Beauty/Hair industry losing credibility ?

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Great thread!
I agree wholeheartedly with all especially Persianista. Ive been in the industry now for 16 years. I did a full time course (mon to fri 9-5 not 2 days a week!!) and have been constantly investing in training ever since to keep on top of my game. When I first started my business I had two part time jobs for a couple of years just to help pay the bills. I regularly work 50+ hours a week but would be rich if I had a pound for every client who tells me they'd love to have a job like mine that I can "just fit in around me"! Im not sure if anyone agrees but Ive only been successful by working my arse off and constantly re-investing in equipment, promotion and training. I struggle to keep quiet when I constantly read posts about how people are disappointed when they don't have a fully booked client list within a couple of weeks of starting out and they offer just a couple of treatments.
Lets get the professionalism back in the industry. Theres no substitute for time served experience and we've all had to start at the bottom and work up.
If you want a successful business it takes time and effort and won't happen in a couple of months.

Rant over!!
 
I didn't originally train in beauty and did business management at university. My mum owns a beauty salon and I have worked there for years as a receptionist whilst I was studying at university.

When I graduated, unfortunately my mum took Ill with cancer so I took over the running of the business immediately. I absolutely love it and have found the short course fab for me, as it's a quick way for me to learn, however I fully understand what you are all saying, what I didn't do was go straight in offering my services at full price with our clients, I started off with lower prices to build up my confidence and did extra learning of subjects at home as I feel that the short course are quite brief with the theory side so I have learned a lot more by reading a lot.

I now have my own clients and am looking to do a lot more courses to get myself fully trained. I have found my passion in this industry, my mum is thankfully on the mend however I dont think she will ever be well enought to work in the capacity that she was doin, so now I am looking to buy the business.
I think that clients will always one back to ye professionals and cheaper versions will never win. I have full faith in the beauty industry and I am sick of hearing people saying thing like "well I am just doing a course in beauty at college then I'm guna quit my job"....JUST!!! And clients that say "bet its really good this job getting ur nails and massages" pppffftttt....we are the ones slapping polish on two toes in peep toes coz we have been busy doin ev 1 else up...an massage....chance would be a fine thing!
People seem to think that it isn't a job where you have to work hard but they have it all wrong. To succeed as a therapist/business you need to not only be good at it but also have drive and passion. Essay/rant almost over haha....My degree will hopefully help with the business building side of things...but I am so happy to be in this industry!
 
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I think it all comes down to how passionate you are and how much work you are prepared to put in.
I have seen people who are Level 3 qualified in the industry and are hopeless and have no intention of doing any further training to better themselves.
I did all separate courses and most of them were one day courses.
I run a successful salon and I don't consider myself a messer.
I put a lot of sweat and tears into running my business and making sure I was competent at doing treatments.
It worked for me!
 
There is a million miles of difference between being able to spray tan someone, and being able to successfuly colour correct.
I think that often the one day course brigade simply don't know how much they don't know.

*puts tin hat on and runs for cover*
 
I think that often the one day course brigade simply don't know how much they don't know.

*puts tin hat on and runs for cover*

I think this is very true, and tbf why would you if it's all you have been taught, have training schools telling you that it is enough and end up with a certificate saying you are qualified. As a massage therapist I am very envious of standards abroard which require all therapists including those working in spa and beauty to have proper training. In the US most states require 500 hours of training, in France you have to be a physio to provide massage therapy. Massage is sooo much more than a relaxing routine. Fair enough if that's all you want to offer, but why then do beauty therapists think they can help someone with a bad back/shoulder problem etc.

*joins you in running for cover*
 
Lets face it, a school trying to flog one day facial courses aint gonna tell you that the product companies take at least a week to get you up to speed on the way they want their products used and promoted.

CACI take a week to teach therapists already qualified in facial electrical to use their machine. Theirs is an intensive, rather draining course. There's a lot to learn.

So the beauty school offers facials in a day, teaches you to rub the face a bit, how to rub an exfoliant in, and apply a mask, then sends you on your way with a diploma.

Most aspiring therapists dont actually go and have facials/treatments, so have no idea just how rudimentary their training was!
The difference when a proper skilled pro does a treatment is astonishing.

I have trade tested a lot of college leavers, and most are not competant. What they dont realise is HOW incompetant they are, and what it should look like.

Thats where work experience comes in. Working alongside experienced and successful therapists so you can SEE how it should be done.

To do short courses and go straight to working for yourself is extreme folly. You will never really know if your skills are good or not.

I was hairdresser of the year at college. Got the sack from my first job for incompetance.
Then I watched, and learnt how it SHOULD be done. Copied the skilled and successful people I worked with.
Accepted that my training wasnt so good, and that I lacked REAL skills.

