All you need to know about hair and beauty salaries
“How much will I earn?” is one of the most common questions asked by hair and beauty professionals. And while salaries vary depending on your experience and where you’re based, it’s useful to know the average industry earnings. Not only can you make sure you’re making enough as a freelancer, it’s also helpful when asking for that pay rise if you work in a salon!
So whether you’ve been in the industry for years or just starting out, here’s a guide to the salary you can expect.
How much do barbers and hairdressers make?
According to the National Careers Service, you can expect to earn up to £30,000 a year as a hairdresser, based on a 37-40 hour working week. The starting salary for newly qualified hairdressers is around £14,000.
However it’s worth bearing in mind the latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) stats showing UK average salary earnings in 2018 found hairdressers and barbers earned £15,610 (gross) per year.
Top up your earnings: sign up for our hairdressing coursesand offer more specialised services. You can also earn commission from retail.
“The top salary for a nail tech is £25,000 according to the National Careers Service”
What do beauty therapists earn?
There are around 41,000 hair and beauty businesses in the UK according to the National Hairdressing Federation.And figures from the National Careers Service show beauty therapists earn between £15,000 and £20,000. This breaks down to an average £7.70 an hour according to the PayScalesalary database.
The 2018 ONS survey of over 20 million UK workers found the average beautician’s gross salary was £16,534.
Top up your earnings: Along with upskilling yourself (check out our range of beauty courses)and earning commission from selling products, if you work in a salon you’re likely to get an annual bonus as well.
Nail technicians
The top salary for a nail tech is £25,000 according to the National Careers Service. For new starters, you can expect to earn around £12,500. Meanwhile PayScale puts the average hourly rate at £7.96.
Top up your earnings: Change the way you set your prices and make sure you’re charging enough for treatments. You could also become an educator or create your own range of nail art like the Amy G range.
How much do makeup artists make?
Whether you’re doing bridal makeup or working on shoots, you can expect to earn an average £20,951 a year (and around £9.37 an hour) according to PayScale. Job site Indeedputs the figure higher, at £16.63 an hour.
Top up your earnings: build up your portfolio and network on social media (and in real life!) to land magazine, TV or theatre work. You can also sign up for makeup coursesto improve your skills.
Read more about pricing your nail services
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