Barber to aesthetician
A barber already meets 31% of what the aesthetician role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
71.1/ 100
1 How much of what an aesthetician is expected to do is already part of a barber’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the aesthetician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aesthetician role treats 4 of its required skills as things a barber already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- give massages
- maintain customer service
- maintain equipment
- work ergonomically
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aesthetician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a barber background worth leading with.
- already held treat facial hair assisting and caring
- already held give massages assisting and caring
- already held recommend cosmetics to customers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage a small-to-medium business management skills
- already held maintain professional administration management skills
- already held administer appointments management skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 4 the aesthetician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn perform body wrapping required
- still to learn perform facial treatment required
- still to learn use hair removal techniques required
- still to learn use laser therapy for skin conditions required
- still to learn determine skin type required
- optional, not held apply permanent make-up optional
- optional, not held comply with legislation related to health care optional
- still to learn cosmetics required
- still to learn cosmetics industry required
- still to learn cosmetics ingredients required
- still to learn cosmetic skin treatment required
- still to learn make-up techniques required
- optional, not held cosmetic manicure optional
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn advise customers on usage of cosmetics required
- optional, not held manage indoor tanning sessions optional
- optional, not held offer cosmetic beauty advice optional
- optional, not held offer free samples of cosmetics optional
- optional, not held sell cosmetics optional
- optional, not held support individuals on nutrition changes optional
- still to learn test make-up required
- optional, not held keep up to date with spa products optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held manufacture cosmetics optional
- optional, not held hydrotherapy optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aesthetician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held give massages skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held maintain equipment skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held administer appointments skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held issue sales invoices skill
- already held maintain professional administration skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage a small-to-medium business skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held recommend cosmetics to customers skill
- already held train employees skill
- already held treat facial hair skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply permanent make-up optional
- optional, not held hydrotherapy optional
- optional, not held keep up to date with spa products optional
- optional, not held manage indoor tanning sessions optional
- optional, not held manufacture cosmetics optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held offer cosmetic beauty advice optional
- optional, not held offer free samples of cosmetics optional
- optional, not held comply with legislation related to health care optional
- optional, not held cosmetic manicure optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held sell cosmetics optional
- optional, not held support individuals on nutrition changes optional
19 held skills the aesthetician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on hair style skill
- not needed by the target role apply hair cutting techniques skill
- not needed by the target role barbering techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role dye hair skill
- not needed by the target role hair knowledge
- not needed by the target role hair products knowledge
- not needed by the target role help customers with hair problems skill
- not needed by the target role keep stock records skill
- not needed by the target role listen actively skill
- not needed by the target role maintain work area cleanliness skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal professional development skill
- not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
- not needed by the target role sell hair products skill
- not needed by the target role stay up-to-date with hair style trends skill
- not needed by the target role style hair skill
- not needed by the target role supervise staff skill
- not needed by the target role use equipment for hair care skill
- not needed by the target role wash hair skill
- not needed by the target role work safely with chemicals skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn cosmetics required
- still to learn cosmetics industry required
- still to learn cosmetics ingredients required
- still to learn cosmetic skin treatment required
- still to learn make-up techniques required
- optional, not held hydrotherapy optional
- optional, not held cosmetic manicure optional
Common questions about this move
Can a barber become an aesthetician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A barber already covers 31% of what an aesthetician is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 4 of which the aesthetician role treats as required.
What skills does a barber need to become an aesthetician?
13 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is perform body wrapping.
How hard is the move from barber to aesthetician?
Its learning distance is 71.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.