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There are many benefits to becoming a Beauty Tutor, these benefits include: a better work-life balance, improved IT and marketing skills and setting your own schedule. This option is also less physically demanding on the body, if you are a therapist looking to reduce your treatments. There is always a huge demand for these training courses within the beauty industry. You can start your own training business, design your accredited courses and move completely online!
Online demand for beauty products has surged in 2020 and Mintel predicts that value sales of beauty/grooming products through online sales will rise 24% to ยฃ1.9 billion in 2020. The beauty sector in general, has been predicted to grow by up to 21.1% up to 2022, thatโs a huge number of beauty products being bought and treatments being delivered every single day and a huge amount of money being earnt by therapists all over the UK. With unprecented times seen in 2020 through the COVID pandemic and sadly some industries failing to bounce back, it is not surprising many people are looking for other career options and perhaps to follow long-held dreams of working in beauty.
Technology has evolved massively within the last 5 years with aesthetics being one of the largest growing sectors and with money being tighter for many, clients are also keen on treatments that give long lasting or multi tasking results allowing them to save time or money in other areas of their beauty regimes such as tinting, lash lifting (in place of extensions), spray tanning and facials like microdermabrasion giving flawless results that help reduce the need for daily make up application.
Lockdown also saw a huge number of clients getting into DIY beauty at home (and seeing some disasters unfortunately) that made them both appreciate the benefits of a professional but the perks of mobile treatments, with many clients still not feeling fully comfortable returning to salons as yet despite Covid-secure measures. This is great news for those starting out, helping to keep overheads down on premises or renting a room, mobile working also allows you to have flexible working hours or maximise your earnings working just part time around other employment.
Beauty can be broken down into reasonably separate treatment sectors:
Most beauty therapists will specialise in one or two of these areas of beauty, possibly offering the odd add-on treatment as demanded by their unique client base so picking the sector which most sparks your passion is the best starting point. Think about treatments you regularly receive already or beauty products that you canโt live without โ bring this passion into your work and share it with others, all while earning a living.
Think about how you want to train โ do you prefer the idea of face to face courses, is that practical for you in terms of travel, childcare, work shifts etc.? We offer courses 6 days a week across 10 centres so there is likely to be training dates that work for you. These courses are fast track, typically delivered in 1 day so ideal for those who work long hours where longer term study may be tricky. Prefer to take more time over your learning, studying online at your own pace? It might be that our accredited online courses or Virtual Academy training is better suited to your needs โ no attendance of the centre is required for these so they are great for those with caring commitments or who live too far from a centre. Our online courses are also budget friendly and accessible, starting at just ยฃ99 each. Classroom courses start from only ยฃ129.
Think about what is popular in your area โ are there already a huge amount of lash technicians operating in your local area? Maybe you live round the corner from 2 or 3 nail bars. Remember there will always be business for a highly trained technician and other businesses simply signify there is demand but take your competition into consideration when deciding which treatments you start out with learning. Also think about your start-up costs in terms of kit and marketing. Online marketing through social media is free beyond your time and often very effective. A website is also a great investment, even just a free website building platform to get you started with an online presence. Youโll also need to think about where youโll work. Do you have a spare room at home or are you going to work mobile in which case youโll need a reliable car? Factor in any considerations like getting agreement from your landlord to work from home if renting or adding on use for work purposes on your car insurance policy.
Start realistically โ book courses to learn one treatment you will specialise in to begin with or consider a package of suitable linked treatments that will allow you to offer popular treatment packages to clients to boost your earnings. Our Multi Buy Course Packages have all been carefully selected as treatments that work well as a business start-up opportunity and save you money on training in the long run also, versus booking each course individually. Remember we offer payment options to help spread the cost, including 0% credit through PayPal Credit on balances over ยฃ99.
Most students complete within 4-6 months, studying on a part time basis at home beyond their initial training days, learning around other commitments. All students have up to 12 months to complete the qualification, should you need to learn at a slower pace.
