In Idaho, there are two ways to earn the training hours for a beauty or barber license: go to a licensed school, or train as an apprentice in a licensed establishment. An apprenticeship takes twice as many hours as school for every license.
Whether you're a future student, a salon owner thinking about taking on an apprentice, or you just moved here, here's exactly what Idaho requires.
Hours required for each license
These hours are set in Idaho Code § 54-5810. The time limit to finish an apprenticeship comes from the Board's rules, IDAPA 24.28.01.
Cosmetologist: 1,600 school hours or 3,200 apprenticeship hours (finish within 104 weeks)
Barber-stylist: 1,500 school hours or 3,000 apprenticeship hours (finish within 94 weeks)
Barber: 900 school hours or 1,800 apprenticeship hours (finish within 57 weeks)
Esthetician: 600 school hours or 1,200 apprenticeship hours (finish within 38 weeks)
Electrologist: 600 school hours or 1,200 apprenticeship hours (finish within 38 weeks)
Nail technician: 400 school hours or 800 apprenticeship hours (finish within 25 weeks)
Students can take the licensing exam once they've finished 80% of their required school hours.
Already licensed and adding a license? You may not have to start from zero. For example, a licensed esthetician or nail technician needs 1,400 school hours (or 2,800 apprentice hours) to become a cosmetologist, and a licensed cosmetologist needs just 100 hours to become a barber or barber-stylist.
How apprenticeships work in Idaho
An apprenticeship lets you train on the job in a licensed establishment instead of going to school. It takes twice the hours, but you learn in a working salon or shop. Here are the main rules from Idaho Code § 54-5817 and the Board's rules:
Register first. You must register with the Board as an apprentice before you start, and the Board must approve the curriculum before instruction begins.
Always supervised. Apprentices can't work on their own. A licensed instructor has to supervise the training, and instructors can only teach within their own license.
Learn before you touch clients. Apprentices can't provide services to clients until they've completed 5% of their required hours.
Daily records. The establishment has to log the apprentice's hours every day and keep those records for five years. When the apprenticeship ends, it certifies the total hours to the Board.
Finish on time. Each license has its own time limit (see above). The law caps every apprenticeship at three years unless the Board grants an extension.
Starting over. If you stop your apprenticeship, you have to register again before you go back.
Esthetics and nails. Apprentices must train in a cosmetology establishment under a licensed instructor, and the establishment must have a licensed esthetician or nail technician on site. Electrology apprentices train under a licensed electrologist instructor.
Apprentices from another state can get credit for their hours if they provide a certified record of their training.
Other requirements
Beyond hours, § 54-5810 requires that you:
Are at least 16½ years old when you apply (high school students in a licensed school can start earning hours younger)
Have completed at least two years of high school, or the equivalent
Pass the licensing exam
Want to teach? Instructors need a teacher's course of at least six months in their specialty, or three months if they've been licensed for at least two years. They also need 12 college credit hours (or the Board's equivalent), or a passing score on a Board-approved exam.
Stay in the loop
Licensing rules change, and IPBBA keeps an eye on every Board meeting and bill that affects our industry.
Know someone thinking about beauty school or an apprenticeship? Forward this to them. And if you're not on our list yet, join us at idahopbba.org to get licensing news straight to your inbox.
This post is general information, not legal advice. Contact DOPL for questions about your specific situation.
