Beauty Therapist / Esthetician
🧴Performs facial and body skin treatments: cleansing, peels, massage, masks and device treatments. No injections — that's a doctor's job.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $46.4k a year on average · +8.8% jobs by 2035 · 14,200 openings a year
Skincare specialists — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £24.9k median a year · 10,000 jobs
Beauticians and related occupations — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
AI analyses skin from photos and recommends care, but hands-on treatments and client trust stay with the specialist.
Who it suits
Interests: 💄 Beauty, style, fashion, 🤝 Helping and caring, 🧬 Biology, 🩺 Medicine and health.
Key strengths: manual dexterity, understanding people, science.
Where to study
- Vocational Beauty therapy Level 2–3 diploma (UK), esthetician licence (US, 600+ hours)
- Apprenticeship Beauty therapist apprenticeship (UK), Ausbildung Kosmetiker/in (DE)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): Biology, Chemistry.
🧗 A college course or apprenticeship in beauty therapy (Level 2–3 in the UK, Ausbildung in Germany) or an esthetician programme and licence in the US. Injectables are done by doctors, nurses and dentists.
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