Feel so undervalued at work/do I want to do hair dressing for the "right" reasons?

[laurakate]

I've been putting off posting this for a while on salon geek in case any bosses etc are also on here but I'm at a point now where this is consuming my thoughts so much that I just need to say it. I might sketch over some details in my post in order to remain anon just in case.

I have been at my place of work for a respectable amount of time now where on a week to week basis I do a respectable amount of hours (and sometimes then some!). I am at the early stage in my beauty career. The place I work at has a reasonably good reputation. I am paid properly as a waged employee.

The things that are causing me bother are that I just don't feel supported there. Like sometimes I even wonder if they are trying to hold me back. They use a number of product houses and with regards to myself I feel they have been particularly unencouraging with my training. There are people there who have been at the place for half as long as me and done twice as much training. I did ask my boss a few months ago if there was anything I could do in order to increase my training opportunities and her response made me feel small and petty to be honest. It totally put me off bringing up the subject again.

In order to help myself and stay constructive I have put myself on a number of training courses and was very happy to be allowed to carry them out at work as this is the main reason I did these courses in order to increase my industry experience for the sake of my long term career. I felt they were supportive in terms of letting me carry the treatments out but it would have been nice to be given a pay rise (especially seeing that people who did these same courses at the employers discretion were given pay rises). I didn't do the courses to get a pay rise but it would have been nice ya know?

Having said this, there are other people who I am pretty sure feel the same as me with regards to being given training (or not!) and there are people under 21 who I know are working for their min wage an hour which is something like 4 pounds something an hour. And to be fair I'm not doing this job for money because I'm not expecting to make much from it anyway: I think it's just more the principle than anything.

On a typical working day it is back to back treatments all day. When I look at how much my labour makes them, I just feel that at least they could give me more product training.

From a product training point of view, the thing that stresses me out (and I think/worry about this A LOT!) is that I worry that a future employer will look at my cv and think "did her previous employer not think she was worth investing in as they don't seem to have given her much training".

My way of coping is to accept that this job won't be forever and to empower myself by taking responsibility for my own training by doing whatever courses I can where possible (even though some of the products at work cant be trained in unless through your employer). This is where my question about hairdressing comes in...

My ultimate goal is to teach in an FE college. I currently do nails and beauty but am very interested in doing hair. I've got a text book on it and have had a really good read of it. Thing is though I'm worried about becoming a jack of all trades and master or none. I'm also worried that I'm going to keep wanting to do courses forever because I constantly worry that I'm still not skilled enough (!) but as my partner says, it's feeling like I'm living to work rather than working to live. I have an interview for a hairdressing course tomorrow and I would like to be able to go to the interview with a clear mind if possible.

So yeah, a combination of worries really....feeling undervalued at work and worried that this will have a negative impact on my cv and not sure if I'm wanting to do hair for the right reasons.

Please help because this causes me so much worry!

Thanks in advance xx

NB I know that a lot of people on salongeek are self employed and would probably advise me to do that but it's something that I'm just not interested in as I don't believe it is the best route for me as someone who wants to teach and needs to have experience of working for others.

 

[persianista]

I do think you emphasise training too much. Practice is worth far more than training ultimately. It's far better to fully master beauty therapy and build a vast clientele, than constantly try new treatments that are ultimately not used.
As for training as a hairdresser, well if you really want to be a hairdresser, then go for it. If you want to be 'trained' just in case, then it's not a good bet. FE tutors don't teach both trades, they teach one or the other. Hairdressing is about practice, not training per se. You get shown a cut, then you perform it badly the first hundred times until you master it.

My advice is figure out what you actually want, when you have, then go for it.

 

[laurakate]

I do think you emphasise training too much. Practice is worth far more than training ultimately. It's far better to fully master beauty therapy and build a vast clientele, than constantly try new treatments that are ultimately not used.
As for training as a hairdresser, well if you really want to be a hairdresser, then go for it. If you want to be 'trained' just in case, then it's not a good bet. FE tutors don't teach both trades, they teach one or the other. Hairdressing is about practice, not training per se. You get shown a cut, then you perform it badly the first hundred times until you master it.

My advice is figure out what you actually want, when you have, then go for it.

Thank you I've always liked reading your posts on here

When you say "master beauty therapy", will I need to be fully trained in at least one skin care based product house to be able to feel/say I'm at that point or is it more about me as an individual and how I interact with clients and the quality of my treatments?

I know a small handful of FE tutors who teach both but tis small. Are there many opportunities out there for someone to be employed in a job where they can do hair and beauty in the same job role?

 

[gillian w]

I think your biggest problem is yourself and your lack of confidence.If you feel you are not moving on then you should look for somewhere else that will give you what you want.No point just standing in a rut if you have ambitions.The best thing you can offer most jobs nowadays is experience and if you wish to teach the more you need.
Of course you do need to decide where you want to go.If it is hairdressing and you know it then what are you waiting for stay where you are for now but set yourself a time to be out of there and doing what you really want to do only you can make it happen.Become pro active,you won't be a hairdresser reading about it.

 

[gillian w]

I really think the days of lumping hair and beauty together are over they are too different.Most colleges have stopped the combined courses now.

 

[laurakate]

I think your biggest problem is yourself and your lack of confidence.If you feel you are not moving on then you should look for somewhere else that will give you what you want.No point just standing in a rut if you have ambitions.The best thing you can offer most jobs nowadays is experience and if you wish to teach the more you need.
Of course you do need to decide where you want to go.If it is hairdressing and you know it then what are you waiting for stay where you are for now but set yourself a time to be out of there and doing what you really want to do only you can make it happen.Become pro active,you won't be a hairdresser reading about it.

