Quote:
Originally Posted by FatAzzRunner
Just moved here about 8 months ago and I have a daughter who will be graduating this year who is extremely interested in Cosmetology, even though I've tried to convince her there's more money to be made in other fields.. 
She currently goes to Ashley Ridge in Summerville and she would like to stay pretty local. We have started looking at Trident, the Charleston Cosmetology Institute and the Paul Mitchell School but I'm wanting to know if there are better Cosmetology schools around the area or if one of the ones I've already mentioned is the best.
Does anyone know what the average starting income is in this area for someone right out of Cos. school.
It also appears that there is a licensing program that Cos. school grads can take to get State licensed. Is there quite a bit of difference in income between being a grad and State licensed?
Thank you for any info. you can provide. |
For someone fresh out of cos school, she can expect to get a job as an assistant to a full time stylist, and the assistants will usually get paid hourly (probably in the area of $8 - $10). The assistant programs very from salon to salon, but generally, they will do some training throughout and last anywhere from 6-18 months. Now, being in the cos field is about the long haul. Your daughter won't make bucket loads of money, but after a couple of years and once she starts taking and building a clientele, her monthly income can rise quickly if she chooses her salon wisely. Most salons will offer 50% commission on services, and 5% commission on retail product sales. A lot of salon will have skill levels as well, so a Level 1 stylist will charge the least amount of money for services, while a Level 4 will charge the most. So, as she gains experience, her level increases which means she can charge more and will get more money from the services she sells.
How much money she will make will depend on her skill, what salon she works at, how much effort she puts into getting new clients, etc. You have to put in effort and be very out going if you want to make the big bucks in the cos industry. I personally know several stylists who make $70k+ a year back in Ohio, so someone really can make a great living off this career.
Any individual who wants to work as a stylist, nail tech, etc has to be licensed by the South Carolina State Board of Cosmetology. In order to be considered for licensing, a person has to complete 1500 hours of "accredited" training (i.e. at a real cos school) and then take the written and practical board exams. The exams usually occur very soon after graduation from cos school, but SC can be a little slow at processing applications. As far as the schools you mentioned, Paul Mitchel has a really nice location and a good solid training program, but I can't speak from personal or second hand experience.
If you have any questions just let me know!!
SOURCE: my wife is a stylist with almost five years experience in Ohio and SC, and I absorb a lot of information lol.
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