What I Learned in Beauty School: Cosmetology Instructor

When Rebecca was in beauty school, her instructor encouraged her to consider becoming a beauty school instructor. She graduated from school and completed the teacher training program in 2005. She now works as a cosmetology teacher at the Paul Mitchell School.

What was the most helpful thing you learned in beauty school?

In general, I learned how to be patient. I've never been a patient person and I wanted to jump the gun and teach everything in the first five minutes of knowing a student. As a beauty school instructor, I had to learn how to pace myself!

How would you describe your beauty school experience?

It was interesting because I wasn't quite a student and not yet a cosmetology instructor. We worked on a lot of lesson plans and that sort of thing to prepare for teaching.

What was taught on your first day of beauty school?

We covered the history of teaching, and how the process of teaching has evolved over the last thirty years.

What was a challenging lesson that took you more than one try to get?

It was challenging for teachers in training to separate ourselves from other students around us. Teaching test-taking skills also was a challenge. It was the small things that wouldn't seem challenging that ended up being difficult.

What advice to you have for someone interested in becoming a beauty school instructor?

A great way to decide if becoming a beauty school instructor is right for you is to find a friend who isn't in the industry and to teach that person how to do a French braid. If you can do it and enjoy it, you might like being a beauty school instructor.

Rebecca's favorite thing about her job is what she is able to give to students. "It's not like college where you graduated and maybe aren't sure what you want to do next," she says. "The great thing about being a beauty school instructor is that you give your students a career. They know exactly what they are going to do when they graduate, and how to do it."