Thanks when you say experience do you mean that time spent in the industry working on clients will add more weight to you as a strong therapist rather than doing lots of product training? Like do i need the product training to be able to demonstrate a good range of experience?

Im most drawn to beauty and nails. Just unsure as to whether to do hair as an add on...like i wouldnt want to do it at the expense of putting beauty on hold....thats why im unsure i guess as i want hair to suppliment beauty rather than distract from it but im not sure how possible that will be.

 

[gillian w]

I personally don't think you can do hairdressing as an extra.You might be able to do hair ups for bridal with makeup which seems to be a popular combination but I think to be a serious hairdresser you need to give it your all.
I also think you have to have a natural ability and flair I think its a bit like art you can only learn so much.
I think experience comes above product training in requirements,as many salons would want you to use different products anyway.Sign up to job rapido and look at the requirements for beauty therapy jobs.If they want someone already trained in everything they do they are probably not going to be a company that will bring you on anyway as they don't want to invest.Experience s how long you have been working as a qualified therapist.
Jobs in spas and hotels can be good experience,hard work but they will usually train you especially in body treatments.
Just make some life plans though,get things moving you know you are not going to stay where you are for much longer,and there is no time like the present to move on and up.

 

[laurakate]

Thanks for replies so far coz this is such a looong thread to be fair.

I also keep toying with the idea of applying to ragdale hall. I wouldnt profit much from it regarding travel costs but i just think about how wide their treatment menu is and how id love to have that experience. sometimes my irrational drive for experience and a good cv really confuses and stresses me out. I wish i could understand why i am like this because i worry that its not healthy sometimes but then there are othertimes where i think "im intelligent and capable so why not?".....i just wish i could work out which of my ideas are sensible and which of them are just plain daft.

Edit: im currently at a small spa and thats why i worry that my lack of product training from them will look noteworthy on my cv as i fear it sort of goes against what people would expect from a spa employee.

 

[gillian w]

I think if you are used to working back to back and you want good experience plenty of training and something good to put on your cv.Ragdale would be an excellent move.Do it for as long as you enjoy it and seriously think about hairdressing in the meantime.
They don't tend to worry about the product training at health farms they just work everyone to death and then move on to the next lot they just want fresh young people.
Have a look and see what they use

 

[lores]

You need to stop over-thinking things.

A good CV will show your passion and key skills regardless of what product training you have.

If you want to be a good therapist Hairdressing won't necessarily contribute to this as already pointed out by the other Geeks on this thread.

If applying for another job always include a professional development section in clear bullet points highlighting what training you have done and other professional achievements of note. I expect you have many as you sound a very conscientious therapist.

Just remember this, your next employer should be looking at your key skills, personality and ability to carry out standard beauty treatments not how they can save a few quid by taking on a girl who is already trained with xx product house. If your next potential employer is looking at the latter, someone as ambitious as yourself should NOT consider the job!

You want an employer who has no issue spending a few hundred pounds in return for your hard work and commitment to your trade.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do and perhaps get some advice on CV writing and how to sell yourself in interviews to help your confidence when you do decide to move on

x:biggrin:

 

[laurakate]

I think if you are used to working back to back and you want good experience plenty of training and something good to put on your cv.Ragdale would be an excellent move.Do it for as long as you enjoy it and seriously think about hairdressing in the meantime.
They don't tend to worry about the product training at health farms they just work everyone to death and then move on to the next lot they just want fresh young people.
Have a look and see what they use

Thank you it helps when you put it that way because as much as management say they care about morale, its easy enough to get new staff through the door once a few leave so i guess from their perspective, whether or not they keep me happy isnt neither here or there lol. Ragdale would have to be part time for me due to distance but i would love to do it as a lot of their treatments are things that i could put myself on courses for. If im working part time anyway would it make sense to do a level 2 in hair at the same time...just see how it goes kind of thing?

Thanks for your help so far it is really helping me to rationalise things x

 

[laurakate]

You need to stop over-thinking things.

A good CV will show your passion and key skills regardless of what product training you have.

If you want to be a good therapist Hairdressing won't necessarily contribute to this as already pointed out by the other Geeks on this thread.

If applying for another job always include a professional development section in clear bullet points highlighting what training you have done and other professional achievements of note. I expect you have many as you sound a very conscientious therapist.

Just remember this, your next employer should be looking at your key skills, personality and ability to carry out standard beauty treatments not how they can save a few quid by taking on a girl who is already trained with xx product house. If your next potential employer is looking at the latter, someone as ambitious as yourself should NOT consider the job!

You want an employer who has no issue spending a few hundred pounds in return for your hard work and commitment to your trade.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do and perhaps get some advice on CV writing and how to sell yourself in interviews to help your confidence when you do decide to move on

x:biggrin:

Thank you. Its interesting how people mention confidence a few times here...i might have to take a look at that.

I hope a future employer sees me for my enthusiasm and the courses ive done under my own steam rather than for the lack of training given to me from my current employer.

When you put it that way, maybe a lack of training from an employer says more about them than the employee.

My heart is really in teaching to be honest. I just want to be the best i can be so i can get back in a classroom and give it my all

 

[laurakate]

I plan to continue with my own beauty training plan by the way. If it keeps me interested, is it a good move to keep on with this? I think it is i just want a second opinion

 

[Miss Sparkle]

I think that ultimately, you career and where it takes you is down to you So if teaching is your dream, then go for that *hug*.