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.
Cosmetology instructor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real cosmetology instructor resumes:
- 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.
- Cover the fundamental concepts of chemistry and biology including cell biology, metabolism, microbiology, genetics, evolution and histology.
- Instruct students on the Aveda curriculum by preparing, researching, and conducting presentations and demonstrations.
- Study and instill the TEACCH philosophy and methods, to fit the needs of individual goals.
Cosmetology instructor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Cosmetology Instructors are proficient in Classroom Management, Clinic Floor, and Syllabus. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Communication skills, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Cosmetology Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Classroom Management, 19%
Helped develop curriculum, took care of SAP's, attendance and classroom management.
- Clinic Floor, 12%
Supervised and assisted students on clinic floor evaluating their performance.
- Syllabus, 11%
Prepared semester academic syllabus for faculty for classroom instructions.
- Course Objectives, 10%
Prepare course objectives and curriculum guidelines.
- Professional Development, 6%
Administer professional development, supervisory and software training programs.
- Cosmetology License, 5%
Educated and trained students working towards their cosmetology license.
"classroom management," "clinic floor," and "syllabus" are among the most common skills that cosmetology instructors use at work. You can find even more cosmetology instructor responsibilities below, including:
Organizational skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a cosmetology instructor to have is organizational skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "career and technical education teachers must coordinate their time and teaching materials." Cosmetology instructors often use organizational skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "involved in the curriculum development and advancement of the organizational goals and strategies for effective student learning and client satisfaction . "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform cosmetology instructor duties is communication skills. Cosmetology instructors responsibilities require that "career and technical education teachers must explain concepts in terms that students can understand." Cosmetology instructors also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "instruct adult students in cosmetology, effective communication, and clientele building"
Patience. cosmetology instructors are also known for patience, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to cosmetology instructor responsibilities, because "working with students of different abilities and backgrounds can be difficult." A cosmetology instructor resume example shows how patience is used in the workplace: "embodied and honored the instructor s code of ethics of professionalism, patience, rapport, respect, and admission. "
The three companies that hire the most cosmetology instructors are:
- Paul Mitchell Schools28 cosmetology instructors jobs
- State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia4 cosmetology instructors jobs
- Dorsey Schools4 cosmetology instructors jobs
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Compare different cosmetology instructors
Cosmetology instructor vs. Adjunct faculty
Adjunct faculty is the collective term for adjunct professors or lecturers. The adjunct faculty teaches students based on the limited-term of their contract. Oftentimes, they teach preparatory or introductory courses by semester arrangement for the entire academic year. Most of them are employed in higher education. Unlike regular professors, adjunct faculty do not have benefits and are not required to be present in meetings. They can work as either a contract professor or a part-time professor.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a cosmetology instructor are more likely to require skills like "clinic floor," "cosmetology license," "student retention," and "front desk." On the other hand, a job as an adjunct faculty requires skills like "student learning," "philosophy," "course content," and "mathematics." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Adjunct faculties really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $115,189. Comparatively, cosmetology instructors tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $46,016.The education levels that adjunct faculties earn slightly differ from cosmetology instructors. In particular, adjunct faculties are 22.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a cosmetology instructor. Additionally, they're 9.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cosmetology instructor vs. Teacher-in-training
A 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. By observing classes and then giving feedback to teachers about their teaching style, classroom management, and techniques are some of the responsibilities of a teacher-in-training. The teacher must also develop a wide array of curriculum materials and lesson plans for classroom instruction.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, cosmetology instructor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "clinic floor," "syllabus," "course objectives," and "professional development." Meanwhile, a teacher-in-training has duties that require skills in areas such as "k-12," "staff development," "student achievement," and "student engagement." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, teachers-in training earn a lower salary than cosmetology instructors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, teachers-in training earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $39,697. Whereas cosmetology instructors have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $46,016.teachers-in training earn higher levels of education than cosmetology instructors in general. They're 13.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 9.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for cosmetology instructors in the next 3-5 years?
John Porter Ph.D.
Executive Director and Online Instructor, AGWA - American Grant Writers' Association, Inc.
The technology is that younger, individual writers may like to stay up on the most recent software and communication methods. Whereas funders, private, corporate, and government, tend not to keep up as fast and have older software versions. This means that the newest and glitziest software may not be compatible with the funder's software when submitting grant proposals and applications.
Cosmetology instructor vs. Cooperative education student
An adjunct faculty member works in a state university or college. They typically work on a part-time or contractual basis. Although they work in a university, they have limited responsibilities compared to those who work as a regular instructor, but they still need appropriate work etiquette and a love of teaching and working with students. Like any other instructor, they develop learning material, conduct lectures, prepare exams, and assess students' grades.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from cosmetology instructor resumes include skills like "clinic floor," "syllabus," "course objectives," and "cosmetology license," whereas a cooperative education student is more likely to list skills in "patient care," "co-op," "gpa," and "icu. "
Cooperative education students typically earn similar educational levels compared to cosmetology instructors. Specifically, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cosmetology instructor vs. Instructor, adjunct faculty
Types of cosmetology instructor
Updated January 8, 2025
