We know that money can be an issue when you are first starting out - but from our team of industry professional Makeup Artist’s personal experience, your investment towards your future will be the best investment that you have ever made - providing stepping stones for increased revenue for yourself, achieving your career goals, and inspiring others around you.

You’ve taken the first step and made the important commitment to your professional education in the beauty industry and moving forward towards the path to career success. Now what?!

Below, find our 5 best tips (from both our industry team and graduates!) in finding a way to pay (+ pay off quickly!) for your beauty industry course:

We’ve created easy automatic payment plan options to offer our students who need some extra time to budget their course. The payment plans do not require a credit check, and are set up to automatically debit so you don’t have to worry!

Benefits of the OMA payment plan:

Flexible payment schedule (automatically debits every 30 days until paid in full).
Longer time to pay.
No credit check. The payment plan is not a credit card.
No approval process.
Your kit (if the course includes it) is prepared for shipment with the first payment.
You receive course access and can begin right away with the first payment.
You can pay off early, at anytime - or wait until the plan has finished to receive your certificate (once course is completed).

While we don’t accept financial aid or federal grants, you can apply for a zero interest or low interest credit card, which will allow you the opportunity to break up your payments in installments that are most convenient for you. These options are out of network (not through the Online Makeup Academy), but are flexible forms of payments that we also accept.

We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express), so if you have a low interest or zero interest credit card promotional offer - consider applying and using it to pay for your course!

As aspiring artists, we all know and understand the hustle! Sometimes in order to achieve our goals, we need to work just a little bit harder to get there - but in the end, it pays off! Consider taking on a side gig (and maybe even putting your creativity to good use!) by thinking outside of the box with other opportunities to make some extra cash to add to the “Makeup School fund”. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to enroll!

Ideas and options to earn extra funds for makeup school:

Do you have a special skill? Offer your services! Network, search online for open opportunities (depending on the skill - you can find gigs through Craigslist, or local advertisements, or advertise your own services for free [read more below]!).
Showcase your skills online - Fiverr.com and Upwork.com are excellent platforms to start. People who are looking for specific skills search these platforms to hire other creatives. Whether your skill is in editing, writing, selling, graphic design, illustration, blogging, etc. - the opportunities are endless and you decide your own rate!
If your skill is creating more tangible pieces to sell - consider creating your own store on etsy.com - people love handmade art and design, and this is a great way to not only build your creative portfolio and connect with customers, but make extra cash as well!
Do you have clothes/shoes/jewelry that you don’t wear? Consider selling them! Depending on the brands (vintage is super popular especially!) you can sell your pieces yourself on sites like poshmark.com, depop.com, etsy.com (this would be the place for vintage!), ebay.com - or sell to local stores such as Plato’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange, or online at thredup.com.
You can also sell your household items that you no longer use, try Craigslist! Everyone is always looking for something. Remember that saying “one man’s trash is another’s treasure!”.
Take on a part-time job! In many places you can gain some “on the job” experience as you work towards your beauty industry career. Think of places you would love to work (why not also make it an inspiring experience?!), go to the employer, and see what their requirements are - while you may not be able to work at a makeup counter until you earn your credentials (all places will have different requirements! It is important to ask - as you never know!) - you could start in a different department (fragrances or accessories would be a great opportunity at your favorite mall department store) - and work alongside the beauty brands that inspire you. Getting your foot in the door and establishing your network from the start, and earning the extra cash to bring your major goals to fruition!

Do you have a family member, partner, or best friend that loves your creativity and is inspired by you? Don’t be afraid to ask around to see if your main supporters are interested in becoming your partner(s) [yes, why not find more than one?!]! As they will be investing in your career (and essentially becoming a partner in your business - whether they are looking to have this as temporary [repayment] or permanent [you build your business together!], make sure you have clear terms and a contract for repayment (or the agreement and expectations you have decided on).

Another way of approaching your supporters who are committed to your career goals and have essentially invested in you, is also offering your services as part of the payback “perks”. You will be needing to complete your assignments (which means applying the makeup looks that you have learned and practicing on others!), so what better way to have those who believe the most in your skills receive the benefits of their support?!

You can offer your services for free and/or complementary certificates (or discounted certificates) for makeup application to those who have invested in your career and allowed you the option to pursue your professional education! It’s the best of both worlds - for you and them!

Always the simplest option (but sometimes we just don’t think it is possible when life’s expenses get in the way!). Trust us, saving is absolutely possible - you just need to set a budget, and before you know it, you’ll be on your way to paying your courses in full with your added savings (and making extra money as you launch your professional career!).

Eliminate unnecessary expenses (eating out, the extra drinks, coffees, teas, etc!) you would be surprised how quickly it adds up. Set what you would have paid for these items aside into your “makeup school fund” and we bet you’ll have the cash to start sooner than later!
Budget to figure out based on your paycheck what you could afford to “save” (even if it is a few dollars each paycheck, it adds up!). Commit to this - you will feel great once that savings has turned into your ability to pay for the course, and this small investment will provide the opportunity to receive payback for your commitment, ten fold!

We know that you probably want to start as quickly as possible, so saving sounds like the last resort option - but we know you won’t be disappointed. If you commit to your career, the time will pass quicker than expected and before you know it you’ll be able to begin! Not to worry - we aren’t going anywhere, and we will be here waiting for you when you are ready to begin!

Now that you’ve read our 5 top tip suggestions (provided to us by our team and graduates!) read further for a personal graduate case-study, on how they were able to make the investment in their career, and the almost immediate pay-off:

“I was so happy to have found OMA - and after doing my research, decided it was everything I needed to begin my career. I knew I needed an online school with flexible scheduling, and most importantly, industry artists who could provide the mentorship and confidence to build my business and work with clients professionally. The only problem? Money. I did not have the money to join the Master Makeup Artist course, and even with the payment plan option, it wasn’t something I could afford outright. I really wanted to begin now (I’m not patient, when I put my mind to something I want to get it done!) - so I asked around to those who have always told me “your makeup is amazing, you should really be a makeup artist!”.
What could they say?! I thought the worse they could tell me was “no” (and trust me, several friends were in the same position as me and could only offer their support!), but I found a few family members and close friends who came together in my support, and I was able to essentially set up an extended “payment plan” with them - as they provided the initial investment to enroll.
Their perks? They got to be my model as I worked on my professional portfolio - and because I already had my portfolio and website complete after graduation, I was instantly ready to take on paying clients after earning my certificate! In just a few months (and 5 clients later), I had already paid off half of the investment to my partners. Within the year, I was able to secure another 8 clients which not only paid off the remaining course cost to those who invested in my education, but provided a small savings of my own (newly created) business account.
If I never stepped outside of my comfort zone, I would have never known the support within my community - and now I am known as the “go-to” Makeup Artist for all events! So grateful for their support and taking a leap of faith in my education and business.” - Jessica, OMA Graduate 2018 + Master Makeup Artist

As you can see based on the case study above and real-life experiences on financing beauty school, when there is a will, there is always a way! Consider taking the next steps towards your professional career by committing to your investment, and you will be equally rewarded. We will always be here for you every step of the way!

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