A make-up beautician applies cosmetics in a pleasing manner for his or her clients. This job usually requires some type of formal training, which you can get through a beauty school program or an apprenticeship. After completing your training, however, you cannot apply for a job right away. In most jurisdictions, you will also have to take and pass a licensure test.
In most jurisdictions, you will need training to become a make-up beautician. Many cosmetology and vocational schools offer make-up application instruction that can help you begin this career. In fact, you might even find such programs at some community colleges. The length of such a course can vary depending on the school, but many last for several months to a year. The content of such a course may vary as well, but will usually offer instruction in subjects like sanitation and hygiene, communication, salesmanship, and cosmetology chemistry in addition to the make-up techniques you want to learn.
Some schools offer the opportunity to earn a certificate, diploma, or other credential upon graduation, and they may prove particularly helpful in pursuing this career. Such a credential may help you prove your abilities to prospective employers. Additionally, having a credential that you can frame and keep in your place of business may make you appear more credible to clients after you become a make-up beautician.
An apprenticeship may also help you when you want a career that involves beautifying clients. With an apprenticeship program, you can learn the concepts required to become a make-up beautician under the supervision of a licensed professional and earn money at the same time. You might opt for completing an apprenticeship after you finish a beauty school training program. In some jurisdictions, however, you can substitute an apprenticeship for traditional classroom training and skip attending beauty school or college altogether.
Many jurisdictions will also require you to obtain licensing when you want to become a make-up beautician. In such a case, you will typically have to prove that you have met your jurisdiction’s minimum level of required education. This can vary but sometimes amounts to several hundred hours of education or time spend in an apprenticeship program. Additionally, you may have to prove completion of a certain grade level in high school, such as 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. Then, you will usually have to take and pass an exam to gain licensing.
