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How to hire a cosmetology instructor

Cosmetology instructor hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring cosmetology instructors in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a cosmetology instructor is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new cosmetology instructor to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a cosmetology instructor, step by step

To hire a cosmetology instructor, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a cosmetology instructor, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step cosmetology instructor hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a cosmetology instructor job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new cosmetology instructor
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a cosmetology instructor do?

A Cosmetology Instructor is trained to teach a variety of skills used by hairstylists, manicurists, makeup artists, and other workers in the beauty industry. They teach students from vocational and technical schools how to perform cosmetology practices.

Learn more about the specifics of what a cosmetology instructor does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your cosmetology instructor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a cosmetology instructor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A cosmetology instructor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, cosmetology instructors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    Here's a comparison of cosmetology instructor salaries for various roles:

    Type of Cosmetology InstructorDescriptionHourly rate
    Cosmetology InstructorCareer and technical education teachers instruct students in various technical and vocational subjects, such as auto repair, healthcare, and culinary arts. They teach academic and technical content to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to enter an occupation.$14-30
    Adjunct FacultyAdjunct faculty is the collective term for adjunct professors or lecturers. The adjunct faculty teaches students based on the limited-term of their contract... Show more$21-73
    Teacher-In-TrainingA teacher-in-training is a teaching professional who offers technical teaching assistance to teachers in developing effective behavior management and instructional strategies to support student learning. The teacher must collaborate with principals while employing diverse techniques to increase the effectiveness of student learning... Show more$11-26
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Classroom Management
    • Clinic Floor
    • Syllabus
    • Course Objectives
    • Professional Development
    • Cosmetology License
    • Learning Environment
    • Student Retention
    • Student Attendance
    • Anatomy
    • Course Syllabus
    • Front Desk
    • Student Performance
    • Cosmetology
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Achieve business objectives require by corporate standards.
    • Teach general classes consisting of anatomy, chemical relaxing, skin, and product knowledge.
    • Develop and execute course syllabus to satisfy regulatory and professional curriculum requirements
    • Prepare semester academic syllabus for faculty for classroom instructions.
    • Implement teaching methods and theories for secondary education students pursuing diploma and certificates in the discipline of cosmetology.
    • Coach and mentor others; assist in preparing students for a successful cosmetology career, teaching a standardize cosmetology curriculum.
    More cosmetology instructor duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your cosmetology instructor job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A cosmetology instructor salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for a cosmetology instructor in Kansas may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level cosmetology instructor usually earns less than a senior-level cosmetology instructor. Additionally, a cosmetology instructor with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average cosmetology instructor salary

    $45,344yearly

    $21.80 hourly rate

    Entry-level cosmetology instructor salary
    $31,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 16, 2025

    Average cosmetology instructor salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Michigan$48,419$23
    2Minnesota$47,564$23
    3California$47,027$23
    4Mississippi$46,438$22
    5Texas$44,149$21
    6Wisconsin$43,754$21
    7North Carolina$41,926$20
    8Florida$41,130$20
    9Alabama$40,776$20
    10Indiana$39,032$19
    11Louisiana$37,785$18
    12Maryland$37,089$18
    13Georgia$36,798$18
    14Colorado$35,569$17
    15Oklahoma$35,521$17
    16Utah$35,169$17
    17Ohio$34,421$17
    18Illinois$33,315$16
    19South Carolina$32,183$15

    Average cosmetology instructor salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Porter and Chester Institute$56,027$26.9456
    2Community Care College$54,014$25.978
    3Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College$50,584$24.3224
    4Dorsey Schools$47,980$23.0752
    5Paul Mitchell Schools$46,158$22.19106
    6Clarendon College$46,070$22.157
    7Sussex County Community College$45,103$21.685
    8Minnesota State Fair$44,880$21.58
    9Pike Township Fire Dept$44,243$21.27
    10Denver Public Schools$43,854$21.082
    11Clovis Community College$43,807$21.064
    12Southern Careers Institute$43,248$20.7920
    13Waukesha County Technical College$42,964$20.6619
    14Wisconsin Youth$41,842$20.128
    15North Central Texas College$41,587$19.991
    16Florida Technical College$40,824$19.6327
    17Lee College$40,788$19.6125
    18Carteret Schools$40,460$19.4512
    19Commonwealth$40,093$19.28
    20Los Angeles Trade-Technical College$39,120$18.8186
  4. Writing a cosmetology instructor job description

    A cosmetology instructor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a cosmetology instructor job description:

    Cosmetology instructor job description example

    For over 20 years, the staff at Paul Mitchell Schools have built strong working relationships with salons around the world. The Paul Mitchell network in the United States and Canada is over 100,000 salons strong, and we're in 87 countries worldwide. Paul Mitchell-trained hair designers work in virtually every corner of the world, and every professional hairdresser knows the Paul Mitchell name.

    At Paul Mitchell Schools, we believe that the learning process should be fun and everyone's education should be special. That's why we base our courses and teaching methods on Multiple Intelligence, the learning research pioneered by Howard Gardner at Harvard University.

    If you work in a Paul Mitchell School, you join our culture and community and follow our systems.

    Paul Mitchell School - Lombard has an opening for the position of Learning Leader for our day school and night school programs.

    Objective

    To energetically motivate, mentor, inspire, and coach all Future Professionals in customer-focused service and create a goldmine of learning experiences and opportunities on the clinic floor. To be a visionary and create magic with your Future Professionals and your team.

    Requirements:

    Position Requirements

    • Illinois Cosmetology License AND Cosmetology Instructors License
    • At least 2 years of behind-the-chair salon experience
    • Basic Computer skills (Microsoft Office, Email)

    Learning Leader Success Profile

    Knowledge

    • You are a skilled technical master in hair-cutting, styling, color, texture, product knowledge, make-up, skin care, and nails.
    • You possess knowledge of state board rules, regulations, procedures, safety and sanitation.
    • You will become proficient in our Learning, Culture, Service, and Sales systems.

    Attitude

    • You are coachable.
    • You are positive.
    • You are a self-directed and lifelong learner.
    • You are team oriented.
    • You are a leader.

    Behavior

    • You are an example of how successful professionals look and act.
    • You practice skilled verbal communication.
    • You practice skilled nonverbal communication.
    • You listen with thoughtful attention.
    • You schedule and prepare yourself.
    • You achieve service and sales goals.

    PMTS Extras:

    • Team supported culture
    • Comprehensive insurance benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Supplemental and AD&D Life Insurance.
    • 401K, Vacation and Personal time.
    • Financial and professional growth potential is unlimited
    • Paul Mitchell Advanced Education Trainings

    PMTS is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

    COVID-19 considerations: We are adhering to CDC, State and Local orders with regard to COVID-19.



    PI194588052

  5. Post your job

    To find the right cosmetology instructor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with cosmetology instructors they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit cosmetology instructors who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your cosmetology instructor job on Zippia to find and recruit cosmetology instructor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit cosmetology instructors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new cosmetology instructor

    Once you've found the cosmetology instructor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new cosmetology instructor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a cosmetology instructor?

There are different types of costs for hiring cosmetology instructors. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new cosmetology instructor employee.

You can expect to pay around $45,344 per year for a cosmetology instructor, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for cosmetology instructors in the US typically range between $14 and $30 an hour.

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