Until people accept that they know sweet FA, they wont take the steps needed to rectify it. When they do, my goodness, the difference in how clients react is amazing.

*hides under desk*
 
"I was hairdresser of the year at college. Got the sack from my first job for incompetance.
Then I watched, and learnt how it SHOULD be done. Copied the skilled and successful people I worked with.
Accepted that my training wasnt so good, and that I lacked REAL skills.

Until people accept that they know sweet FA, they wont take the steps needed to rectify it. When they do, my goodness, the difference in how clients react is amazing."

I think that sums it all up. It takes time and experience, learning from mistakes and learning from people who are really good as well as realising what is bad from those who are poor so you don't make those mistakes.

I think the course thing is slightly more irrelevant, there are people who do long accredited courses do well and can still be useless because of the reasons you stated above. You yourself did a hair dressing course, was student hairdresser of the year and lost your first job for incompetence. You got your act together quickly, realised it is about the whole package and worked damned hard to get where you are now. My wife has done the same and so have I outside of the Beauty industry.

I have read many posts on here from people just starting out who are worrying because their business hasn't taken off after a couple of months. It makes me chuckle really. Unless you are extraordinarily gifted and have some luck you are not going to be an expert and successful immediately, it takes time, a long time to master it and then keep up to speed and keep pushing yourself to improve further. The real secret is not only the becoming great at what you do and becoming successful, it is about maintaining it when you get there which is key.

So you shouldn't be hiding under tables you should be standing tall and proud for what you have achieved and for what you have said because you are right.
 
Gosh - I feel like I should be ashamed now that I have aspirations, dreams and hopes... how very dare I leave my career of 14 years and believe I could ever learn to do something like beauty?
One Itec course with A&P and full body massage and a course in waxing and spray tanning and lots of volunteers to learn on at home as well as a professional attitude clearly is not enough!
I do think there are plenty of things which CAN be learnt on a 1 day course, BUT you will only build it into a business if you recognise that you are still learning when you finish and it will not be an "overnight success story" unless you put some serious work into it.
I didn't leave my job to make millions, I left because I hated every living moment of my life working in the industry I was in - I made damn good money and now I don't - I accept that. I accept it will be 3-4 months before I have anything resembling a good client base and ONLY then if I have been doing a good job and been open and frank about my skills.
I'm continuing training (with some of what I believe are the best in the industry of my choice) but I do take offence at being wholesale branded as "bringing the industry into disrepute". I've been to plenty of salons in my time on the receiving end, being attended by people with qualifications coming out their bums and alleged years in the trade... And frankly no amount of training will make everyone a good therapist - if you don't do it for the love, enjoyment, client and because you have a passion then you can have spent 20 years for all I care and still be rubbish.

so... how about judging on merits rather than belittling all those who sail in the "1 day course" ship? :)
 
Gosh - I feel like I should be ashamed now that I have aspirations, dreams and hopes... how very dare I leave my career of 14 years and believe I could ever learn to do something like beauty?
One Itec course with A&P and full body massage and a course in waxing and spray tanning and lots of volunteers to learn on at home as well as a professional attitude clearly is not enough!
I do think there are plenty of things which CAN be learnt on a 1 day course, BUT you will only build it into a business if you recognise that you are still learning when you finish and it will not be an "overnight success story" unless you put some serious work into it.
I didn't leave my job to make millions, I left because I hated every living moment of my life working in the industry I was in - I made damn good money and now I don't - I accept that. I accept it will be 3-4 months before I have anything resembling a good client base and ONLY then if I have been doing a good job and been open and frank about my skills.
I'm continuing training (with some of what I believe are the best in the industry of my choice) but I do take offence at being wholesale branded as "bringing the industry into disrepute". I've been to plenty of salons in my time on the receiving end, being attended by people with qualifications coming out their bums and alleged years in the trade... And frankly no amount of training will make everyone a good therapist - if you don't do it for the love, enjoyment, client and because you have a passion then you can have spent 20 years for all I care and still be rubbish.

so... how about judging on merits rather than belittling all those who sail in the "1 day course" ship? :)

Well clearly unless Itec have seriously dropped their standards and now offer their massage and A&P course in a day you are NOT part of the one day course brigade. Yes you may have done a few one day courses to top up treatments but you will clearly, with your Itec qualification, have a good understanding of a pretty decent level of A&P, something which just one day courses are missing.
I think what the majority of us posting on this thread are referring to are the crew who do a nail, wax, facial course etc in one day, and then can't understand why the client base isn't flooding in in a couple of months. Regardless of experience, even a decent client base where you can earn a living takes years, not a few weeks and I think thats why we are all a little fed up as we've put the legwork in, know the journey, and can't understand why people would like to belittle the beauty industry and good standards by expecting anything else.
I'm all for people following their passions and changing direction in their lives and therapists who have the passion and commitment will always succeed and do well, but please the " I don't get why I'm not fully booked after 1 month" chant is getting boring...#feelbetternow!
 
