How to become a beauty therapist
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To become a beauty therapist, or beautician, you train for a Level 2 qualification in beauty therapy at college or a training centre. Insurers cover you only for treatments you're qualified in, and you need that cover to treat paying clients. A Level 2 usually takes a year full time.
Facials and skin care are part of the job from Level 2, and a Level 3 adds electrical facials and body massage. You can also train as a beauty therapist on a Level 2 apprenticeship, which takes about 15 months. Or start as an assistant in a salon or spa.
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Start at college or a training centre
A Level 2 beauty therapy course teaches facials, make-up, waxing, and eyelash and eyebrow treatments. You practise on clients in a training salon.
Most Level 2 courses take about a year full time. Others run part time or in the evening.
Private training centres run beauty courses too. Check that a course leads to a recognised qualification, and what it costs.
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Check what you can get freeGet an apprenticeship
Salons and spas take on beauty apprentices and train them on the job. The Level 2 apprenticeship lasts about 15 months. Your employer pays you, and the training is free.
You learn waxing, facials, hand and foot treatments, eyelash and eyebrow treatments, make-up and basic massage. For the Level 2, employers usually ask for some GCSEs, including English and maths, or equivalent. Without Level 1 English and maths, you'd work towards them as part of the apprenticeship.
Apprentice pay is at least £8 an hour from April 2026 while you're under 19 or in your first year. After that, it's at least the minimum wage for your age.
Start as a beauty therapy assistant
You could start as an assistant in a salon or spa, then study for a qualification while you work.
Beauty therapists work in salons, spas and hotels, on cruise ships and from home.
Beauty therapy qualifications
| Qualification | Level | How you take it | What it gets you | On JobYay | Cost to you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Diploma or NVQ Certificate in Beauty Therapy | 1 | A college course, the Diploma often a year full time and the NVQ Certificate smaller. | The basics of beauty treatments, and a way on to a Level 2, which can get you insured to treat clients. | 13 courses for adults | Check what you can get free |
| Level 2 Diploma, Certificate or NVQ Diploma in Beauty Therapy | 2 | A VTCT or City and Guilds course at college or a training centre. Usually about a year full time, some part time or in the evening. | Everyday treatments such as facials, waxing, make-up, lashes and brows, manicures and pedicures. It's what insurers ask for before covering them. A Certificate covers fewer. Leads on to a Level 3. | 228 courses for adults | Check what you can get free |
| Beauty therapist apprenticeship | 2 | A paid job with training in a salon or spa, about 15 months. Open to anyone 16 or over who isn't in full-time education. | The Level 2 Diploma for Beauty Professionals and the job's skills, while you earn a wage. | 2 vacancies | Nothing for the training |
| Level 3 Diploma, Certificate or NVQ Diploma in Beauty Therapy | 3 | Usually about a year at college or a training centre, after a Level 2 or experience giving treatments. Nearly always VTCT or City and Guilds. | Electrical face and body treatments. With the machine maker's training, you can be insured for these, and for laser, IPL (intense pulsed light) and microblading. | 177 courses for adults | Check what you can get free |
| Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Beauty Therapy Massage | 3 | At college or a training centre, after a Level 2. Often one day a week for a year. | Full body massage, which insurers cover only at Level 3, plus Indian head, aromatherapy and hot stone massage. | 39 courses for adults | Check what you can get free |
| Advanced beauty therapist apprenticeship | 3 | A paid job with training, about 18 months. Usually after the Level 2 apprenticeship or another Level 2. | The Level 3 Diploma for Advanced Beauty Therapists, and work as an advanced, senior or head therapist. | None open | Nothing for the training |
| Level 4 Diploma in Advanced Beauty Therapy | 4 | At college or a training centre, often part time. For therapists who hold a Level 3. | More advanced skin and hair removal treatments. | 24 courses | Check what you can get free |
| Level 4 Certificate in Laser and IPL Treatments | 4 | At college or a training centre, for therapists with a Level 3. Some are only for those aged 18 or over. | Laser and IPL hair removal and skin treatments, in depth. It goes beyond the Level 3 and maker's training you can be insured with today. | 10 courses | Check what you can get free |
| Level 4 Certificate in Enhancing Eyebrows with Microblading Techniques | 4 | At a training academy or a college. | Microblading, for semi-permanent eyebrows. Outside London, you and your premises register with the council to offer it. In London, the premises need the borough's licence. | 24 courses | Check what you can get free |
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Go on to Level 3
A Level 3 adds advanced treatments, such as electrical face and body treatments and body massage. Insurers ask for Level 3 training before they cover electrical treatments.
