Beauty course accreditation and regulated qualifications

No UK law requires a private training provider to hold a licence or any accreditation to teach beauty courses. You can start teaching adults without applying to anyone.

This covers the training business only. The treatments your students practise have their own rules. For those, see Train students on live models for beauty treatments

Decide what your students receive at the end. You can award your own certificate, or you can offer a regulated qualification through an awarding organisation. The sections below explain the difference and what you can say about each.

Regulated qualifications and certificates

A regulated qualification is one that a recognised awarding organisation awards. The qualifications regulator for the nation recognises the organisation, not your training business. A certificate of attendance, or a certificate from a private CPD body, is not a regulated qualification.

Learners in England and Northern Ireland can check whether a specific qualification is regulated on the Register of Regulated Qualifications. That register does not cover Wales or Scotland.

Whichever nation you teach in, check the qualification you plan to offer on the register for that nation. Do not describe it as regulated until you have found it there.

Offering a regulated qualification through an awarding organisation

To offer a regulated qualification that an existing awarding organisation owns, you become one of its approved centres. The awarding organisation, not the regulator, decides whether to approve you.

Applying to Ofqual yourself makes you an awarding organisation, which is a different route. It is for providers that want to design and award their own regulated qualifications.

Each awarding organisation sets its own criteria, so approval terms differ between them. Before you commit to a qualification, ask the awarding organisation for its centre approval criteria and qualification requirements. Check that your premises and staff meet them.

Ofqual's conditions apply to awarding organisations that Ofqual recognises. If the qualification is recognised by Qualifications Wales or Qualifications Scotland Accreditation, ask the awarding organisation for its approval terms for your nation.

Until the awarding organisation has approved your centre, you cannot truthfully say that you offer its qualification. Do not advertise it before then.

Describing your course in adverts

Any claim you make about accreditation, approval or qualifications must be true. Say what the learner receives: a certificate of attendance, a CPD certificate or a regulated qualification. The same applies to words such as 'accredited' and 'fully qualified'.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint against an academy that advertised 'fully accredited' and 'fully qualified' courses. Students received a CPD certificate. The advert also left out the entry requirements, course length and the qualification gained.

Awarding organisations have their own rules on how they state a qualification's regulated status and use the Ofqual logo. If you say or imply that Ofqual regulates your course, you risk breaking the advertising rules in the table.

Advertising prescription-only medicines such as Botox to the public is banned. Whether that reaches an advert for a Botox training course depends on the wording, so ask CAP Copy Advice to check it before you publish.

What to read next

The accreditation decision is one step in setting up a training business. Start a beauty or aesthetics training business sets out the whole path.

If students will treat live models, read Train students on live models for beauty treatments. For tax on your course fees, read VAT on training course fees