Full access to our expert in-house Support team by phone or email throughout. We offer the most flexible, fast track way to achieve your VTCT beauty qualification and start your new career, ideal for those who need to learn around their existing work or commitments such as childcare that make attendance of year long face to face courses unsuitable for their needs. Most learners are aged 25 or over, as those looking to either change career or start something new; although their are no age limits.
Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT) is a specialist awarding and assessment organisation offering vocational and technical qualifications in a range of service sectors. With more than 2,000 approved centres worldwide, VTCT has an ever-expanding list of centres throughout the UK and Ireland, with a growing international presence. VTCT have been providing qualifications since 1962 and in 2016 expanded to take over iTEC adding to its specialist worldwide training offer.
If you are looking to embark upon a new career in beauty therapy or take your existing role in beauty further, VTCT qualifications will set you ahead of the competition and open up a wealth of career opportunities whether that is employed in the salon, spa, nail bar, cruise liner, opening your own salon or working as a beauty trainer in a further education college or for private beauty training provider.
Achieving a prestigious and internationally recognised VTCT Qualifications will demonstrate you have an assessed high standard of competence within your treatment skills; giving both employers, insurers, industry bodies, advanced training providers & potential clients confidence within your abilities as a beauty professional.
We offer a full range of VTCT awards in Beauty Therapy and also VTCT Level 3 Award in Education & Training for those looking to take their beauty career into a teaching capacity. We offer Level 2 qualifications ideal for complete beginners, along with Level 3 in Nail Technology and Massage Therapy which are advanced awards which can also be started as a complete beginner. We have single unit qualifications in individual treatments such as Facial Skincare for those wanting to specialise in a specific treatment, although we generally recommend the full Level 2 or 3 Diploma courses for those looking to gain an all-rounder set of skills most sought by employers within the beauty sector. Discover our VTCT courses by clicking below or for more guidance on the best course for you, select one of the options below to get in touch. All VTCT qualifications can be booked securely through our website or by calling our team on Freephone 0800 999 2277.
The vast majority of our students achieve their VTCT qualification within 4-6 months and upon completion, enter the beauty industry either on an employed basis within a salon or spa, or start their own beauty business. We often have students who travel the world while working in beauty, working aboard cruise liners offering luxurious spa treatments. Many students enter professional competitions and gain recognition within the industry for their high level skills and flair for beauty. Once you have a VTCT Level 2 and/or Level 3 in beauty, you can then go onto learn further beauty treatments to expand your knowledge and boost your opportunities or could even take the VTCT Level 3 Award in Education & Training to begin offering beauty training courses yourself, work for a further education college or as a trainer for a private beauty training company to share your knowledge and inspire a passion for beauty in others. Click below to read the success story of one of our past students. You can see also Reviews from past students to assure you of the quality of our training.
Set yourself clear SMART goals. These are specific, measurable, achievable and time bound. So think about where you want your business to be and to take you in say 6 months, a year, 2 years and 5 years. Be realistic and take baby steps. Nothing is more demotivating than setting a goal impossible to achieve. Small, measurable goals are what you need so that with every milestone achieved, whether that is your first regular client, first client referral, tenth client booked etc. you have positive steps towards those bigger, long term goals.
You also need to do the maths and have a fixed budget for starting your own business to cover the cost of insurance, tools and products, business cards / price lists, transport costs such as if you need a bigger car, interest on any business related loans, rent and bills if having a salon space etc. and then also if this is going to be your only source of income, work out how much you need to earn each day/week so you can keep track of your income versus outgoings. Initially you may need to have a buffer and expect it may take a month or more to start breaking even and into profit as you build up your client base.
Think about your branding. What is your company name and logo? Is it obvious what you do from that to stand you apart from others? Is it catchy and memorable? If youโll be using it online as part of a website address, on social media etc., and your clients will be searching for your business online; it must be easy to spell and not similar to existing company names or website addresses. Think about how you will present yourself โ will you wear a beauty tunic and if so, will this have your logo on it?
