Beauty consultant
Beauty consultants give tailored advice to customers on beauty products, perfumes and treatments, and help them choose which ones to buy.
Also known as: Beautician, beauty brand ambassador
- Starter salary£21,000 a year
- Experienced£25,000 a year
- Typical hours37 to 40 a week
What you'll do
As a beauty consultant, you could:
- talk to customers about what they want
- demonstrate products and make recommendations to customers
- give advice on how to use and apply beauty products
- keep work areas and equipment clean
- monitor stock levels and re-order supplies
- stay up to date with new product ranges and trends
- sell products to customers and meet sales targets
- handle cash and card payments
Working environment
You could work at a store, in a beauty clinic or at a client's home.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- persuading and negotiating skills
- active listening skills
- the ability to sell products and services
- the ability to use your initiative
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to become a beauty consultant
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
College
You could take a course at college to learn some of the skills you need for this job. Courses include:
- beauty consultancy
- beauty therapy
- cosmetic make-up and beauty consultancy
You could also take a more general course in retail, sales or customer service, which may help you to get a trainee job.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do a Beauty Therapist Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.
This takes between 1 and 2 years to complete and is a mix of workplace training and off-the-job study.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
Work
You could work in retail sales in a department store, then apply for a consultant's position with a beauty concession counter that operates in the store.
Direct application
You may be able to apply directly for jobs if you have experience in retail sales, make-up or beauty therapy.
Career path and progression
With experience and further training, you could supervise other beauty consultants or move into retail management.
You could work as a beauty brand sales representative or start your own beauty business.
Career tips
Employers will look for people with a keen interest in make-up and skin care products.
To expand your knowledge, you could:
- follow trends and cosmetics 'influencers' on social media
- trial new products and write online reviews
- do your own social media, make-up or skin-care tutorials
Guides for this industry
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