Becoming a beauty therapist can be an extremely rewarding career. Alongside your knowledge and specialism in beauty treatments, you will be able to release your inner creative side, while also discovering new trends and skills. But most importantly, you’ll be able to see the impact your procedure has on your client when you see how good they look and feel after they have been pampered.
So, if you have an eye for the latest trends, want to make a difference to someone’s day or boost someone’s self-confidence, then the beauty industry is calling you!
If you’re thinking of beginning a career as a beauty therapist, but require some further information on whether it’s the right choice for you, we’ve started the #BeautyStudentTalk series to help you.
In the first post, we’ve put together some of the key reasons that this may just be the perfect job for you…
Meeting lots of different people
Are you a natural people person? Love making people feel amazing? Then you’d probably make a perfect beauty therapist. A beauty therapist is all about making clients feel relaxed and comfortable whilst they are undergoing their treatments. They’ll see you as a friend and as an escape from the real world – you may find they will open up to you about their life and what they have been up to – even if you don’t really want to hear.
A good beauty therapist should also understand the needs of the client and what treatments they require. Some of them might be shy, or a little embarrassed, of their beauty problems and you should be able to help them open up, or offer guidance.
Independent work hours
Within the beauty world, you are free to work the hours that you desire. So if you’ve always wanted to be self-employed this career can allow you to flourish.
You should bear in mind though that the role requires you to work peak social times, including bank holidays, seasonal periods and weekends – but you will be able to fit clients in around times that suit you.
You will also have the chance to be flexible with where you work, whether it’s mobile, working from home or hiring a chair in a salon for your clients to visit.
However, many juniors tend to begin their career within a salon, usually as a beauty apprentice to gain experience whilst they are studying. Many choose to stay working in a salon until they feel they’ve got enough skills and knowledge to be independent. If you are looking for a career that’s within a salon, you will probably find yourself working set hours, usually 9am-5pm, and possibly evenings and weekends.
Finding the right beauty course for you
If you know you want to work within beauty, you may want to specialise in one specific role, for example, as a professional makeup artist. There are a wide range of beauty courses that you can take, which can all ultimately lead you into your dream beauty job.
Some of the beauty courses that you are able to choose from include skin treatments, waxing, make-up, manicure and pedicures. Once you’ve found the area which you’d like to study, you can then complete a diploma to gain the qualifications that you’ll need.
Once your career in beauty therapy is underway, you never have to stop learning. Why not extend your knowledge into further studies, including advanced therapy such as epilation techniques, piercings, tanning, face/body art and laser and light treatments?
Having the right skills for the job
Like any job, there are requirements to find the right person to fit the role. This is no different for beauty therapists. As this is a public orientated role, it’s important for therapists to have a good set of personal skills to interact well with a range of clients.
Along with being friendly and welcoming, you need to make sure that clients feel happy and comfortable in your company during their treatments.
You should also have the ability to make clients feel relaxed but also be able to let them know what’s happening in their procedures so they’re not wondering where that hot wax stick is going!
You should be passionate and creative in trying new makeup and nail looks and patient for sampling and learning ways to be applying this to clients. It’s important that you are discreet too- don’t repeat what personal treatments clients have had to anyone outside of the salon they may feel embarrassed and trust you with their body issues.
In order for your career as a beauty therapist to begin, you will need qualifications and skills in beauty therapy. Alternatively, you’ll be able enter the beauty field through an apprenticeship.
We will be running blog posts for the next upcoming weeks to provide you with advice and information to help you begin your career in beauty. Keep tuned for next week, when we’ll be looking at the beauty treatments you could train in.
Read more #BeautyStudentTalk here
Keep an eye on the #BeautyStudentTalk hashtag for more useful hints and tips for budding beauty therapists.