You'll usually need a Level 2, or experience giving treatments. Most Level 3 courses take about a year full time, and some run part time.
If you work in a salon or spa, an advanced beauty therapist apprenticeship takes about 18 months.
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Short courses add treatments you can offer, such as lash extensions, threading or spray tanning. Others keep you and your clients safe.
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Check what you can get freeTrain in Level 4 treatments
For therapists with a Level 3, Level 4 courses teach advanced skin and hair removal treatments, such as laser, IPL, peels and microblading. A Level 3 and the machine maker's training can already get you insured for laser, IPL and microblading.
To offer semi-permanent make-up or electrolysis, you need council registration, or in London a borough licence for the premises.
In October 2026, the government proposed limiting some higher-risk treatments, such as deep chemical peels and some laser treatments, to healthcare professionals. The proposal is out for consultation until 13 January 2027. If it goes ahead, those treatments would be for healthcare professionals rather than beauty therapists.
Check which of these courses you can do free
Check what you can get freeWhere this can take you
With experience, you could become an assistant manager, then a salon manager, or manage beauty services for a hotel and spa company. Beauty therapists start on around £23,000 a year, rising to about £29,000. Typical hours are 30 to 37 a week, including evenings and weekends when clients want them.
You could work for yourself, from your own salon, from home or travelling to clients. You'd need insurance for each treatment you offer. Depending on the treatments, your premises may also need a council licence or registration. Some therapists move into fashion, theatre or media make-up.
Questions people ask
What qualifications do you need to be a beauty therapist?
You need a Level 2 in beauty therapy for the everyday treatments, such as facials, waxing and make-up. Full body massage and electrical treatments need a Level 3.
That's because each one lets you be insured for the treatments it covers. You can start work without one, as a salon or spa assistant studying alongside the job.
How long does it take to become a beauty therapist?
Full time at college, Level 2 and Level 3 each usually take a year. The Level 2 apprenticeship takes about 15 months, and the Level 3 about 18 months.
Can you do a fast-track NVQ in beauty therapy?
Some courses take less than a year, but a Level 2 or Level 3 is the same qualification however fast it's taught. You're assessed by being watched giving treatments, with knowledge tests and a portfolio.
So the quickest courses build on what you already have. Some colleges run a Level 2 part time over about 18 to 22 weeks, and what they ask for first varies. Some training centres run a Level 3 NVQ over 12 to 18 weeks. It's for people who already hold a Level 2 and give treatments.
Are there part-time or evening beauty courses?
Yes. You can study beauty therapy part time at Level 2 or Level 3, and some Level 2 courses run in the evening. Each course's page shows when it runs.
Can you learn beauty therapy online?
You can't gain a full beauty therapy qualification online. It's assessed on treatments you give to clients, in a salon or college.
Are there beauty therapy courses for adults?
Yes, some beauty therapy courses are for adults aged 19 or over, such as week-long evening introductions. Part-time and evening courses let you fit your training around work.
A beauty therapist apprenticeship has no upper age limit. You need to live in England and not be in full-time education.
Can you do beauty courses for free?
Whether you can depends on your age, where you live and the qualifications you already hold. JobYay's eligibility checker asks a few questions, then shows what you could do free near you.
Apprentices pay nothing for their training, whatever their age.
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