Gosh - I feel like I should be ashamed now that I have aspirations, dreams and hopes... how very dare I leave my career of 14 years and believe I could ever learn to do something like beauty?
One Itec course with A&P and full body massage and a course in waxing and spray tanning and lots of volunteers to learn on at home as well as a professional attitude clearly is not enough!
I do think there are plenty of things which CAN be learnt on a 1 day course, BUT you will only build it into a business if you recognise that you are still learning when you finish and it will not be an "overnight success story" unless you put some serious work into it.
I didn't leave my job to make millions, I left because I hated every living moment of my life working in the industry I was in - I made damn good money and now I don't - I accept that. I accept it will be 3-4 months before I have anything resembling a good client base and ONLY then if I have been doing a good job and been open and frank about my skills.
I'm continuing training (with some of what I believe are the best in the industry of my choice) but I do take offence at being wholesale branded as "bringing the industry into disrepute". I've been to plenty of salons in my time on the receiving end, being attended by people with qualifications coming out their bums and alleged years in the trade... And frankly no amount of training will make everyone a good therapist - if you don't do it for the love, enjoyment, client and because you have a passion then you can have spent 20 years for all I care and still be rubbish.

so... how about judging on merits rather than belittling all those who sail in the "1 day course" ship? :)

Nobody begrudges anyone aspirations, we all started out at one time. The rest of your reply kinda illustrates what we have been discussing.
Passion and enjoyment of a job is not a substitute for knowledge. At my start, I thought I knew it all, after all, I was hairdresser of the year.

Nobody goes from entrance to clientelle in 3-4 months. 3-4 years is probably more realistic in terms of earning enough consistantly to support yourself independantly.

Whilst I enjoy my job, I don't regard it as fun. The deeper into it I have gone, the more I found out I didnt know.
Hair and beauty are serious industries, generating serious money and run by serious people.
At it's worst, I have wished I worked in a nice simple office, at it's best, I wouldnt swap it for the world.
 
Love love love this.

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Have to agree with the others. Nobody wants to tread on aspirations but one day training taken as the underpinning knowledge for this industry is frankly ludicrous. Yes a good one day's course can help you cover good ground if you are already qualified, but it is not the same as F/T 5 days a week course teaching the fundamentals. You do not have the environment, nor the guidance to see where you might be going wrong. The courses are the basic building blocks - the work experience is where you start to build your skills. I get annoyed with the insurance companies for underwriting short courses for non professionals as it is causing problems in the industry. I have been on 'refresher' courses where students literally share one client and have passed when in reality they have not even performed one whole treatment. Can anyone honestly call themselves a professional when you have tuition like this?
 
it can get quite frustrating feeling the need to constantly prove yourself compitent in an ocean of underqualified "therapists".....but I don't see that going away for a very long time. But with the bad does come some good....the more that people can learn for themselves will educate the clients to the fact that maybe the cannot really do these treatments themselves, and in seeing how hard it actually is to do or getting a truly bad service done, might start seeking out us really trained and qualified technicians. It might take a while but I do think it will come to that....as the saying goes "once bitten, twice shy"
 
it can get quite frustrating feeling the need to constantly prove yourself compitent in an ocean of underqualified "therapists".....but I don't see that going away for a very long time. But with the bad does come some good....the more that people can learn for themselves will educate the clients to the fact that maybe the cannot really do these treatments themselves, and in seeing how hard it actually is to do or getting a truly bad service done, might start seeking out us really trained and qualified technicians. It might take a while but I do think it will come to that....as the saying goes "once bitten, twice shy"
You don't have to prove yourself. Confidence and skill shines out.
I don't display my certs on the wall, I don't need to. Clients can tell who is the real deal and who is marginally less clueless than they are. Clients are more switched on than we give them credit for.
 
To be honest & don't take this the wrong way but I just don't care any more! I'm not a hair dresser and I've trained in hair Extensions. I've also researched a hell of a lot and done many models before doing any members of the public and Ive never had any problems & have lots of repeat clients. So what's wrong with it?
in regards to beauty then yes people can go on a one day course and get qualified but again who cares? If you are good enough at what you do and have the confidence to carry out treatments to a high professional standard then you should be getting enough clients not to be worried.
So I'll just leave the one dayers to it and concentrate on my own business!
 
