College lecturers- grrr!

[missreid]

Hi everyone,
Just came on here to have a little rant!
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who is a hairdressing college lecturer and she agreed with me that students at college aren't learning and getting as much experience as much as we did, even whilst doing apprenticeships. Her answer to this is that if she has been told that if she doesn't pass all of her students off their course then the college doesn't receive it's funding and she will lose her job. Is this as irritating to you other geeks as it is to me?

Not only does this create substandard mobile hairdressers who go it alone straight from college but also we (as hairdressers) have to re train these 'qualified' hairdressers. Isn't that what college lecturers are paid for?

Sorry, rant over!!

X

 

[pippy]

annoying yes, reality yes, yes and twice more yes!!! and it annoys me that as a student i try my best to get the training and tutors are so stressed from management's ever changing policies that they are loosing interest in teaching and salon professionals think they will loose money if they hire some one like me. so give us the solution where do we go to validate our hard work and get the experience we so desperately need?

 

[missreid]

I completely know where your coming from, I know loads of people who have finished college and can't find anywhere that will give them a chance. I run a busy column and as much as I try to train and help my junior stylists the reality is that I am a hairdresser, not a lecturer and time is money! I wish I could employ more juniors and train them up but there are only so many people that you can pay a salary to and them not make you any money back. I think the blame lies with the colleges, not only the lecturers, the people above them as well. I think it all needs a good shake up!!x

 

[candycolours]

I agree, i qualified 2 years ago. As a student it was so frustrating to know that i could pass on minimal observations and then be classed as a stylist with very little experience. I was terrified of being too inexperienced.

In fact all i needed to do do to pass my perming module was to perform a tidy 9 section wind on a block, no real model or actual chemicals needed!
I had a good rant about this at the time but was told by my lecturer that it was difficult to get enough models and that City and Guilds approved it.

With cutting i think i only needed three observations each of short graduation, long graduation and one length.

Colouring, it think, was 2 observations of each basic technique (plus theory work for all the above obviously).

I did one day a week as an apprentice, starting when i was 22 and the rest of the time in the salon. Luckily i got some decent in house training as well.

A lot of the students in my class quit hairdressing once qualified as they didn't feel up to scratch, its quite sad really :sad:

 

[faerififi]

Ha yep! thats why I cant be arsed with college after doing level 1, the tutors did not give a ****. They were passing off girls who should have redone their level 1 again because nothing was sticking in their heads, and at the end most of my class still didnt understand basic hairdcuts or colour. I gota say i was pretty shocked.. so gona go to uni and then come back to hairdressing as a last resort after ive finished. Its sad to say, Id love to do level 2 but at the college I was at the standards were awful and I didnt feel pushed.

 

[lilmisskelly]

..OMG, i did not know that tutors had to pass the students to get funding !!..thats B****hit!!.....really got my back up ....now i know wht some of the girls in my class who to be honest i would not let brush my hair let alone cut or colour it have passed without putting any effort in at all, assigments were handed in months late, spoon fed exam questions , allowed to pass assesmentts on a bloody doll !!...it must really get to tutors to have to turn out sub standard sytlists....as sumone who is very passionate about hairdressing and gave 110% to become qualified, and paid for my course while every other student in my class got it free !! it sucks....especially as now i know some of them are in salons, and i cant get work !...being a more mature student shall we say when i qualified left my options a little short ...ah well, ..such is life ...rant over , lol..sorry geeks..feel better for that now though...lol..x

 

[Rhe]

I think a good idea would be instead of just a pass students should get graded, so they leave college with a pass, or a distinction etc, I have just finished my level 3 and it drives me mad that I have worked really hard and am really passionate about hairdressing and there are a couple of people on my course who still can't even do a haircut without help, yet we will both leave with the same qualifiations! But I have to say the standard of teaching in my college is fantastic, we have a commercial salon to run which is very busy, we have our own colllum and have to work in commercial times, so I think saying we leave not being abe to do anything totally depends on the college and the student, I feel very confident as a stylist and am hoping to find work soon x

 

[Extrovert]

This really gets my back up too, it is the same in the beauty industry, girls leaving college not able to polish nails tidy let alone do anything else. It is all down to getting the funding and it is not fair to us employers or the students leaving college thinking they can provide a professional service. My sister got a credit for nail extensions in her level 3 having only had 4 lessons ( which were a waste of time)!!! I didn't let her provide any services until I retrained her, more costs to me! Please colleges sort it out!

