Lorna Gibbs, senior lecturer in hairdressing at City College Norwich with student Lisa Lawton.

Hairdresser

Answers supplied by Lorna Gibbs, senior lecturer in hairdressing at City College Norwich. City College offers a range of hairdressing qualifications at its centre for hair, beauty and leisure industries. It has excellent relations with the local hairdressing industry and it received a grade one in a recent inspection of the college. The training facilities are first class and it has just opened a second salon to double its teaching capacity.

What does the job entail?
For people with creative talent, hairdressing offers real chances to be successful. Today’s fashion-conscious public wants expert treatment and the whole concept of personal grooming is a growth industry. Prospective hairdressers will need to be artistic, possess excellent customer care skills and can expect to work long hours cutting, colouring and styling hair. The job can be physically challenging but extremely rewarding; to transform a client's looks is a huge responsibility but to receive grateful thanks from a satisfied client is a great ego boost.

What skills and qualifications are needed?
Essential personal skills would include creativity, stamina, good communication and confidence. A National Vocational Qualification at Level 2 gained at a college or training provider should get you a job as a junior stylist. A full-time Creative Hairdressing Course at College however, goes a step further, offering additional qualifications in cosmetic and fashion/photographic make-up, manicure, Indian head massage, a reception diploma and key skills. The aim is to make students employable with the possibility of earning a good wage. In order to secure a college place, each candidate is interviewed and considered individually. Alternatively, would-be hairdressers can find themselves, with help from a college if necessary, a job as an apprentice in a salon. They are then automatically given a place to attend college one day a week, initially under the Workforce Training scheme, progressing to a Foundation Modern Apprenticeship.

What type of person will fit in?
An outgoing, creative person with an eye for detail and an ability to communicate and perform well under pressure.

What are the pluses and minuses of the job?
Hairdressing can be perceived as a glamorous career, celebrity stylists like Nicky Clarke or Vidal Sassoon probably wouldn't disagree, but would stress that they had to work extremely hard to gain the success and recognition, not to mention the astronomical wages they now earn. There are opportunities to do show and competition work with an enormous amount of job satisfaction seeing a client looking and feeling amazing. Initially, wages are low but once a stylist is qualified and has built their own clientele they can earn whatever their clients are prepared to pay. Some celebrity stylists charge up to £250 for a haircut.

What opportunities exist for career progression?
Once an NVQ Level 2 has been achieved, experienced stylists can choose to go on to NVQ Level 3 and progress towards a managerial role, undertaking more advanced hair work. There are then options to train and assess others, maybe running a salon or being self employed. Good hairdressers can find work on cruise liners, in local salons or international salon chains, for magazines, theatre or films, train to teach in colleges or qualify in trichology (study of the hair) — the sky’s the limit.

What can I expect to earn?
Wages are low as an apprentice around £50-£60 per week. However, good trainees are an extremely valuable asset to any salon and can very quickly progress to a more acceptable wage. Clients will pay whatever a good hairdresser is worth, the more clients rely upon you to look after their hair the more you are able to charge. Ask any trainee hairdresser how hard they have to work and you will soon realise how much they are worth. Top stylists can expect to earn around £20,000-£25,000, with celebrity stylists charging hundreds of pounds to attend to each client.

Any hints on getting a job in this area?
Contact City College Norwich on (01603) 773508 for details about the full-time and evening courses, or (01603) 773405 to speak to staff who have regular contact with salon owners and can help prospective hairdressers to find a job. Look in local newspapers for jobs or in the Hairdressers Journal, available by ordering through a newsagent or by telephoning (01444) 445566.