heya! starting my level 3 hairdressing in september....just wondered what people that have done have thought about it?? thanx!

i did most of mine but jacked it in coz to be honest i hated it , wish i had kept at it though , but it drove me nuts with all the paperwork etc.. and i wasnt getting to do anything different with the hair side of it which really peed me off , .. but that was about 11 years ago , no doubt it has changed since then

I agree with Dee, I hated all the paper work too and the useless assignments. this was about three years ago.

Another thing that anoyed me was we had to choose a theme where we found a model, do her hair and create a costume ( the tutor chose the film Moulan Rouge ( sorry the spelling isnt right!! ) I wanted to do punk!! as it would be creative and cheaper!!!!

I thought... right... yep. where can i get the money to get the costume and the time etc and how does that benifit me in the end??

I think you cover most of level 3 in the salon anyway, I started doing level 3 and we were using foils and didnt learn any thing i didnt already know!!
I pulled out in the end!!

Godd luck to you tho hun, hopefully it be much better now!!

I havent done my level 3 but i am now in the process of doing my A2 so i no a little about it but if you have been qualified for a while you will sail through it, its just all the jargen that goes with it that seems to be a pain. The college is saying that level 3 is best taken straight after your level 2 so you have more of an understanding of advanced hairdressing rather than just doing it and not knowing why!!!
hope this is of some help good luck if you decide to take it xx

Thanx guys!!

I thought the level 3 paper work was very tedious too , but you can then go on to do your D units and other things too.

Unless you are wanting to become a teacher or an assessor
[of which you are then supposed to gain experience at first ?]
which i found difficult ,

also teaching jobs are but few, unless you are willing to relocate.


on the other hand it does keep the F E Colleges numbers up and teachers in jobs, so theres a plus side , minky

If you're keen to become a REAL hairdresser and not just someone who plays at it, then you'll know that all the paperwork and assignments are worth the effort. If you can't be bothered then you'll never make the grade as a good hairdresser with the passion that's essential in this business. As an employer I want people who are willing to go that extra mile to prove that they have the desire to succeed. Working to Level 3 is easy compared to creating super styles and satisfying awkward clients!

Stick with it JD and you'll never regret it. It's on your road to success.

So what is the diff between a level 2 and a level 3?

I was asking the level thress students at college this the other night and they said they have learnt loads more about cutting and colouring and it has been really useful, and they feel like much better hairdressers than they did when they finished their level 2.

Well I did my level 3 about 4/5 years ago and to be honest it was a waste of time. I'm glad I finished it and that I got it but I didn't learn much at all.

Cutting was everything I was already doing at work, the same with colouring. Perming was awful and very very outdated. I have never used a piggy back wind or hopscotch wind ever since I finished the course and don't think I ever will.

We did a fashion show where we had to make costumes, do hair and make up for two models. The theme was ok and it was fun on the actual day of the show but the months leading up to it was stressful, busy (it fell just after xmas so you can imagine the stress of being SO busy at work and then having to go home and start making costumes etc) and it cost me an absolute fortune! We got a budget of £20 per model!!! Try doing hair, make up and costume for £20, impossible.

I am glad I can say I have my level 3 but only for the fact that its out of the way and I don't have to do it now I have a house and husband to look after. I could't have done it if I'd have had kids I don't think!!

Here in england you need your level 2 to be a qualified hairdresser. This covers learning all you need to do basic hairdressing eg basic cutting, colouring,styling and perming techniques.

Level 3 is "advanced" work. Or at least its supposed to be!!! This includes advanced colouring eg foil techniques etc, advanced cutting eg whole restlyes rather than just tidy ups and trims and for perming advanced winding techniques eg piggyback and weave winds.

But like everyone else has said the colouring and cutting stuff is what you would do everyday at work anyway.

Thank you Sweetcorn. That clears my confusion. Here in the states, we learn the basics in school , so I guess it would be up to level 2 in UK. Then if we want advance , we go to private classes and seminars etc and pay out of pocket for it.

I think benefiting form level 3 depends how good your college is, mine was pap.
I learnt more different & advanced cutting techniques on a two day cutting at Goldwell, briilant.

I don't think its fair to say that only level 3 is a REAL hairdresser,
I have seen plenty of level twos who are much better hairdressers than some level threes ,I wouldn't say that level twos just play at it , besides Ive seen some level twos finding it easy to create super styles and satisfying awkward clients, some people are just not cut out for paperwork but these people can be extremely gifted and talented hairdressers who are an asset to any salon.





JD
I found the difference between level two and level three is a lot of paperwork involving health and safety/ stock control/risk assessment/fire hazards/ lots more paperwork covering all of level 2 again. a promotional show which you have to arrange on paper covering the minutes also the actual show itself, and other units too,
you also have some optional units you can pick yourself eg assessor units
training and development ,or other photo shoot units ect this should all depend what you are aiming for in your career? also you get to do corrective color work which is good ,but then again as someone said continuing personal development such as color courses , cutting courses by reputable company's and in house training are just as good. IMO if you want to train or teach hairdressing you will need Level 3 to progress to a higher level , eg to take a teaching level which you will now need to teach hairdressing at FE colleges, but this is in the uk , you would also need it to progress to an assessor level to assess learners and mark their work or to be an internal verifier / external verifier, lots more hard work too ,but then again it depends what you want and what you want to progress to,

JD , I have my level three it does not make you a better hairdresser I think it widens your academic thinking /teaching and business side of things. Yes I would say go for it, but not because you need to better your hairdressing I think your standards are exceedingly high already and I think you keep them up to date too (from what can I see,) which a level three stylist also has to do (CPD). I think personally you would make a great teacher/ assessor also you could pass your very wide knowledge on to others , I found level three hard work but I fast tracked mine, in hindsight I should have spread it out a little more . I hope Ive helped you a bit,and I hope you make the right decision for yourself and your career,

LOL i just read this post. Hopefully Accents you are not referring that I stick with it as in schooling.
Read My profile and u will see that I have been in this biz for over 25 years. I have pretty much seen and did all . Not much out there that hasn't been done, just a new twist on the techniques with the same results.