Beauty School Externship: A Gateway to a Successful Cosmetology Career
What other career in the world allows you to make people happy all day long? Except for the occasional complaining client, you get to help people transform themselves and make them feel beautiful. At a spa you might offer a soothing facial treatment with aromatherapy to relieve someone's stress after a difficult week, or at a beauty salon you might get to style a bride's hair for her big day.
Yet while nearly every city in the world, no matter how small, has at least one barbershop or beauty parlor, competition for jobs at the high-end salons remains intense. So how do you ensure you have an excellent chance at becoming one of those elite few? You could start by including an externship as part of your beauty education.
An Externship Extends Your Beauty School Education Beyond the Classroom
What is an externship, you may ask? Similar to an internship, an externship enables you to gain practical experience in your field while whittling away your beauty school hour requirements outside of the classroom. The hours beauty school students are allowed to bank through externships or visits to salons and spas are determined by the laws in your state. In an externship you may work in a salon that's already partnered with your beauty institute or you may seek out an externship opportunity of your own. Even though you're a student and unlicensed, externship regulations allow you to assist a licensed cosmetologist with such detailed procedures as chemically straightening hair, giving someone a manicure, coloring hair, shaping eyebrows, or giving chemical skin peels--as long as you're supervised.
An externship can also help prepare you for your state-licensing examination. All 50 states require cosmetologists to have a license to practice, although specific requirements for the license do vary among the states. The exam includes a written test and, in some cases, a practical test as well. Because students who have completed an externship gain that extra practical experience at a real salon, they may find the practical exam easier to pass.
You do need to complete basic instruction (or a set number of hours) at a cosmetology school before you're eligible for an externship. After all, what paying client would allow a complete novice to do work on them?
What Types of Cosmetology School Externships Are Available?
Externships exist for cosmetology students, skin care students, and nail care students. While most people think immediately of hairstylists when they hear the word "cosmetologist," in reality a cosmetologist can be trained to give manicures, pedicures, scalp and facial treatments, makeup analysis, and even to clean and style wigs. It's up to you to choose whether you want to focus more narrowly on hair, skin, or nails. Cosmetologists licensed to offer a broad range of services usually have the best job opportunities, particularly at more prestigious salons and spas. On the other hand, some beauty therapists opt for a program with a shorter number of hours and the opportunity to specialize in one particular area.
How Can an Externship Enhance My Beauty Career Prospects?
While undergoing your externship, the staff at the salon or spa has an opportunity to observe your skills. If they get to know you, like you, and respect your talent, why would they hire a complete stranger instead of you? It can give you an immediate "in" when you graduate.
A cosmetologist's salary also tends to increase with experience. Getting your first practical work experience while still attending a beauty institute puts you ahead of the curve when you start out.
Being a hairstylist/cosmetologist was ranked the number one 2009 best career in a U.S. News & World Report survey, in large part due to the tremendous job satisfaction most cosmetologists feel. Completing an externship could very well be your gateway into this gratifying and enjoyable career.
Sources
- California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology
- Sacremento Beauty School
- U.S. News & World Report, Best Careers 2009: Hairstylists/Cosmetologists
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