When choosing beauty training courses, you should consider your goals in taking the courses, the laws in your area regarding providing beauty services, and the reputation of the course provider. You should also think about the logistics of taking a course or courses, including your financial resources. Finally, if you are already working in the personal appearance industry, you may want to talk to your supervisor about which courses he or she thinks she would benefit most from.
In many jurisdictions, providing certain types of beauty or grooming services for compensation is restricted by law. For example, all 50 of the United States require individuals who want to cut hair for living to obtain a cosmetologist license. Similar restrictions are placed on other beauty services, such as giving facials, applying makeup, or offering hair removal services. If the area in which you live restricts the performance of beauty services to professionals, taking beauty training courses may not be enough to allow you to practice. You may instead have to complete an approved training program, sit for an exam, and then apply for your license from a government-sponsored licensing board or agency.
If you are already working in the beauty industry and have a license to practice aesthetics or cosmetology, you may wish to take additional beauty training courses in order to learn new skills or maintain the ones that you have. In some jurisdictions you may also be required to take continuing education courses to maintain your license. Your employer may also want you to complete beauty training courses as a condition of continued employment. Many beauty schools offer advanced courses along with continuing education programs, so you may wish to contact the beauty schools in your area to find out about the cost and inconvenience of the courses that they offer.
In addition to beauty schools, some beauty industry vendors also provide beauty training courses for those who work in the industry. You may need to arrange to take these courses through your employer, although in some cases you can register independently. While the emphasis of these courses will typically be on the use of that vendor's products, you may be able to learn some new techniques. In addition, if you commonly use the products sold by a particular vendor, obtaining additional training in their use may help you to improve your own work and may increase your ability to sell these products to your customers.