Retraining as a hairdresser....

Minxy_Bella

Ok - at the grand old age of 45, after 5 years in recruitment, 15 years of secondary school teaching and five years of running my own business, I'm considering retraining to be a stylist. I think this might be my mid-life crisis.....

I've been looking at courses at the local vocational college and it looks as though a 3 day, 23 week course might be the best option in order to achieve NVQ Level 1 in Hairdressing as a start. The cost is £695 or so but apparently I might be able to get some funding from somewhere so I'm going to go to one of the college's open evenings next month.

Has anyone else retrained as a hairdresser or am I being completely mad?

Ilovecubbage

I am going to watch this with my eye opened. Not as qualified as you, but interested and desperate midlife crises person here.

Dick_Van_Dyke

If you want to make barely enough money to live then go for it. Hairdressing is an industry which trains plenty of 16 and 17YO girls who then decide by 20 to pack it in due to the lack of future in it.

Minxy_Bella

!!!!!!_Van_Dyke wrote: »

If you want to make barely enough money to live then go for it. Hairdressing is an industry which trains plenty of 16 and 17YO girls who then decide by 20 to pack it in due to the lack of future in it.

Yes, I take your point and it's something to think about. Yet, something is saying to me that I could be successful and maybe open my own salon - I've got friends in the business and they seem to do ok. I guess I've got to suck it and see, as it were...

I would hope that my professional and personal life experience would mean that a client would rather natter to me (I'm a trained counsellor ) than a young slip of a thing, but maybe that's me being ageist?

Minxy_Bella

Ilovecubbage wrote: »

I am going to watch this with my eye opened. Not as qualified as you, but interested and desperate midlife crises person here.

It's funny but I don't feel very qualified to do anything but teaching but I definitely don't want to go back into that - ever! So it's retraining or starvation

blindmouse

Hi as an ex hairdresser I have some thoughts... I gave it up after I had my children, I have retrained in a totally different trade......... Anyway find your smallish salons and go in and talk to them........ I have no doubts that there is a load of regulations that never were around when I trained but I am sure that if you talked to them you will find that out pretty quick........I doubt any young modern salon chain will be interested in you because of the young apprentices but its well worth talking to the independant salons.....

angeltreats

!!!!!!_Van_Dyke wrote: »

If you want to make barely enough money to live then go for it. Hairdressing is an industry which trains plenty of 16 and 17YO girls who then decide by 20 to pack it in due to the lack of future in it.

I did this, except I packed it in at 19. The money is dire unless you're running your own salon, but it's very satisfying to have a happy customer. I'd recommend trying to get a local salon to take you on as a Saturday lady (washing hair, brushing the floor, making coffee/tea etc) so you can get a feel for it and make sure you like it before making any commitment.

Also is there any reason you want to do NVQ level 1? When I was training, the level 1 people were all girls who had left school with no GCSEs, and it's very basic, you'd need level 2 before any salon would take you on as a qualified stylist. I went straight in at level 2, and did level 3 as well although I stupidly didn't finish the paperwork so never got my level 3 certificate

Sorry, I also meant to add that we had a part time girl who was in her thirties and had gone to college in the evenings to retrain and do her level 2, while still working in the daytime. She's now running her own salon and doing very well for herself, so certainly it's not impossible. And at the age of 29 I'm just about to go back to college and retrain as a chef, having jacked in a well-paying and secure job that I hated, so I'm probably just as mad as you are

Burlesque_Babe

I work in adult learning - 45 isn't too old to take up any new career

What I will say is that even after qualifying you will have a good few years of upping your skills etc and learning the business side of it before really being in a position to open a salon - you will need to know all the ins and outs of the trade, the products etc which really comes with experience.

Age wise, I would say our hairdressing learners are a wide range of ages, some 18-19 year olds but quite a few in their late 20s/early 30s, had children always wanted to do it etc. I wouldn't bother with an NVQ Level 1, really not worth it. Start with a Level 2.

The money is rubbish and the hours long (but being in teaching I don't think that will be an issue )

I've done the opposite to you - had a long career in one field and am now teaching (adults). Only been doing it 2 years and am already sick of the paperwork :rotfl:

Can't see you'd have any issues with the level of the qualification - it's a level 2.

What would you do whilst training? Our NVQ is a 2 year qualification attending a couple of times a week.

How about asking those you know in the business if you can 'work' a Saturday - sweeping up, making the tea? See how the environment suits you.

Good luck if you decide to go for it - we had a learner of nearly 80 get a grade B in her GCSE English last year and is now doing her computerised accounting qualification - never too old