Pedicurist to aesthetician
A pedicurist already meets 63% of what the aesthetician role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
43.4/ 100
1 How much of what an aesthetician is expected to do is already part of a pedicurist’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 11 of its required skills as things a pedicurist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise customers on usage of cosmetics
- cosmetic skin treatment
- cosmetics
- cosmetics industry
- give massages
- identify customer's needs
What stands in the way is 6 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 25 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 pedicurist background worth leading with.
- already held use hair removal techniques assisting and caring
- already held cosmetic skin treatment services
- already held manufacture cosmetics handling and moving
- already held test make-up information skills
- already held advise customers on usage of cosmetics communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held give massages assisting and caring
All 25 carried skills, including the 11 the aesthetician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 5 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 laser therapy for skin conditions required
- still to learn determine skin type required
- optional, not held apply permanent make-up optional
- optional, not held treat facial hair optional
- still to learn cosmetics ingredients required
- still to learn make-up techniques required
- optional, not held cosmetic manicure optional
- optional, not held manage indoor tanning sessions 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
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held hydrotherapy optional
- optional, not held keep up to date with spa products 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.
- 01 perform body wrapping practise this
- 02 cosmetics ingredients study this
- 03 perform facial treatment practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 25 skills that carry over
- already held advise customers on usage of cosmetics skill
- already held cosmetic skin treatment knowledge
- already held cosmetics knowledge
- already held cosmetics industry knowledge
- already held give massages skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held maintain equipment skill
- already held test make-up skill
- already held use hair removal techniques skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held administer appointments skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held issue sales invoices skill
- already held keep personal administration 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 manufacture cosmetics skill
- already held monitor stock level skill
- already held offer cosmetic beauty advice skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held recommend cosmetics to customers skill
10 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 offer free samples of cosmetics optional
- optional, not held treat facial hair optional
- optional, not held cosmetic manicure optional
- optional, not held sell cosmetics optional
- optional, not held support individuals on nutrition changes optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
13 held skills the aesthetician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply nail polish skill
- not needed by the target role conform to cosmetics regulatory requirements skill
- not needed by the target role cosmetic pedicure knowledge
- not needed by the target role decorate nails skill
- not needed by the target role foot problems knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform body piercings skill
- not needed by the target role promote foot health skill
- not needed by the target role provide footwear advice to patients skill
- not needed by the target role sell tickets skill
- not needed by the target role shape nails skill
- not needed by the target role skin types knowledge
- not needed by the target role sterilise working environment skill
- not needed by the target role treat nails skill
4 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 ingredients 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 pedicurist become an aesthetician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A pedicurist already covers 63% of what an aesthetician is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 11 of which the aesthetician role treats as required.
What skills does a pedicurist need to become an aesthetician?
6 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 5 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 pedicurist to aesthetician?
Its learning distance is 43.4 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.