Get your brand online as soon as possible so a basic website will do to start. Platforms such as wix.com offer free or low cost hosted websites, ideal for web beginners. Social media is also vital โ set up a Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok profile for your business so you can showcase what you do, start building a following and start reaching out to your existing contacts to provide them an easy way to share what you do with their contacts too.
Youโll also want to register your business on Google Business listings so you appear on Google Maps, great when clients are searching the local area for your services (or indeed discover you accidentally when planning a journey). This will only work for those with premises or working from home, so is more tricky for those working mobile.
If you are working your beauty business alongside another job, be realistic as to how much time you can give to the business and let it build gradually rather than trying to do too much, too soon and burning yourself out. You donโt want to lose love for what you do so make sure you still take time for yourself. If youโre going to go full time on your business, be realistic about how long it may take to build a large enough, regular client base to provide you with a solid monthly income. Donโt be disheartened if it takes some months to build up, just keep active in promoting what you do locally and with your contacts. Encourage clients to recommend you through word of mouth and speak with other related local businesses such as hairdressers, florists etc. to help build up clients and contacts. Build a steady projection of income too by always getting your clients booked in for their next appointment, before theyโve even finished their current one. This allows you to manage your appointment diary, always give a sense of urgency to them booking in and that youโre already getting booked up! You never want to give the impression youโre always free, create the sense youโre in demand!
If things are slower than hoped to start, stay proactive and think about what you could do to boost business such as a launch event hosted in a local hair salon or coffee store where you do mini treatments, pampering evening in connection with a local charity or school, advertising in local press, handing out price lists at the school drop off etc. And donโt underestimate the importance of social media and your website to help business find you. Plan marketing strategy so promotions you run throughout the year, retail products you could sell to boost sales, treatment packages for wedding or holiday season etc. The key is stay busy but stay positive. Most beauty businesses take around 6-9 months to become well established but once you are, your earning potential is uncapped so itโs definitely worth investing the time and effort.
Make sure you have beauty insurance in place and that it ideally covers your beauty kit. We recommend Balens, Radius, Insync or ABT for insurance. You can purchase a policy directly from your preferred insurer.
Check your car insurance policy will cover you for business related mileage and also any car contents in the event of damage or loss/theft. Make sure you are working safely and hygienically at all times. Think about waste disposal and if you need to apply for yellow bins or commercial waste collection.
If you are working from a room in your home, check your home insurance and mortgage / rental agreement permits this. If you are converting part of your home into permanent salon premises, you may wish to consult with your local council regarding planning restrictions, change of use and if business rates would be applicable. When inviting clients into your home, check if you need insurance in the event of accident/injury unrelated to treatments. You may also wish to take a first aid course and have a first aid kit and fire extinguisher or blanket on site for emergencies.
If you are renting a room in a salon or even your own premises, you may need to consider any additional insurance for the business premises such as employee or third party insurance to protect visitors and clients at your premises in the event of an accident/injury. If employing other therapists, take legal advice in regards to contracts and qualifications / insurance they must hold. Some local authorities require special treatments licensing in some areas for salons so this must be checked out before committing to premises. If you are working alongside another job, check your employment contract to make sure there are no clauses against this.
Finally donโt forget your safety. Make sure if you are working mobile that someone knows where you are at all times and check in with someone when arriving and leaving a clientโs home having given an indication of how long you will be there so that you always remain safe. Finally donโt forget to register with HMRC for tax purposes if working self-employed. You will usually need to submit an annual self assessment to declare your earnings and to correctly pay tax and NI contributions so make sure you register in a timely manner online and keep adequate records of your income and outgoings in relation to your business.
There is a lot to consider when running your own business but with careful planning, you can ensure you are always one step ahead with no surprises. Having written down goals that you can regularly review against is great for staying on track with progress and also helping stay motivated. Donโt forget it is important to keep learning as a beauty therapist so that you can stay ahead of the competition and offer something new to delight your regular clientele. There are huge rewards to running your own business including flexibility to work around your children or other dependents, pride of owning your own business, opportunity to have uncapped earnings and the chance to earn doing something you are truly passionate about.
