Being an esthetician, a skin care professional, can be a rewarding and lucrative way to earn a living, usually at a day spa, resort spa, or medical spa. The basic skills of the esthetician are facials, body treatments and waxing. More advanced skills include working with machines like IPL and lasers to permanently rejuvenate the skin and remove hair. You are also expected to sell skin care products to customers, which can help increase your income through commissions.
An aesthetics license can also provide you with a good foundation for other career opportunities, such as a makeup artist, salesperson, manufacturer representative, beauty writer / blogger, or PR representative specializing in beauty lines. But don’t expect to get your license and get hired based on that. You are developing experience and credentials, a complement to OTHER skills and work experience you already have.
The aesthetic school is an investment of time, energy and money. Requirements vary from state to state, but most states require you to complete between 600 and 1,000 hours of training. Full-time school can take four to six months to complete, and part-time school can take 9 to 12 months. The main goal of the aesthetic school is to prepare you to pass the state licensing exam. They also teach basic skills that you will need to hone through experience and sometimes additional classes.
The Market Realities of Being an Esthetician
Once you’ve passed the state exam, what are the market realities? As spas are growing, there is much less demand for estheticians than massage therapists. Since spas hire fewer estheticians overall, it can be difficult to land that first job.
Also, many massage therapists are going back to school to get their aesthetic license so they can give facials and massages. This trend toward dual licensing has made it even more difficult for estheticians to find full-time work in spas. Resort and hotel spas offer expensive services, so they will prefer to hire beauticians with a few years of experience. These are also highly coveted jobs, so turnover is typically not high.
More chain jobs available
While it can be difficult to find that first job in a busy spa, there are now more chains that make it easier to find an entry-level place where you can hone your skills. Fast growing beauty chain ULTA employs estheticians to administer Dermalogica facials, peels and microdermabrasions at a reasonably low cost. He is also expected to wax, tint the eyebrows and eyelashes, apply eyelash extensions, and sell additional services. There are almost 950 Ultas in 48 states.
With 1,150 locations in 49 states, the Massage Envy franchise chain is another good place to look for work. Massage Envy’s business model is to offer relatively low cost services to members who have purchased a monthly service. You are paid less for service than in most day spas or spas, but you are likely to be busier. And there is always the opportunity to earn extra money through commissions selling skin care products.
The disadvantages of working as a beautician
You typically enter a spa at the bottom of the totem pole, and estheticians who have been there the longest have the busiest days and shifts (daytime on Saturdays and Sundays). Depending on the spa booking rules, a more experienced esthetician may be booked entirely prior to getting your first appointment. Some spas try to spread bookings among estheticians.
If you don’t have appointments for the day, some spas will put you “on call.” It should be available if someone requests a facial but does not receive compensation unless they are called. Most spas also get most of their business on the weekends, so be prepared to work on Saturdays and Sundays (if you’re lucky enough to get those days).
Beware of Big Salary Claims
An aesthetic school is dedicated to attracting new students. In other words, they are selling themselves. Be skeptical if they talk about their graduates making between $ 50,000 and $ 75,000 a year. This is the VERY RARE exception.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that skin care specialists earned an average wage of $ 14.47 per hour in 2015. The highest paid 10 percent in the profession earned more than $ 29.49 per hour, while the highest paid 10% earned less than $ 8.80. The good news is that they reported that there are currently 55,000 jobs, and the field is expected to grow at a rate of 12% annually.
Improving your chances of success
It is best if you know that you will have a job waiting for you when you finish school. Maybe you already work at a spa at the front desk and the spa director has promised to hire you, or someone you know is the owner of the spa.
Simply getting your license and then starting your job search as an esthetician is the hardest part. A few things can help you get ahead of the pack:
- Be highly motivated to learn all you can and develop good sanitation habits.
- Work on your “touch” and try to get a good 60 minute facial while you are at school.
- When you graduate, take a quick wax class. Waxing is an important skill to have.
- It helps if you have good skin, excellent people skills, and know how to sell.
Define why you want to go to aesthetic school
Before going to aesthetic school, define why you are doing it. Do you want to work as a beautician? Do you want to be a beauty specialist in the corporate world? Regardless of what you have in mind, research market realities by talking to people in the business.
Talk to other estheticians and ask them about the realities of the workplace: market demand, starting wages, stress levels, and what are the best and worst parts of the job. Call the spa owners or directors at the spas where you would like to work and tell them that you are considering going to beautician school. Find out if they consider hiring people just outside of school.
Whenever you speak to someone in the business, ask what beauty school they attended or hired from. That will give you a good idea of which aesthetic schools have the best reputation.
Finding the right school for you
At this point, you should have a better idea about the realities of the market. If it still makes sense to go ahead, research the schools. Make a list of cosmetic schools in the state where you live and call the school for a telephone interview. Each school has an admissions department that can answer your questions and send you an information packet. You will know the licensing requirements in your state, the curriculum, how much the program costs, part-time and full-time programs, and financial aid.
You should be able to get a good idea of how professional a school is by how they treat you on the phone.
All esthetician schools teach you what you need to know to pass the state licensing exam, that is their main goal. Other questions to ask: Do they have any specialized equipment for you to learn? How long have your teachers worked there and what is their experience? What is your continuing education program? Are there benefits for graduates, such as product discounts or continuing education classes?
It is also essential to make an on-site visit to the beautician school. Do you like the atmosphere? Are you impressed by the teachers? Talk to students while you’re there and ask what they think (away from teachers or admissions counselors). Some schools have an open house or free workshops so you can get a feel for general skin care and the environment at the school.
Ask for the names and phone numbers of the graduates you can call. They will give you their honest opinion on the school, the job market, starting salaries, and what your market is like once you graduate.
