'Service Industry'

[RED STAR]

As there is soooo little activity on SG, I have decided to stir the hornet's nest.......
I have a client who is a 'Head of year' in a secondary school in London.
To be honest, I already knew what her response to my question would be....but as I was in 'one of my moods' I proceeded to ask it!!!!
"What career paths are most of your little lovelies looking to pursue....?"

Some of you reading this will have already guessed where this is leading.......Some will be surprised/upset/GOB SMACKED
Remember, this is a HEAD OF YEAR, with a degree of influence on our young people.
"Those's who are not very bright, will go into Child care, Hairdressing or Beauty............."
Let me know your thought's..........

 

[WilsonBarberCo]

This is ridiculous. I wrote a long reply and then deleted, I'm lost for words!

Unfortunately, this is completely believable! I was on the receiving end of someone like this; however I was wrongly placed on the academic pathway at school because I was capable, rather than being placed in hair/beauty because I was thick. What I wanted to do as a career was never considered.

Also, I reckon people like this lady are huge contributors why there are so many sub-standard therapists/stylists in our industries! This, as well as non-regulation in hairdressing in the UK!

Arrrghhhh!

 

[squidgernetball]

As there is soooo little activity on SG, I have decided to stir the hornet's nest.......
I have a client who is a 'Head of year' in a secondary school in London.
To be honest, I already knew what her response to my question would be....but as I was in 'one of my moods' I proceeded to ask it!!!!
"What career paths are most of your little lovelies looking to pursue....?"

Some of you reading this will have already guessed where this is leading.......Some will be surprised/upset/GOB SMACKED
Remember, this is a HEAD OF YEAR, with a degree of influence on our young people.
"Those's who are not very bright, will go into Child care, Hairdressing or Beauty............."
Let me know your thought's..........

Just what I expected really.
When I went to college we had to sit a maths and English test to ensure we were bright enough to cope with the work. The tutor marked them and as we came back she called me over. "Vicki, you nearly got 100% in maths". I was a bit embarrassed and just said"oh good". I was 37 years old and she was clearly surprised!

I was in the 'matures' group who were either older or who had kids and they were a lovely bunch but the group my daughter was in were all very young. Many of them were there because the requirements were 3 grade d at gcse and they had to do something. Most of them aren't working in the industry you'll be surprised to hear!

I find it sad that an industry that I love so much is reduced to a last resort for those that won't get in anywhere else along with those that really want to go into this industry. I'm also saddened by the amount of people who REALLY REALLY want to go into beauty but want the cheapest shortest course that's no further than the end of their road. Until we honestly treat this as an industry worthy of good quality training that churns out disciplined therapists that have a good understanding if how the body works we are never going to change it. I'm encouraged by insurance companies like BABTAC who seem to be trying to make a change.

When my daughter told her (now ex) boyfriend that she was going into beauty with 3 A levels to her name he said "What are you doing that for. That's where you go if you're thick or pregnant". She was neither, but it aims up the general view of those that go into beauty.

My other daughter is at Leeds uni doing economics. You can see our clients surpris . We've even been asked who she takes after as it's clearly not the thickos waxing their legs who own their own beauty salon lol!

Vic x

 

[Martin Duffy]

I went to college to study beauty with A Levels to my name (English literature and language, biology and psychology). When I went back to my school to pick up some paperwork I bumped into my old biology teacher who angrily told me that my going into beauty was 'a complete waste of an education'! They were simply obsessed with getting people into university, with little to no thought about whether it suited the person or would facilitate them going into a career that they would enjoy.

 

[K~Anne]

Oh I hate this.. I am a complementary therapist. People think that makes me stupid. I like to remind them I can name almost every muscle in the body and locate them. Can they? X

 

[surf girl]

I was shampooing a 12 year old once and I asked her what she wanted to be... She said, well I did want to be a hairdresser but my mummy says it's a dead end job.... Mum got lovley evil eyes off me lmao

 

[RED STAR]

I was shampooing a 12 year old once and I asked her what she wanted to be... She said, well I did want to be a hairdresser but my mummy says it's a dead end job.... Mum got lovley evil eyes off me lmao

My own daughter has been offered an apprenticeship at a top London salon. What a brilliant opportunity..... or so you'd think!
Most folk she's told have been surprised/shocked that she'd 'waste' her intelligence by choosing such a low skilled/paid career path!

 

[surf girl]

My own daughter has been offered an apprenticeship at a top London salon. What a brilliant opportunity..... or so you'd think!
Most folk she's told have been surprised/shocked that she'd 'waste' her intelligence by choosing such a low skilled/paid career path!

:O waste! Omg these people spend their entire lives devoted to following someone else's dream and filling soneone else's pockets with money day in day out monotomusly tapping away on computers, we spend our days doing something so creative and wonderful in a carrear where the sky really is the limit (if u can get on a celebs head!) but yea were so thick lmaoo, their the ones who are thick lol!

