If you enjoy helping others pursue their dreams, then you may want to take the education and training you did for your cosmetology license and become an instructor. You can teach general skills or in a particular area, such as esthetician, nail technician, hair coloring, hair styling, or hair cutting, which can also help you keep up with the latest techniques and skills if you want to continue your own practice on the side. It can be a rewarding career with a higher income than working as a cosmetologist alone.
What Does the Job Entail?
Some, if not all, of your time will be in a classroom as a cosmetology instructor
A cosmetology teacher instructs the next generation of cosmetologists. It is their job to teach the basic skills and techniques for hair coloring, styling, and cutting, as well as for pedicures, manicures, and skin care. The instructor follows the required curriculum to ensure that the students have the necessary training to sit for the state board exam. The instruction is not just based on book learning; instructors also supervise students once they start putting their skills to use on real people. Some instructors may also teach health and safety or anatomy and physiology.
What is the Average Salary?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cosmetology teachers, which fall under the heading Career and Technical Education Teachers, have a median annual salary of $48,360. However, this number includes teachers in a range of vocations, and most estimates put cosmetology instructors in the lower percentage, with annual salaries closer to $30,000. This is still above the median salary of a cosmetologist. The amount you can make depends on the type of school and the location, as well as your experience and specialization.
How Do You Become a Cosmetology Teacher?
Before you can teach, you need to have experience as a cosmetologist
The road to cosmetology instructor starts with enrolling in beauty school and getting a cosmetology license. You typically have to have a certain number of years of experience before you can start training to be an instructor. The exact number differs from state to state. You also will most likely be expected to take specialty teacher training, which may be around 750 hours of specialty training. Depending on your state, you may also be required to get a degree in teaching. Although the necessary training is dependent upon individual state guidelines, nearly every state does require potential instructors to pass an exam in order to teach, according to Beauty Schools Directory.
A Day in the Life of a Cosmetology Teacher
A cosmetology teacher typically works in some type of school, which may be a community college, trade school, or dedicated cosmetology institution. The main aspect of the job is teaching, including giving lectures based on the required reading. You may also have to perform demonstrations of the skills and techniques about which your students are learning.
When you students start working on people, you will closely supervise their job
You will also be expected to provide hands-on assistance to your students as they learn the techniques themselves. You may also supervise the students as they work on clients in their final semester or term at school. Some instructors work full time, while others do it part time and may continue to provide cosmetology services.
With a growing demand for cosmetologists, there will be a demand for instructors. If you want to put your training to use to help a new generation of beauty school graduates, then working as a cosmetology instructor could be a satisfying job for you. Once you have your training and cosmetology license, you can work on getting the additional required training to teach.
You also want to be sure to maintain your license by getting the required continuing education with Beauty Academy, a hassle-free online solution.