 

[pippy]

rhe i totally agree there is a girl at my college who hasn't done one client that is not her sister, cousin or friend and still gets the same quals as people like us who have advertised for clients and worked are feet off to get to learn how to interact with people at a professional level. she also hasn't done one actual perm out of 6 on anyone all her assessments where passed through on a block or on her winding skills. sad really but i am hoping she won't take it up as a creer anyway cause god help her clients then hehe:green:

 

[Rhe]

It is so so annoying! There is a person in my class who literally can't do anything, hardly ever turns up, is so unprofessional in the salon and yet we leave with the same qualification! Its crazy that they are allowed to go out and call themselfs qualified hairdressers, I wouldn't let them near my hair with a bardgepole!x

 

[persianista]

We weed out the useless ones on trade tests, I promise you.

Never forget that hairdressing is a meritocracy.

I have seen some excruciatingly bad trade tests in my time!

 

[Sammi74]

You are all absolutely right ! I finished level 2 last year and my tutors were pretty naff most of the time, I did a Salon placement and due to my age I couldn't get any work in a Salon to fit my hours (have a pre schooler) I work for myself part time mobile and although my cutting is ok its not due to the instruction of the tutors, I bought countLess head blocks and practised in my own time along with regular friends and family, now only a year later am I not terrified when cutting a new clients hair.

My colour knowledge is basic and as I can't afford to Pay out £850 up front to do my level 3 I don't think I would if I had the money as the tutors would often turn up late (when we would manage to all juggle full time jobs and families ) and get there on time, the tutors would be having a fag break again and we wouLd be waiting around for them.

I did feel cheated as I love hairdressing and worked my ?*# off to improve myself at college, while a handful of people in my class hardly turned up and struggled to do the most basic tasks and couldn't grasp the theory, it did seem unfair that we all got passes as the standard of hairdressing wasn't great, a lady next to me was doing the course as a hobby ?!? And by the end of the second year she was still struggling to do a one length cut, by passing us all it just left me feeling all my hard work didn't get noticed and the qualification was devalued.

Sorry for the long reply but I thought it was just me that thought the standaRd was shoddy.

I wish I had gone to a salon at 16 (now 37) and learned every aspect of the industry. But life takes you in a different direction sometimes !

I am now in a position where I am training myself with as many resources as I can, Saving to do some l' oreal courses and learning more techniques from training DVD s from toni and guy. I love this job and will invest whateVer I can to become the best I can be in spite of my shaky start !

Sent from my Orange San Francisco using SalonGeek

 

[persianista]

Please remember that your training is only a tiny part of your journey as a hairdresser. A desire to learn, an enquiring mind, and determination will take you further than a tutor ever could.

I trained for 3 years. 3 years out of a 26 year career is nothing. 99% of what I know now has been learn't during the 23 years that I wasn't at college.

 

[sazza83]

I'm currently training and i see the same things as you have all said...What my pet peeve is that their are girls that are so unprofessional but still pass assessments while they act like this.i hate to think how they'll act once finished
sazza x

 

[persianista]

I'm currently training and i see the same things as you have all said...What my pet peeve is that their are girls that are so unprofessional but still pass assessments while they act like this.i hate to think how they'll act once finished
sazza x

I promise you they won't get far. Trade tests will weed out the rubbish ones.

Even mobile is a meritocracy. Clients are demanding these days, and are not forgiving of incompetancy and mistakes.

 

[sarahrose14]

I'm currently doing my level 3 beauty therapy and it's just as bad. Some girls are on their 8th resit of exams surely there should be a limit to how many times you can sit an exam, if you don't know enough to pass by your third retake you shouldn't be allowed out in industy IMO!

 

[totalbirdbrain]

I did some assessing at the local college with a colleague, out of a group of 30 there was one girl we would have employed. When I did my training I respected my lecturer's and I'd not prat around. The girls I was assessing needed rockets up their backsides, it was shocking

Birdbrain

 

[wendy malley]

nothing has changed then I spent 2 years at college and it was a waste of time and money xx

 

[sazza83]

I promise you they won't get far. Trade tests will weed out the rubbish ones.

Even mobile is a meritocracy. Clients are demanding these days, and are not forgiving of incompetancy and mistakes.

i know i will sound dumb asking but what is a trades test?
sazza x

 

[persianista]

i know i will sound dumb asking but what is a trades test?
sazza x

When a hairdresser applies for a job, if they get through the first interview stage, they will be invited to bring one or two models to the salon for a colour, cut and blow dry.

The owner can check technique, watch timings, and check the cut. Basically making sure the stylist works to the correct level for the salon.