6 Things You Can Do With a Beauty Therapy Diploma

In New Zealand, along with the rest of the world, the demand for beauty services is ever-increasing. From basic facials and spray-tans to more invasive skin care and body treatments, the growth has encouraged more and more beauty businesses to emerge over the years. 

If you enjoy being creative, being social and love all things hair and skin, the beauty life might be perfect for you. But when it comes to knowing exactly the area you’d like to focus on or end up specialising in can be overwhelming. The good news is, once you have a clear direction, studying and getting your first job can be reasonably straightforward.

The beauty industry holds a vast array of directions, so let’s take a look at some pathways and the possible outcomes you may arrive at when you travel down them.

This might seem like an obvious one, but Beauty Therapy itself is, stand-alone, an incredible career prospect. Encompassing a wide range of exciting treatments and services like skin beautifying, waxing and make-up application to name a few, the job can be a lifelong career or a great platform to launch you towards endless possibilities!

With the knowledge you have gained in a Diploma of Beauty Therapy or through an apprenticeship (meaning you spread the tuition fees and earn while you learn), entry-level jobs can have you rolling your sleeves up and working on the floor immediately, with other therapists, specialists and clients.

Much like Beauty Therapists, Estheticians offer a range of beauty treatments but primarily focus on the skin’s health and appearance. They have a deeper knowledge of the dermatological system, and although not medical professionals, they have a broader understanding of skin conditions.

Often working in a salon environment, the role is social, engaging and can be financially rewarding. 

An Esthetician may begin their career in Beauty Therapy and choose to specialise in the skin, meaning your experience can be gained over time. 

This career can lead you to go out on your own, start a business or engage in further education to advance into such fields as Dermal Therapy.

As a client, a huge (and amazing) part of visiting a beauty therapy salon is the relaxing body massage. This could be another career path stemming from the beauty industry.

Whether working as a team in a clinic or being a mobile masseuse, your day will be filled with meeting new people, helping them relax and even aiding in better mental wellbeing.

With options for further education in specific massage types, heading down this road could also lead you to work in more advanced areas. You could find your way into sports massage, reflexology or remedial massage, especially if you start your own business.

Starting a career in beauty might whet your appetite for a more creative direction. If you love hair, are the go-to person for a quick braid or up-do, an exciting move might be stepping into hairdressing.

Also starting in a salon environment, and often commenced in an apprenticeship model, your day-to-day life would be active, fun, engaging and social. Once your unit standards are achieved with the HITO, the world is your oyster with options to build your clientele, work flexibly from home, start your own salon, work behind the scenes for TV plus much more.

Any career path taken from a beauty therapy course can lead you to want to grow and thrive in your own business. Many dream of owning a buzzing salon of their own. And with this booming industry not about to slow down anytime soon, the goal can quickly become a reality.

With a client base established, some choose to offer services outside of regular work hours, meaning they don’t have to risk losing a stable earning in the transition. This can lead to an at-home salon, renting a small space or going all out and opening a large salon with a team of staff.

Owning a full-time business of any sort can be as lucrative as you set it out to be. With the option to scale up, even hire a manager to run the show when you are not around, you can make your work flexible to accommodate family life, without taking a financial hit. 

Teaching others is such a talent. If you love the idea of helping others thrive, love what they do and be good at it, teaching may be an excellent option.

This role will have more stable working hours, accommodate having a family, or coincide with running a freelance business or salon from home.

Taking the work experience and knowledge from your time in the beauty industry, you will have to embark on further education to some capacity.