You could take a course at college to learn some of the skills you need for this job. Courses include:

• beauty consultancy
• beauty therapy
• cosmetic make-up and beauty consultancy

You could also take a more general course in retail, sales or customer service, which may help you to get a trainee job.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

You could apply to do a Beauty Make-Up Consultant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, or Beauty Therapist Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

These take between 1 and 2 years to complete and are a mix of workplace training and off-the-job study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

You could work in retail sales in a department store, then apply for a consultant's position with a beauty concession counter that operates in the store.

You may be able to apply directly for jobs if you have experience in retail sales, make-up or beauty therapy.

You'll need:

• customer service skills
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work well with others
• persuading and negotiating skills
• active listening skills
• the ability to sell products and services
• the ability to use your initiative
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

As a beauty consultant, you could:

• talk to customers about what they want
• demonstrate products and make recommendations to customers
• give advice on how to use and apply beauty products
• keep work areas and equipment clean
• monitor stock levels and re-order supplies
• stay up to date with new product ranges and trends
• sell products to customers and meet sales targets
• handle cash and card payments

You could work at a store, in a beauty clinic or at a client's home.

You may need to wear a uniform.