I totally agree.....a couple of years ago, my aunty who is not a hairdresser or even in the hair or beauty industry...(she was a sewing machinist for 15yrs)...decided that she could make good money from doing hair extensions. So, she did a 2 day course, and started doing it from home.
Well, she charged between £200 - £300 per head, and within a few weeks she was so busy she was doing at least 1 client a day!
She made thousands of pounds over a period of about 18 months, and then decided to give it up cos she got bored doing it and couldn't be bothered anymore!
It used to annoy me, because I am a fully qualified hairdresser, nail tech, spray tanner and make up artist, and I don't even make £300 a week, let alone a day!!
She earnt so much money she went on lavish holidays and bought a brand new car and had some work done on her house etc.....meanwhile I was struggling to pay the bills sometimes!!
I think it is so unfair that people who are not qualified, or even in the industry to start with, can just wake up one morning and think, 'Oooh I think I'll be a hair extensionist, or a spray tanner or whatever today!', and proceed to do a 1 or 2 day course, and make so much money, when people like us who have invested time, and alot of money, struggle to earn a decent wage or start a business....needless to say, if I popped round to see my aunt for a cuppa or whatever, if my aunt started to tell me how well she was doing, and how busy she was, I would generally change the subject, cos it used to p*** me off so much!

So Bombini, yes I totally know what you mean! lol :green:

But for one client at £200-£300 with the hair and the time it takes to do plus you have to pay tax, you would really not be earring a lot of money. Decent hair is so expensive. I would be better off doing tanning all day. So the lavish cars and holidays prob didn't come from this. Well I very much doubt it anyway!
 
But for one client at £200-£300 with the hair and the time it takes to do plus you have to pay tax, you would really not be earring a lot of money. Decent hair is so expensive. I would be better off doing tanning all day. So the lavish cars and holidays prob didn't come from this. Well I very much doubt it anyway!

I think the paying tax bit may be the bit that some people forget ;) hence why some set their prices so low undercutting the established businesses who are paying their taxes.

Obviously I am only talking about a small percentage of people here, but I do think some peoples pricing structures, be it in Hair extensions or nails or tanning, make it blindingly obvious they are not intending paying tax.

I don't think these people lose our industry any credibility though, but add to the prestige of properly qualified legitimate tax paying professionals.
 
To be honest & don't take this the wrong way but I just don't care any more! I'm not a hair dresser and I've trained in hair Extensions. I've also researched a hell of a lot and done many models before doing any members of the public and Ive never had any problems & have lots of repeat clients. So what's wrong with it?
in regards to beauty then yes people can go on a one day course and get qualified but again who cares? If you are good enough at what you do and have the confidence to carry out treatments to a high professional standard then you should be getting enough clients not to be worried.
So I'll just leave the one dayers to it and concentrate on my own business!

For me it's not that they are taking clients from me, it's that the casual jumping into the industry is taking a chunck out of the reputation of the industry as a whole. A lot of people think "what a nice day at work it would be....get to look pretty and make other people pretty...all while making a nice amout of $" think it's ok to take a course that teaches you very little in the grand scheme of things and jump right into working on clients. I'm not talking about the people who have a passion for the industry and take a bunch of one day courses and learn from other techs and practice like made before attempting to work on the public...I'm talking about the people who take literally one class and think they are just as skilled as us techs that have spent years learning. So that's why I care. I want to be able to be proud of what I do and not get the response "oh, that's nice, must be such an easy relaxing job"
 
I do despair a bit when I read on here the prices people are charging for their work, usually because they have so little understanding of the industry they think it all comes down to price. £3 for an eyebrow wax is a joke. £3 would be a low tip let alone a treatment.
If you do 4 an hour, £12. After tax and stock, that's about £7 to run a business per hour. Laughable even for a mobile who has petrol costs.

I wish I had a penny for every time the word "cheap" appears on this forum.
 
I do despair a bit when I read on here the prices people are charging for their work, usually because they have so little understanding of the industry they think it all comes down to price. £3 for an eyebrow wax is a joke. £3 would be a low tip let alone a treatment.
If you do 4 an hour, £12. After tax and stock, that's about £7 to run a business per hour. Laughable even for a mobile who has petrol costs.

I wish I had a penny for every time the word "cheap" appears on this forum.

Just before I had my son in 2009 most of the salons near to me charged £10-15 for eyebrows. I was priced at £7 and was going to increase but then I relocated to my home salon so kept the price the same as my overheads dropped. Now I hear of brow bars in Superdrug charging £2.50 for brows. Its amazing really how much difference a few years can make.

So many girls come on here questioning why they have no client base and we then discover they are charging peanuts. The only clients they are going to get are bargain hunters that complain about everything.

I also think another flaw with one day courses is that there is no customer care skills. A big part of college training is learning how to deal with your clients and I am assuming there is not a second to spare on a one day course to cover this. Thats not to say all college students are perfect because there was one girl on my course who was bordeline offensive to her clients !!!

There are some incredible therapists that have built a career from short courses, I certainly don't want to tar everyone with the same brush but you only have to look at some of the threads on here to see the amount of people that are questioning why they have no clients. Its like they think a One day course and a facebook page is enough.
 

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