They were some of the people we missed most during the lockdowns of 2020, with many of us realising just how much skill our hairdressers have when we were faced with trying to do their job. Yet hairdressing is often overlooked as a career path. Apprenticeships are a common entry into the industry, bringing benefits of on-the-job training for apprentices and appeal for employers in the form of government incentives.
Matthew Curtis, founder of Matthew Curtis Hair Design, started as an apprentice himself and has worked around the world as a session stylist – styling models, celebrities and actors on catwalks, photoshoots, film sets and events – as well as opening three salons in London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Chipping Camden. “Apprentices are the backbone of the business,” he says. “They help the salon run effectively and they learn their craft while they do it.”
Similarly Jane Nixon, owner of Hair Eden in Worsley, Manchester, started her career as an apprentice and takes on at least two apprentices every year. “I want someone who understands what it is like to work in a busy salon, and not only knows how to do hair, but to manage their time and their clients,” she says. For Anthea Mitchell, owner of Hair Professional in Maidstone, apprentices quickly learn that hairdressing comes with plenty of technical demands. “Hairdressing has become more complex in terms of the skills you have to have. It’s really technical in addition to the soft people skills.”
There’s no denying 2020 presented difficulties – both for the businesses and their apprentices. “Every time we had to close it created a bottleneck,” says Nixon. “Rather than business being steady throughout the year, we had months where we couldn’t work then months of working six days a week.” Their apprentices were still able to work towards their qualifications, says Nixon, but she is not convinced they progressed at the same speed. Coronavirus restrictions also made it difficult for apprentices to practise. “We usually hold training nights when the apprentices would train at the same time,” says Curtis. “We had to stagger that through the day instead.”
Despite the difficulties, those with a career in hairdressing are more than happy with their choice. But they admit it is still overlooked by many as a career. “There still needs to be work done to encourage people into it,” says Curtis, who goes into private schools to talk about the benefits of apprenticeships.
Nixon says things are changing but admits they could still improve. “I know lots of parents who are actively encouraging their kids to try a career like hairdressing, whereas 15 years ago it felt like everyone was being pushed to go to uni. It’s a creative job, and clever kids are pushed into ‘clever’ career paths even if they are creative people. I used to say I was ‘just a hairdresser’ but now I hold my head up and say it. I’ve learned so many skills, from marketing to accounting, and I don’t think I’d have gained the same skills through study.”
For Mitchell, the stability that it brings is as valuable an asset as any. “So many people spent lockdown wondering whether they would have a job to go back to and what was happening to their industry. I didn’t feel like that at all. It’s not the sexiest, most glamorous or best-paid work, but it’s stable and there’s a lot to be said for that these days.”
