It's so old school to diss a vrq I find it the most frustrating thing ever!
I have a vrq and I own my own salon!
Prepare for a rant...
The thing I've noticed about the people with the opinions on the difference between the nvq and the vrq is their all from a generation where there was only a nvq, the old one took about 5 years to complete! The ones with these views are sometimes current trainees who work under old school hairdressers who have it drummed into them that the nvq is the best or their the actual old school people who either have no nvq or did do the nvq for years and years, I personally completed the work for both the nvq AND the vrq level 3 & I can tell you for a fact there's hardly any difference! Both qualifications require all assessments to be done on live models (regardless of what anyone on here wants to argue about that) it's how I did it. The people who dismiss the vrq are under the impression that students are mollycoddled and handed the qualification for no hard work and have no salon experience which is not the case either because you need a placement & work at the college salon as part of the course. I know there are some people who qualify the course in college and shouldn't because their skills arnt great but it's the same in salon based with the nvq, I have seen it with my own eyes.
These people also need to take into consideration that 90% of the time now it's only 16 year olds that get offered an nvq anyone over 18 goes on a vrq
When I did my vrq's I had a placement and a Saturday job which then progressed into employment before I'd even finished my level 3, I worked every day off and every holiday (I have 3 children too so it was hard going looking back) my skill level was no different to any other hairdresser I worked with, if anything they'd get a bit snarky because I knew a lot more theorey than they did! I worked dam hard for my qualification and I'm proud of it, I hope that you will stay on the course and stand proudly behind your qualifications too!
Complete your course, try and encourage your friends or family to have a blowdry with you in the salon, keep nagging the current employer for clients untill they can't take it any more! There's one of two things going to happen then, they get rid of you (which is great you can go elsewhere or go mobile) or they'll give you clients
win win lol
Sorry for the rant type post there but I hate it when a student feels like their hard work isn't worth anything!