This Little-Known Program Offers a Cheaper Alternative to Beauty School

ALTERNATIVE ROOTSThis Little-Known Apprenticeship Program Offers a Much Cheaper Alternative to Beauty SchoolIn California, aspiring hairstylists have an option to get their license while they earn money in salons — but few people are aware the program exists. 

By Alaina Demopoulos

May 18, 2022

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Stacey Thomas basically grew up in the hair salon. Her mother taught her how to do hair while she grew up in Stockton, California. She didn't take it too seriously at the time, but over the past few years, the 35-year-old decided it was time to get her cosmetology license and give professional styling a shot.

But it wasn't that easy for Thomas, a single mother, to head back to school — especially when the cost of cosmetology school averages between $14,000 and $20,000 in her home state. Thomas also worried that she wouldn’t learn enough about natural hair in a traditional program. "When you go to cosmetology school, it doesn't really teach you about textured or really curly hair," she tells Allure. "One of my sons has braids and one of them has locs. Natural hair is important to me."

As Thomas weighed her options of how to get a cosmetology license on her own terms, one program stood out: California's Apprenticeship Program. This track, which is approved by the state's Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, allows on-the-job training instead of attending beauty school. The program as a whole spans 41 industries, but the cosmetology-specific track currently enrolls 2,031 barbers and 1,502 cosmetologists. Though it's been around since 1992, it's a road less traveled than the beauty school route.

"I believe that people don't know about these apprenticeship programs or even how to take advantage of them," Thomas says. "You get on-the-job training, plus you go to school one day a week and make money at the same time — I just think these programs are not pushed enough." About 80 businesses have set up a cosmetology apprenticeship with the state, which is where students apply to be placed during their time in the program.

And the program is not just for hairstylists   — according to a representative for the California Department of Consumer Affairs, currently 2,031 barbers are enrolled. There is also a smaller electrology track that has graduated just six students since its inception in 2006. About 80 businesses have set up an apprenticeship with the state, which is where students apply to be placed during their time in the program.

Thomas adds that the chance to get to work at Natural ‘Do, a hair salon owned by Valonne Smith that caters to Black women and others with textured hair, crucially allows her to make money while she trains. "The apprentice program costs $2,400 [these fees go to the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology], which means I'm winning as far as money goes, versus the thousands I’d pay for school." 

After two years and 3,200 hours of training, apprentices like Thomas can apply for the state board. If she passes, she’ll get her cosmetology license just like anyone else. "[I like] being in a salon working with all types of hair," she says. "If you can do textured hair, you can do any type of hair. It’s an honor to learn more about my own hair, and how to work with textured hair — make it grow, and recommend products. It's a good feeling that I wouldn't change for anything."

Smith tells Allure that she began accepting applicants for the apprenticeship program due to the realities of the student debt crisis. "When people go to cosmetology school, they can't work full time, because they need 1,600 hours in school to get their license," she explains. "It's basically like a year and a half, and many people consider that a struggle, because they might work a night job or a couple of days here and there, but it's a challenge when you're not making money." 

One 2021 report from the Institute for Justice found that the average cosmetology program costs more than $16,000, and that the average student graduates their program with around $7,100 in federal student loans. That same report found that, on average, those graduates can expect to make around only around $26,000 in their first year. 

Plus, Smith enjoys giving apprentices the chance to learn while working in a salon, which gives them exposure to what their lives will eventually be like once they’re certified. "You're getting paid to learn and build up a clientele,” she says. “I don't know how you could beat that."

Thomas hopes that more people will take advantage of the program. She says she was the only Black student in her program’s classroom at first, though others have joined since she started. "People need to understand how this program works," she adds. "It will change lives."

Read more about the future of the hair industry:

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• Robots Are Setting the Beauty Standards of the Future

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Alaina Demopoulos is a beauty editor at Allure. She previously served as a staff writer for The Daily Beast and Popsugar, respectively. She graduated from NYU with a degree in dramatic writing and her virgin brown hair, which she promptly dyed eight more colors. (She's settled on green for now.) When... Read moreBeauty Editor

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Keywordsnatural hairhairstylistshair salonsbeauty schoolbusiness of beauty