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Beautician is a vocational qualification in which you alternate between school and apprenticeship at a workplace. This means theory and practice constantly work together, and you earn a salary as soon as you sign an education agreement with a clinic, spa or wellness centre. In this article, we take a close look at how the course is structured from the first school day to the journeyman's certificate.

§The basic course — your first school periods

If you come directly from 9th or 10th grade, you start the first part of the basic course. It typically lasts about half a school year and gives you the broad, basic competencies that apply to the main area. Here you also find out if the subject suits you. If you left primary school more than a couple of years ago, you can in many cases start directly on the second part of the basic course.

The basic course's second part is targeted at the cosmetics trade itself and prepares you for the main course. Both parts of the basic course take place at school, and you work practically and professionally with, among other things, skin structure, beauty care, anatomy and physiology as well as the subjects related to running and selling treatments.

§Main course — school and training in rhythm

When the basic program is completed and you have a training agreement, you begin the main program. This is the biggest part of the training and spans about two years. You alternate between school stays and longer periods with training at a company, and it's at the workplace where you get the vast majority of your time. During school periods you pick up the threads from practice and build new professional knowledge.

§How long does it take?

The total duration depends on your background. If you count the basic and main program together, the qualification typically takes around three years if you come straight from 9th or 10th grade, while the path can be shorter, around two and a half years, if you have, for example, relevant background. The program can be shortened if, for example, you have relevant experience or take an adult path. The point is that the qualification is adapted so you neither waste time on what you already know nor skip important steps.

§Entry requirements and admission

To enter you must have completed primary school and in principle have at least grade 02 on average in both Danish and mathematics at the leaving exam — also if you take 10th grade. A completed upper secondary education can also give access. You apply via Optagelse.dk and if you apply directly from primary school there is an application deadline in spring so it is a good idea to be in good time.

§Adult path

If you are 25, you can take the education as a vocational education for adults. Here your competencies are assessed first, so the course can be shortened based on what you already know and have experience with. This makes the path shorter and more flexible if you come with work experience in your background.

“A vocational apprenticeship is designed to interweave theory and practice — you learn it at school and use it in the clinic.”