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How Much Can You Earn As A Beautician?
Beauticians perform tasks such as waxing, manicures, pedicures, facials, eyebrow treatments and more. If you enjoy all things beauty, then you’ve probably considered a career in the field. Or, you might currently be studying beauty at college, and wonder what your salary prospects look like once you are employed.
Here is an overview of what you can expect to earn as a beautician in the UK, depending on where you are based and whether you’re employed or self-employed.
Advantages Of Being A Beautician
Creative industry Flexible career options Doesn’t take long to qualify Get paid for something you enjoy Meet new people every day Helping your clients feel good Plenty of career progression
Beautician Pay Rate
According to a recent report by the ONS, beauticians in the UK earn £307.10 on average per week. That would give a typical yearly salary of £15,969.
Most companies will offer a rate of pay between £8 and £12 per hour, depending on location and experience. Also, some salons offer commission for beauticians on any products they sell following a treatment. So, the salary is certainly flexible overall.
Remember that if you're working as self employed, you'll also need to budget for beautician insurance.
Starting Salary For A Beautician
There are many different routes you can take to become a beautician. One of the most common options is to get an apprenticeship, which will pay £4.15 an hour. Qualified beauty therapists with less than 2 years of experience, can expect to earn an average £8.45 an hour, according to Professional Beauty.
The good news is that with experience and determination, your rate of pay will steadily increase as a beautician. This is especially the case if you switch to being self-employed, including working as a mobile beauty therapist.
Beautician Pay Rate According To Location
Here are pay stats from the ONS for median full-time beauticians.
| Location | Median Weekly Pay | Median Yearly Salary |
|---|---|---|
| East | £281 | £14,596 |
| East Midlands | £291 | £15,116 |
| North West | £269 | £13,993 |
| Scotland | £276 | £14,342 |
| South East | £338 | £17,566 |
| South West | £271 | £14,082 |
| Wales | £374 | £19,432 |
| West Midlands | £283 | £14,716 |
On average, beauticians in the North West earn the lowest at £13,933 a year. This is in stark contrast to beauticians in Wales, who reported earning £19,424 on average.
The beauty industry in Wales is worth over £280m to the local economy, and employs over 11,000 people across its 2,418 salons. With calls for it to be viewed as a key employment sector in the country, its prominence is perhaps why the salary of beauticians is much higher than the UK average.
Beautician Salary London
The average salary for beauticians in London is £19,952, rising to £34,170 for beauty therapists, according to job site Adzuna. This figure is much higher than other areas of the UK, though takes into account the increased cost of living in the capital.
What's more, London is home to lots of luxury beauty salons, spas and hotels. This means there is greater opportunity for securing higher rates of pay as a beautician, compared with typical high street salons elsewhere in the country.
How To Earn More Money As A Beautician
As with any career choice, climbing the ranks is the best way to earn more money in your job. This is certainly true for beauty salon managers who can expect to earn £19,931.60 a year on average.
That being said, as an employee of a beauty salon, you will typically be paid a much lower rate compared to if you were self-employed. While self-employment comes with a lot of responsibility including paying taxes and setting up beauty therapist insurance, it’s one of the best ways to further your income as a beautician.
For example, it’s not uncommon for waxing to cost up to £100 per treatment. Even once all of your expenses had been deducted, that would still leave more take home pay compared to being an employee. Plus, as you are self-employed, you are free to command your own rates, and can choose to specialise in areas that clients will pay more for, such as laser hair removal or microblading.
To Sum Up
As a newly qualified beautician, the rates of pay aren’t as high as you’d find in other industries. But, there are options to increase your pay by progressing to a salon manager, or by going solo as a self-employed beauty therapist. As the beauty industry is worth £30bn to the UK economy, it’s certainly worth aiming for a bigger slice of the pie.