Pedicurist to hairdresser
A pedicurist already meets 38% of what the hairdresser role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.5/ 100
1 How much of what a hairdresser 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 hairdresser role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A hairdresser role treats 6 of its required skills as things a pedicurist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- communicate with customers
- identify customer's needs
- maintain customer service
- maintain equipment
- process payments
- work ergonomically
What stands in the way is 11 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. A hairdresser 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 offer cosmetic beauty advice communication, collaboration and creativity
- 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
- already held process payments management skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 6 the hairdresser role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 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 curl hair required
- still to learn use equipment for hair care required
- still to learn wash hair required
- still to learn dye hair required
- still to learn style hair required
- optional, not held apply hair cutting techniques optional
- optional, not held help customers with hair problems optional
- optional, not held treat facial hair optional
- optional, not held treat scalp conditions optional
- optional, not held design hair style optional
- still to learn hair required
- still to learn hair colouring required
- still to learn hair products required
- still to learn advise on hair style required
- still to learn satisfy customers required
- optional, not held organise product display optional
- optional, not held sell hair products optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn stay up-to-date with hair style trends required
- optional, not held maintain wigs optional
- optional, not held maintain work area cleanliness optional
- optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a hairdresser 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 communicate with customers skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held maintain equipment skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held administer appointments 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 monitor stock level skill
- already held offer cosmetic beauty advice skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held recommend cosmetics to customers skill
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply hair cutting techniques optional
- optional, not held help customers with hair problems optional
- optional, not held maintain wigs optional
- optional, not held organise product display optional
- optional, not held sell hair products optional
- optional, not held treat facial hair optional
- optional, not held treat scalp conditions optional
- optional, not held design hair style optional
- optional, not held maintain work area cleanliness optional
- optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
23 held skills the hairdresser role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise customers on usage of cosmetics skill
- not needed by the target role apply nail polish skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legislation related to health care 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 cosmetic skin treatment knowledge
- not needed by the target role cosmetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role cosmetics industry 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 give massages skill
- not needed by the target role keep personal administration skill
- not needed by the target role manufacture cosmetics skill
- 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 test make-up skill
- not needed by the target role treat nails skill
- not needed by the target role use hair removal techniques skill
3 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 hair required
- still to learn hair colouring required
- still to learn hair products required
Common questions about this move
Can a pedicurist become a hairdresser?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A pedicurist already covers 38% of what a hairdresser is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 6 of which the hairdresser role treats as required.
What skills does a pedicurist need to become a hairdresser?
11 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is curl hair.
How hard is the move from pedicurist to hairdresser?
Its learning distance is 64.5 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.