The beauty industry has always been a robust and popular industry, and it shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, strong growth is predicted for beauty therapists over the next five years with industry demand forecast to rise.
If you are passionate about beauty and are considering starting a career you really care about, this is excellent news for you! With such positive ongoing growth and endless career opportunities, the sky really is the limit. There are a variety of ways to train, qualify and practice within the beauty world, and hundreds of different job roles and titles to choose from. Not to mention the possibility of starting your own business.
But do you find this abundance of choice and decision making a little overwhelming? Are you unsure how to start your career the right way, and how long it will take you to get there? If so, we’ve got you! We’ll be covering the avenues you can pursue, the different pay grades available and what training routes can get you there. Including the short beauty courses and beauty courses online that could glow up your beauty career in a swish!
Let’s get started!
What is Beauty Therapy?
Beauty therapy is centred around providing cosmetic services to clients, aimed at providing a certain look, feel or glow to a client.
As a hugely rewarding career, not only will you explore your personal creativity every day, but you will also be positively impacting on the lives of your clients with services that help them look and feel their best.
These services can include:
- Facials
- Makeup
- Eyelash extensions, lifts and tinting
- Eyebrow shaping, waxing and tinting
- Hair extensions
- Spray tanning
- + much more!
A trained beauty therapy professional can sometimes perform a whole range of these services, or can choose to specialise in one or two.
In addition to providing these services, a beauty therapist’s other top priority is to strictly observe hygiene and sanitation protocols. This keeps both them and their client safe and happy throughout the process. They must also have a good understanding of administration, booking systems and customer service.
As you can see, a certified beauty therapist with excellent training has enough skills to bring a positive and proactive energy to any salon, or even start their own salon or spa business.
What Are Potential Career Paths in Beauty Therapy?
Depending on your interests you could choose to work generally in beauty services, or specialise in a niche area, or even start your own beauty business.
You could apply your skills to work in:
- Beauty salons
- Day spas
- Resorts & hotels
- Cruise ships
- Cosmetics companies
- Theater and Film makeup
- Providing freelance services
- Running a mobile beauty salon
- Running a home beauty business
- Running your own spa, resort or salon
- Becoming a beauty blogger or influencer
But what about each area’s earning potential? Here’s a quick guide to each services average salary, to help you get clued up on what you can expect to make:
- General beauty therapist – $40,000 – $60,000
- Makeup artist – $30,000 – $60,000
- Eyelash technician – $40,000 – $60,000
- Brow technician – $40,000 – $60,000
- Facialist – $40,000 – $60,000
The above figures give you a guide for your starting salary and future potential. To reach even higher values you’ll need some experience & to be working in the best salons. To reach 6 figures, many take the next step and start their own booming beauty business!
So how to get there? Training is your first step.
If you wish to expand your skill set and start building your beauty empire – a recognised certificate and appropriate training is a must. The right course can equip you with the skills and tools to apply to the best salons, or inspire confidence & awe in your freelance clients.
Your expertise in your beauty treatments is what will land you an important role in your chosen place of work, and launch your business the right way.
How long does a beauty therapy course take?
- University Course – You could choose to take a bachelors in an area of interest, such as cosmetology or beauty business. This would take 3-4 years to complete and costs around $10,000 – $30,000.
- Beauty Therapy Course – These campus based courses offer a general overview of beauty services, and require in classroom participation. These take around 3-6 months to complete, or longer if you choose to study part time, and cost anywhere from $5,000 – $20,000.
- Beauty Courses Online – Online beauty courses are self led and you learn from anywhere in the world. This means you could complete your certificate in a matter of weeks or months, or study over a longer period at times that suit your schedule. New Zealand Beauty School courses all come with an affordable payment plan and personalised kit as standard!
It’s no wonder then that online learning has become so popular. Allowing you to earn while you learn, or work on your side hustle around family commitments. For example, if you dream of becoming an aesthetician, then choosing between facial courses can be tricky if you have a busy schedule and a tight budget. But our facial course can be accessed 24/7, with full tutor support whenever you need it. Meaning it fits around your lifestyle, while still allowing you to pursue that beauty boss dream!
Another major benefit? You can specialise in your true passion. While general beauty therapy courses will give you an overview, there may be some areas that don’t spark your creativity. With short courses online, you can pick the beauty areas that matter most and hone those skills, rather than wasting time and effort on anything that doesn’t fuel your drive!
Led by industry experts, all our short beauty courses come with a certificate of completion and a transcript of the units you have completed – which shows employers just how much knowledge you have gained. Plus, a selection of the organisations we partner with are New Zealand government accredited organisations and others are private industry recognised organisations – which means you’ll be confident in your ability and your skills.
Ready to embark on your journey to becoming a professional beauty therapist? If so, we’d love to hear from you! Our friendly team is always on hand to help you with any of those tough decisions or burning questions. We are here to support you – because you’ve got this beauty boss of the future!