Successful hairdressers and beauty therapists can take their pick from many top jobs - preparing supermodels, working on magazines and photos shoots, or tending to the rich and famous. What's more, with UK hairdressing and beauty therapy rightly regarded as the best in the world, there is ample opportunity to travel internationally and show off your skills abroad.
However, hairdressing and beauty therapy aren't just about glamour. They require hard work and dedication, and are professional careers with a clear progression route from salon trainee to owner or manager. The hours are long and sometimes unsociable, but the rewards more than make up for it.
After all, how many jobs give you the chance to be creative and try out new things each and every day? And how many professions give you the very real chance to set up and run your own business well before your 30th birthday?
Who becomes a hairdresser or beauty therapist?
Absolutely anyone of any age from any background can become a hairdresser or beauty therapist. Some people will have known since they were small that they wanted to be a hairdresser or beauty therapist. Others get into it much later. For instance, Charles Worthington gave up a University degree course in architecture to become a hairdresser, and is now one of the tops names in the industry!
What qualifications are needed?
No specific qualifications are needed, but GCSEs or Standard Grades (Scotland) in English, Science and Maths are strongly recommended. Colleges and employers also look for other qualities such as:
- Communication and people skills
- Stamina
- Patience
- Enthusiasm
- Reliability
Where do I start?
One of the main ways into hairdressing or beauty therapy is through a Modern Apprenticeship. These qualifications are aimed at highly skilled young people between 16 and 24, and combine the best of traditional training routes with the best of modern training systems.
Modern Apprenticeships give you the opportunity to train for a career, study for a qualification and work in salon and get paid - all at the same time. An Advanced Modern Apprenticeship leads to NVQ/SVQ Level 3, whilst Foundation Modern Apprenticeships lead to NVQ/SVQ Level 2 (hairdressing only).
You can also study for a NVQ/SVQ at college. NVQs/SVQs are vocational qualifications, open to people of any age, which are broken down into separate modules and units allowing you to learn each of the skills needed to become a competent hairdresser. Employers increasingly require you to have NVQ/SVQs because they prove that you can do your job to the standard that they require.
The acceptable qualification for hairdressing is NVQ/SVQ Level 2, though the majority of employers now expect staff to have Level 3. The acceptable qualification for beauty therapy is usually Level 3. NVQs/SVQs in Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy are offered by many colleges and training centres throughout the UK.
Once qualified, there are a number of options open to you, and you may decide to work in one of the following areas:
- Armed Forces
- Consultancy
- Company Training
- Cruise Liners
- Freelancing
- Health Clubs and Resorts
- Hotels, Airlines and Airports
- Hospitals/Care Homes
- Her Majesty's Prison Service
- Television and Film Industry
- Teaching (Lecturer/Trainer/Assessor )
- Salon Management
So if you are looking for a rewarding and diverse career that can bring you not just the glamour and excitement, but the real rewards of hard work and dedication, then perhaps hairdressing and beauty therapy are for you.
