Career Suggestion

Beauty therapist

Beauty therapists provide face and body treatments to help clients look and feel better.

Average salary (a year)

£23000.0 to £29000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

30.0 to 37.0

You could work

evenings / weekends as customers demand

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • specialist courses run by private training providers

College

You could study for a college qualification, which may help when you apply for jobs as a trainee in a salon or spa.

Courses include:

  • beauty therapy
  • massage therapy
  • aromatherapy
  • nail technology
  • beauty specialist techniques

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do a Beauty Therapist Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, or Advanced Beauty Therapist Level 3 Apprenticeship.

These typically take up to 2 years to complete and combine work-based training with periods of study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Work

You could start as a beauty therapy assistant in a salon or spa. You could then study for a qualification while you're working.

Other Routes

You could take beauty therapy courses with private training providers, that can be found by searching online.

It's important to research and compare exactly what is included in courses, whether they lead to a recognised qualification and what the costs are.

More Information

Career Tips

Advertised pay rates are often listed as full-time equivalent (FTE) or pro rata. Actual pay will depend on the number of hours you work each week or month.

Professional and Industry Bodies

You may find it useful to get professional recognition by joining a register like the Guild of Beauty Therapists .

Further Information

You can find out more about careers in beauty therapy from the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority and the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology .

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • active listening skills
  • the ability to sell products and services
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day-to-day tasks

As a beauty therapist, you could:

  • give a facial by cleansing, massaging and toning a client's skin
  • do a makeover by applying and advising on make-up
  • shape eyebrows and colour eyelashes
  • give manicures, pedicures and treatments like extensions and nail art
  • remove unwanted facial and body hair
  • do non-surgical skin improvement treatments
  • offer ultraviolet (UV) treatments and spray tanning
  • give related treatments, if trained to do so, such as aromatherapy

Working environment

You could work in a salon, at a health spa, on a cruise ship, in a hotel or from home.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

With experience, you could become:

  • an assistant manager
  • overall salon manager
  • beauty services sales and marketing manager, with a hotel and spa company

You could work self-employed and set up your own salon, work from home or travel to clients.

You might also use your skills and experience to work in fashion, theatre or media make-up.

Related careers

Back to course details