Advice needed - pricing while still training

[redsadie]

Hello everyone

For those of you who don't know, I'm currently 4 weeks into my 2nd yr NVQ L2 Hairdressing course at college.

I would like to start doing people's hair in my home (I have a chair in my treatment room - already do waxing, spray tanning and nails) but don't really know where to start with hair pricing.

With my tanning and waxing, I trained then went straight in with a set price which is the average for my area. I taught myself intimate waxing and priced myself above the one salon in this area which has this service, and with nails I practised on my sister, then again went straight in with what I knew I was worth (about the same as my area). No-one (except close family & friends) knew I was newly trained.

I have taken a look at other salons' websites and their pricing structures and I also have the college pricing structure too.

I was thinking of pricing myself somewhere in between the college salon and others I have seen locally as I don't want to be 'cheap' but also need to factor in my products and the fact I am not fully trained yet, but don't want a battle on my hands trying to retain clients when my prices go up (and they will) when I do qualify.

My tutor has told me she thinks I am confident (I am and always have been in anything I do) and competant, which means a lot to me, others in my group come up to me to ask me things if the tutor is busy and I will show/tell if I know what I'm on about, but obviously I still need a lot of underpinning knowledge and the ability to perform 'technical' cutting.

How did you price yourself while training (if you did)? And how did you raise your prices when you eventually qualified? I am also taking a barbering couse too and would like to put this in.

I currently cut my husbands hair and that of my two children, 9 yr old girl - shoulder length wavy hair, and my 16 yr old 'young man' who has lower neck length wavy hair and I am going to trim a hairdressers hair on Monday when I infill her nails (she must trust me :lol

Any thoughts appreciated, and I know I still have a long way to go. I am intending on taking my NVQ3 and Level 3 in barbering next year to continue my professional development and I would also love to go on an extension course as they don't teach this in college.

I am so committed to this and will do what it takes to make myself successful as I know (and it's going to sound big headed ) I am good even at the moment but always strive to be better.

Love you guys :hug:

Sarah. xx

 

[Siansy]

Hi Sarah,
I also tentively started with clients of my own in my second year of training , A few of us in the mature group at college completed level one quite quickly and were moving onto level 2 in our first year, interestingly enough its this group that have continued successfully in the wonderful world of hair. I began on friends, family and just covered my costs, then friends of friends asked which was very nerve racking as would only do basic services and colour work still at not much more than cost and always told them i was still in training. I would advise a disclaimer with these details in .
Some of those early clients i am still doing there hair regulary today and wow have we come a long way . I always explained these are training costs and prices would go up when qualified , never had any problems although these brave clients still get mates rates as where would i be without them but still ensure i am earning well . If you do feel you need to charge i would still go with the college charges until you are qualified. Best of luck sounds like you are well on your way to being a fabulous hairdresser x

 

[karenrose]

Can I just ask how you got insurance for intimate waxing if you were self taught?

 

[redsadie]

Can I just ask how you got insurance for intimate waxing if you were self taught?

It was 2 years ago Karen, I just carried on with the ordinary waxing insurance.

 

[SJK]

Karen's raised the same issue I will. You should have proper insurance to work on members of the public. You won't get this if you are self-taught. If something goes wrong when you are doing a brazillian, you could get sued and would have no back-up because you don't have valid insurance.

The same goes for hairdressing while training. You need to have insurance, and I'm don't know if you could get a policy until you were qualified.

 

[redsadie]

I have all the proper insurances I need and always have. I have training insurance for hairdressing. I came here to ask a question about pricing while training, not to be vindicated about whether I have the correct insurance or not!

Would you ask Kim Lawless if she had the proper insurance when she started doing intimate waxing as she was also self taught?

 

[sarahlouise7]

im insured with a company called stuart alexander as a student, i did this with beauty and hair, policy is called vocasure i think. its all online so maybe take a look. but u can only charge for product use and not for service if u r a student hth

 

[karenrose]

I have all the proper insurances I need and always have. I have training insurance for hairdressing. I came here to ask a question about pricing while training, not to be vindicated about whether I have the correct insurance or not!

Would you ask Kim Lawless if she had the proper insurance when she started doing intimate waxing as she was also self taught?

But you cant have proper insurance if you have no certificate for intimate or hot waxing?!

 

[SJK]

I have all the proper insurances I need and always have. I have training insurance for hairdressing. I came here to ask a question about pricing while training, not to be vindicated about whether I have the correct insurance or not!

Would you ask Kim Lawless if she had the proper insurance when she started doing intimate waxing as she was also self taught?

But you cant have proper insurance if you have no certificate for intimate or hot waxing?!

We were both actually trying to help here. We are both concerned that since you don't have a certificate for intimate waxing you won't be properly insured. If you have this sorted, it's a new one on us. What usually happens is you apply for insurance, show them your certificates, and they insure you to carry out the treatments you are qualified to offer. If you aren't qualified, they won't cover you, and offering treatments you aren't qualified for could invalidate your entire policy.

 

[Pika]

Is this the same for hairdressing insurance aswel then cos I didn't have to show any certificates to prove my qualifications when I took out my policy with salon gold??

 

[lucelasticx]

Maybe not but you can be positive that they would want to see valid certificates if you tried to claim! Also the certificates would have to be valid from the date the insurance started as these are the term with which you took out the policy.
Unless you have training insurance but you cant charge for your services usually on these policies.

To the original post, when i started training as a hairdresser when getting extra experience out of the salon i didnt charge anything for my time, and only asked for a donation to cover diesel and products. It worked well i got the experience i needed and clients were happy.
As soon as i qualified this changed and everyone understood.

 

[Siansy]

Sadly in hairdressing there are no regulations relating to qualifications and pricing ect. So anyone can start hairdressing mobile and charge what they want. It is not illegal. The issues arise if an unhappy clients wishes to sue or bring a claim. Not exactely sure what happens here regarding insurance. I imagine it would not be valid but would have to look into that one.

 

[lucelasticx]

You are right Siansy... there is no regulations to say you have to be qualified to practice hairdressing but you can bet your bottom dollar the insurance companies wont see it like that. They look for any excuse not to pay out !

Or if it went to court a client would have a very strong position when sueing for damages if the client payed an unqualified individual!!!

 

[Siansy]

You are right Siansy... there is no regulations to say you have to be qualified to practice hairdressing but you can bet your bottom dollar the insurance companies wont see it like that. They look for any excuse not to pay out !

Or if it went to court a client would have a very strong position when sueing for damages if the client payed an unqualified individual!!!

You are so right, have battled with home insurance before, just thinking though if there are no regulations for any individual to start up as a "hairdresser" and then technically they can get Public Liability Insurance . I know i didnt have to give any proof of qualification , if there is no stipulation on the policy terms to qualifications then the insurance should stand. I may have a look at the R and R on mine.
Its a minefield out there for all the poor unsuspecting clients.
I have yet to come across an unqualified practicing freelancer though, scary thought

 

[lucelasticx]

I have yet to come across an unqualified practicing freelancer though, scary thought

Maybe not in person but you can bet your bottom dollor that you have online ,unfortunately there are alot that post on here after a days training and call themselves Hair Pro's !!!!! Ha