Texas no longer issues separate barber or cosmetology instructor licenses. HB 1560 abolished them effective September 1, 2021, as part of the consolidation that created the unified Barbering and Cosmetology program.
The current rule: to teach in a TDLR-licensed barber or cosmetology school, you hold a regular practitioner license in the specialty area you teach — an operator license to teach cosmetology, a Class A Barber license to teach barbering, an esthetician license to teach skin care, and so on. HB 1560 expanded the teaching scope of licensed practitioners to make this work; there is no separate instructor credential, instructor exam, or instructor CE track.
That also means an instructor's continuing education is simply their practitioner license's CE: 4 hours of TDLR-approved coursework every 2 years (2 hours once the license has been held 15+ years), completed before each renewal like any other licensee.
The school itself is licensed separately — the school holds its own TDLR school license, while each instructor maintains an individual practitioner license.
What it means for your renewal
Moving from behind the chair into teaching no longer means a second license track. Keep your practitioner license active and current on CE, and you are credentialed to teach your specialty in a licensed school.
Authority: Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1603