 

[eager beaver]

How funny that the career path of the 'less bright' entails the most amount of people skills/personable skills, leaving the 'academics' to sit behind their computers. The answer you get to this question really isn't a surprise, leave them to their misconceptions. There will be many many geeks on here who have way more than a beauty diploma to their name, they've gone to uni, had life experience etc then found their path in a job they really enjoy. We don't need to defend ourselves with the knowledge we have (ie anatomy and physiology etc etc) we should be feeling secure enough within our professional remit.

 

[surf girl]

I hope she gets on well there that's fantastic!

 

[RED STAR]

I hope she gets on well there that's fantastic!

Thank you

 

[surf girl]

@RED STAR just out of curiosity what did the client want to use her supreme intelligence for when they leave school?

 

[Jen889]

I wonder if this reaction is just on the "the other side of the pond". I'm in canada and I've never really had anyone think of me as thick for going into esthetics. All my clients and those I meet here and there all say what a hard job it is and all the knowledge I must hold. In fact a new client today said I must be very smart as she would never be able to remember the things I was telling her lol.

I only had it once where a little older lady ask me what my parents thought of me doing this rather then going to school and adding to my knowledge rather then wasting away. my mom, who happened to be at reception that day, popped around the corner and told the client she was very proud of me and that she (the client) was the stupid one, in the nicest way of course

 

[RED STAR]

@RED STAR just out of curiosity what did the client want to use her supreme intelligence for when they leave school?

If I'm honest, at that moment in time, I was sooooooo offended/insulted/enraged, I had to bit my tongue!
I knew she THOUGHT IT, but couldn't believe she'd SAY IT!

 

[RED STAR]

I wonder if this reaction is just on the "the other side of the pond". I'm in canada and I've never really had anyone think of me as thick for going into esthetics. All my clients and those I meet here and there all say what a hard job it is and all the knowledge I must hold. In fact a new client today said I must be very smart as she would never be able to remember the things I was telling her lol.

I only had it once where a little older lady ask me what my parents thought of me doing this rather then going to school and adding to my knowledge rather then wasting away. my mom, who happened to be at reception that day, popped around the corner and told the client she was very proud of me and that she (the client) was the stupid one, in the nicest way of course

Interesting......in your part of the world, is hair & beauty classed as a 'Profession', or just part of the whole 'Service industry'........

 

[Jen889]

Interesting......in your part of the world, is hair & beauty classed as a 'Profession', or just part of the whole 'Service industry'........

Hair and beauty are seen as professions here. Some think its service industry, which in a way it is, but if you look at the schools etc its all classed as a profession.

 

[bedoope]

I started at college doing A Levels because thats what was expected from a good academic pupil. I think I may of been a bit of an intelligence snob back then cause I would of hated if anyone suggested Hairdressing as it was looked at as a "thick students only hope" This is back in the early 90's. I lasted all of 3 months, when I decided I need to earn money to fund my developing nightlife lol. An apprenticeship at a very well known and good salon chain was the first job I saw advertised, applied and got it. To my surprise found I loved it. I still had a bit of a hang up for a few years admitting that was my job tho....

 

[K~Anne]

When I was at secondary school they split the year in to two groups C and J - those you would get grades A - C were group C and those who would get grades C and below were group J.
We had a careers day. Each group were put into a different hall and we had different careers people come in to speak to us.

The 'smart' C group had Doctors, Teachers, Lawyers and Accountants. Group J had Nursery Nurses, Chef's, Plumbers and then hair/beauty therapists.

So WRONG.

Ps. I rebelled much to my schools disgust and was a C student that studied a J career path. Lol

 

[AcidPerm]

Teachers are often the worst people to be offering careers advice to teens, in my opinion. Most of them have minimal work experience outside of school/university. All they're doing is following guidelines and tick boxes as required rather than thinking about the individual pupil and what careers they might genuinely suit.

But you can't really blame them.

Most teachers went to school, completed A'levels, went to Uni, completed a degree in a subject that holds some interest for them and then couldn't get a job so signed up for a PGCE and became a teacher. The majority have very little experience of the world of work and even less of a clue when it comes to the world of self employment.

Bright pupils are steered towards academic subjects and university because that leads to good Ofstead reports. No-one seriously questions whether it's in the best interests of the individual child.

The other major problem is lack of regulation in this industry.

I strongly suspect that if we had strict regulations governing the Industry similar to those in the States, it wouldn't be viewed so dismissively by fellow professionals.

As an added bonus, there'd be fewer chancers offering ludicrous deals via Facebook as they wouldn't be legally allowed to operate without the correct licensing.

Win:Win.

 

[WilsonBarberCo]

I might also add that I got a mixture of A and B grades in Maths, English and Science GCSEs, and my hairdressing tutor actually asked me why was I at hair college and not going to Uni. So it comes from both sides. Ridiculous!