How to Get into Beauty School!
I’m currently a student at Paul Mitchell The School for their Master Esthetics program! I’ve been attending since June 2021, and the ME program is a 1,200 hour program! Which can be completed in about 9–12 months and then you graduate and get your license to start the career of your dreams!
How do you get started?
It’s easy! Do some research on schools near you, make a few calls, look at reviews, and set up your tour of the school with the administration team and they take you from there! You’ll talk through the different programs the school offers (if they are a school that offers multiple programs in the industry) and go through your plans for your future!
The application process:
The application process isn’t as grilling as you’d think! The beauty industry is a very inclusive industry to be involved in, I wasn’t much of a “straight A student” myself and that’s one of the reasons that held me off of applying. They want to bring you into their school so they can help you succeed in your career, not because of how well you did in high school. If you want to push yourself and be there, do it! Doesn’t ever hurt to try. The essay part of the application wants to know why you’re wanting to go into the industry and what your future plans look like! They want to help you, not discourage you.
How does tuition, hours, and contracts work?
Tuition depends on what program and school you’re going through, loans are the most common way but you can of course pay out of pocket at the end of each quarter. The administration team and the financial aid team can walk you through your options and try to get the most out of what they can for you! Once you talk about everything the school offers through the program you want, you’ll get into tuition, hours, and your contract. Through Paul Mitchell The School they have certain schedules you can pick from, varying from days of the week and day/night school! Before you start orientation/the learning part of the program you will need to sign a contract which they should go over with you word for word and make sure you understand what you’re signing up for. And don’t be afraid to ask a million questions before you sign your name on that paper!
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Is it worth it?
Absolutely! Especially if you’re attending a school that allows you to work on actual clients. You get the lecture/learning part, the hands on (either on other students or on clients who come in) experience, dip your toes into learning about the products you’re using and why, sales experience, and you start to build your clientele that could potentially follow you out the door once you graduate! Tuition can be a nerve wrecking word, but it’s the first step in what needs to be done to make you the best you can be!
How long will it take to graduate and get on your own feet?
There are so many different areas of work you can get involved in, your hours depending on what field you want to be in can vary by a lot! It depends on how hard you work, how many hours you are able to put in, and your schedule. It’s not an industry where they say “you’ll start on June 1st 2021, graduate on December 8th 2022.” If you’re attending full time, you could start the same day as someone who’s part time and you’ll graduate 4 months before they do. If you miss some days, it’ll push the graduation date back. It depends on your focus and attendance!
State boards?!
State boards can be done right after you hit your hours, or right before! There’s a practical (hands on demonstration) and the written (a normal test) and passing, at least in my state, is a 70% grade on both tests. They are usually taken on different days as well! From the start of school you should gradually be making study sheets/power points/flash cards or however you retain information better, to study for these tests! You don’t want to be 100 hours from graduation and testing and be scrambling trying to study all of this information you’ve learned over the last couple of months. Also ask your teachers advice on where to go, there are some testing centers that are very hard on you and some that are fair! They know the best choices for you involving testing for your state boards, remember they’ve already been in your shoes!
Am I too old? Too “out there” with my personality or ideas? Will I be comfortable at school?
In my experience there are people ranging from 17/18–70 years old! It is never ever too late! There are people who are fresh out of high school, people who’ve been in a different career and want a change, single parents, families, people who have two other jobs, people who have ten grandchildren. Age is nothing but a number here! In this industry there is every kind of personality in that one building. It doesn’t matter if you’re an extrovert or an introvert, it’s your talent and heart that counts! People with piercings, tattoos, rainbow hair and people who’ve never had a chemical touch their head or a needle on their skin. And they all work together in building a community and a safe place for you and everyone else there. And if you don’t feel that way, there are so many employees and learning leaders there to help you and give you a hand in what you need.
Take a chance on yourself and follow where your heart is. It’s such a fast program, you get where you want to be in no time! Don’t let anyone or anything hold you back. It’s an amazing industry with so many amazing people in it! I don’t have a single regret in my decision to go through beauty school, and I can’t wait for my time to get started. You can go anywhere in this industry! Own your own business, work with a group of friends, work in the spa/salon/med spa you’ve always wanted to be a part of. Don’t stop chasing your dreams. You can do it!
