199.
See the Full Program - $597Not Ready Yet? Read the Free Theory Class FirstNot accredited. Not approved by any state.
