Cosmetology Instructor Training in Arkansas
If you have decided to pursue a career as a cosmetology instructor in Arkansas, you will combine your professional experience as a cosmetologist with what you learn in your cosmetology instructor training program to teach students the ins and outs of the cosmetology industry. In Arkansas, you are required to complete 600 hours in cosmetology teaching courses before working as an instructor. During your program, you will how to teach cosmetology theory, learn how to grade student course work and most importantly learn how to properly prepare your students to pass the state board cosmetology exam.
Find Teacher Training Programs in Arkansas
You must attend a school that is approved by your state to provide training in the discipline you want to practice. Check with the school and the state board to be sure that your program of study will prepare you for any applicable state licensure.
Licensing Requirements for Cosmetology Instructors in Arkansas
In Arkansas, the Arkansas Department of Health issues licenses for cosmetologists and cosmetology teachers. You must first get your Arkansas license to practice cosmetology and then you can train and test to become an instructor. You can get a license to practice cosmetology in Arkansas by training or by reciprocity.
To get your license by training, you must:
– Be an 18 year old high school graduate, (You may also have an equivalent certification, like a GED)
– Complete 1500 hours of training at a board approved cosmetology training program
– Submit a certification of training
– Pay $65 for your practical exam and pay PSI’s testing fees for your written exam
– Take and pass your written and practical exams and
– Take and pass your Arkansas State board cosmetology exam
To get your license by reciprocity, you must:
– Be an 18 year old high school graduate, (You may also have an equivalent certification, like a GED)
– Have completed 1500 hours of training at a training program similar to the ones that the Arkansas Board approves of
– Submit an application
– Submit a certification of training
– Have your current licensing body mail certification of your licensure and exam records directly to the Arkansas board
– Pay a $150 reciprocity fee
– Show proof that the written and practical exams you have passed are equivalent to the ones Arkansas requires. (Arkansas uses PSI for written exams. If your exams are not equivalent to the PSI written exam and Arkansas’ practical exam, you must pay $65 for your practical exam and pay PSI’s testing fees. Then you must take and pass your Arkansas written and practical exams.)
Once you have received your cosmetology license and completed your 600 hours in a “Teacher Training” course you can then sit for your cosmetology instructor’s exam.
Employment Opportunities for Cosmetology Instructors in Arkansas
In Arkansas, you can find work as a cosmetology instructor in community colleges, centers that offer CEU classes, beauty schools and vocational programs with night classes. The best towns to find work include, metropolitan Little Rock and North Little Rock, of course; Fayetteville, an education hub; and in comfortable and suburban, Springdale. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, you can expect to earn $53,920 a year as a cosmetology instructor.