It is always an exceptionally exciting experience going through cosmetology school. Sometimes you might get carried away by the enthusiasm and forget your main purpose - which is building a profession as a cosmetologist. This idea might be far from your mind since beauty school is never a walk in the park with all the classes and homework taking most of your time.
However, it is crucial that you start planning on your career early. With graduation imminent, most of your time is probably spent preparing for your licensing exams - which CPT Guru notes only have a pass rate of 50!
But it's sensible to think beyond the exams, and spend some time deciding the type of salon you would prefer working in.
I will take you through a variety of salons so you can make a suitable choice to kick start your career as a beautician.
Franchise
Franchises are vastly spread all over the country. Although they vary from town to town, there are some common things you are likely to encounter when working in a franchise:
- Most franchised salons provide benefit packages to their personnel.
- You are likely to be paid hourly when working in a franchised salon. This is a great advantage as you work on growing your client base.
- Many of the franchised salons have an option for further training therefore providing a platform for you as a newbie to keep developing and better your skills.
- Most franchises have a variety of clients every day. Although you will not be able to build a relationship with individual clients, you will gain experience working on different customers on a daily.
- Some franchises major on specific services thus limiting you from practicing some of the skills you learned at school.
- You might be working till late as it's common for this salons to extend opening hours. However, their shift patterns might provide you with a weekend off.
Private Salon
There are quite a variety of private salons. They vary by specialty, their design and even locality as some are on cruise ships. When selecting your private salon of choice, it is crucial that you do comprehensive research on the salon before applying.
I will take you through some important things to keep in mind when making a choice:
- Availability of training opportunities and there variation. You should be inquisitive during your interview.
- The pay rates as well as promotion opportunities differ significantly between salons. Some pay hourly while others pay per client. It is therefore crucial that you inquire on this matter exhaustively.
- Private salon clients have high expectations especially in a state of the art salon.
- A wide range of services are offered in private salons. It is therefore imperative that you ensure you understand what is required of you before applying for the job.
- Private salons provide a platform to grow your client base as you are likely to have your own clients. This will also increase your earning potential. Working hours might be shorter but this increase the probability of working in the weekend.
- You might get a chance to learn the operations of private salons as well as help with the business administration depending on the size of the salon. This will be advantageous if you are looking to open a private salon in the future.
Renting A Booth
This is usually an enticing option as many people cherish self-employment. Renting a booth would mean working on your own. As attractive as it may be, you might face some hardships when you're starting out
I will give insight on what to expect if you are looking to rent a booth:
- You have to grow your client base fast enough to raise the rent by the end of the month. You should also do your research on the rates as they vary between salons.
- Self-employment means the responsibility of raising cash to pay yourself a wage and also cover rent falls on you.
- You will have to individually pay for any extra training offered.
- You have the liberty to come up with your own pay rate. However, it is critical that you know the salon limitations before signing the contract.
- You will most like to buy your own equipment and provisions when renting a booth.
