Hair and facial hair are essential elements to men’s style and fashion. Georgia is home to one of America’s “Manliest Barbershops,” as declared by Men’s Health Magazine. This barbershop, Kutz Remix Barbershop in Suwanee, is known for being owned by the brother of Kansas City Chiefs cornerback, Travis Daniels, and for being immersed in music, from the DJ booth to the vinyl Records of Fame wall.
If you’re ready to begin your career as a barber in Georgia so you can open a cutting edge shop of your own, you will need to qualify for a license through the Georgia State Board of Barbers, which defines barbering as the cutting, styling, and designing of hair, including facial hair.
To learn how to become a licensed barber in Georgia, follow these steps:
| Graduate from a 1500-Hour Georgia Barber Training Program |
| Pass National Theory and Georgia State Practical Licensing Exams |
| Submit a Georgia Master Barber License Application to the Board |
| Explore your Career Options and Keep your License Current |
Your initial step toward a Georgia barber license is to graduate from a Georgia barber college. The Georgia State Board of Barbers requires that your school provide at least 1500 hours of specialized training. Board-required courses include the following:
Theory (280 hours)
Clinical Services (1220 hours)
Apprenticeship
The Georgia Board also allows you to complete a barber apprenticeship. However, to do so, you must be at least 16 years old, and complete the following steps:
Once you graduate from a barber training program, your school will submit your graduation notification to PSI Services, which is the testing vendor that the Georgia Board allows to give and grade the barber licensing exams. With your school’s pre-approval, you will be able to register for and schedule your licensing exams with PSI. There are two licensing exams that you will need to schedule: the Georgia Barber Practical Exam, and the National Barber Written Exam. To schedule these exams, complete the following steps:
Georgia Barber Practical Exam
This practical exam will only take 85 minutes to complete. You will be graded on your ability to perform the following barber services:
National Barber Written Exam
You will have about 90 minutes to complete this written, computer-based exam. This exam will text your theoretical knowledge on barber subjects, including the following:
PSI has examination sites in the following Georgia cities:
Once you pass these exams, PSI will provide the Board with your scores, and you will be eligible to apply for your Georgia barber license.
After completing barber training and passing the licensing exams, you may now submit an application to the Georgia Board for a barber license. To do so, you will need to complete the following steps:
Reciprocity
If you hold a barber license in another state, you may qualify for a Georgia barber license based on reciprocity. This means that you will not need to complete Georgia barber training or pass the Georgia licensing exams. If you would like to apply for a license based on reciprocity, you will need to complete the following steps:
You may submit all of your initial application and reciprocity application materials to the Board at the following mailing address:
GEORGIA STATE BOARD OF BARBERS
237 Coliseum Drive
Macon, Georgia 31208
If you are interested in opening your own barbershop in order to customize the style and atmosphere of the shop to your liking, you will be able to do this by first obtaining barbershop license. This license may be obtained by completing the following steps:
In the initial phases of your career, you will likely start by renting a chair in one of Georgia’s well-established shop:
You will need to renew your license by December 31 st of even numbered years. The Board will send you a courtesy reminder about 6 weeks before you need to renew. If you do not receive this notice from the Board, you are still responsible to renew the license. You may do this by completing the renewal form and submitting the renewal fee online.
The 1,144 barbers who practiced in Georgia in 2012 had an average salary of $30,288 according to the state’s Department of Labor. This was 9.3% higher than the national one for this field.
The actual take home pay level for Georgia’s barbers will be even higher than indicated here. The official salary statistics do not account for tipping which can add 10 to 25% to the barbers’ income.
Barbers with more experience usually have higher salaries. Thus, barbers in Georgia who were in the 75th salary bracket earned an average of $20,884 a year more than their colleagues in the 25th bracket. These salaries were $40,878 and $19,994 respectively.
Barber salaries by city in Georgia:
Atlanta – $51,000
Columbus – $44,000
Savannah – $43,000
Athens – $38,000
Major Metropolitan Salaries for Barbers in Georgia
The Georgia Department of Labor also provides barber salary information for two of the largest cities in the state. The average salary of barbers in the 25th salary bracket was higher in the Savannah area. However, experienced Atlanta barbers in the 75th bracket had an average salary that was more than 50% higher than that in the Savannah area:
