Training at 35 - will salons take me on an apprentiship?

[Faye_T]

Hi all,

My apologies if this has been covered before but i notice that theres a mixture of people from various countries and being from the UK i thought id ask within my own thread.

I am doing a fast track NVQ hairdressing starting in september - i did train at 16 but had to leave as i had a daughter halfway through. I was pretty good back then and do my own hair and my older kids colours etc so im hoping that ill pick it straight back up.

My question really is to do with apprentiships or training positions. Have any of you heard of or know whether salons are likely to take on older trainees? Or should i forget about that and just try to get a position when im qualified?

Thanks all in advance

 

[kizzycat]

what is a fast track nvq?

 

[Faye_T]

what is a fast track nvq?

Its part time, same content with no placement so done in a year.

 

[Kazzmetics]

I don't know if anything has changed, I'm 25 now and when I was 19 I couldn't get a placement in a hair salon at all. I applied for literally everywhere and I had lots of interviews and everything would be going really well until they asked me my age. You might be lucky enough to find somewhere that doesn't care but I never did! Good luck!!

 

[crazy dazy]

I complete my hairdressing NVQ 2 fast track in March, I was more or less the same age as you, and now I am looking for work. I was looking for apprenticeship before and I had this big problem of most salons want to hire people aged 16 to 18 due to governments funds ,but not all.I have not find a placement in the salon and focused on private clients. But maybe you'll have better luck .I wish you all the best and good luck.

 

[Faye_T]

Thanks all for your comments; i am hoping that due to me self funding i may have some luck - heck i might even volunteer!

Hairdressing seems to be still stuck in the cave man era with its approach to taking on staff and its a shame because mature students do have alot more of lifes lessons beneath their belt, some of us dont even look to bad for our ages

 

[Kazzmetics]

Loads will be open to volunteer work so that's a great idea, it's also something that will look lovely on your CV. When I was trying to get an apprenticeship I even told them they could pay me the same as a 16 year old but they refused that saying they weren't allowed! If you don't need the money then doing some free work experience is the next best thing I think x

 

[sparkle&glitter]

I'm similar age to you and I managed to get in a salon. But it did start as voluntry. I would do it all again, Even though I wasn't being paid. The experience of working in a salon was more beneficial to me overall. They ended up taking me on x x

 

[dolly dimple]

Hi there is a lot of incentive for employers to take on apprentices as they can be given 1500 from the job center,but i think you have to be under 24 ask the job center or your training provider. good luckx

 

[Papillion]

I am 36 and had terrible trouble a couple of years ago when I trained. Couldnt get anyone to take me on at all. I think at our age we cost more money so salons don't do it.

Hope someone gives you a break.

 

[persianista]

Hi there is a lot of incentive for employers to take on apprentices as they can be given 1500 from the job center,but i think you have to be under 24 ask the job center or your training provider. good luckx

Not true. There is a staged incentive for companies to take on their FIRST EVER apprentice. Most salons have taken on apprentices over the years so are not eligible.

There is also now an issue with unpaid work experience. I think there is a test case going on. If the case goes in the interns favour, ALL work experience must be paid at full minimum wage.

96,000 people achieved NVQ level 2 in hair or beauty last year alone. In the same period there were 18,000 jobs advertised in those sectors.

 

[Crystal colleen]

Hi I'm 29 and studying nvq2 again at college.I did it when I was 18 and my life took a very unexpected turn for the worse so I had to stop 1 month before completion.I'm now back doing hair and have been applying to salons for the last 6 months to no avail because of my age.

I have offered myself for free etc and nothing has worked.I'm just hoping that someone will give me a shot soon.

It's not just in the hair sector either finding a job in general at the moment is really hard.I've been applying for everything I possibly can and nothing has come of anything.

I hope you fined work soon xx

 

[Faye_T]

Thanks all for your words and advice; I see there are a few of us in the same position and at least 1 got into a volunteer role. Good for you, and good luck to all of you trying to get work, it is tough at the moment.


Thanks again all, i will keep going with it.

 

[Srmorg]

I think if you can't get a job paid then you should deffo ask of you can just come in and help out to see how a salon works, go round everywhere and try. That's what I did and I was older when I started and had a lot of rejections but sometimes you have to be a bit pushy. I did a trial and didn't get it. Fair enough but I rang and then asked for some feed back so I could learn from it. Eventually I found a job who don't care about my age! Don't give up xx

 

[KayaPapaya]

It is difficult getting a break, and I don't know if anyone take on apprentices of a certain age. I would hope that they do. I've had no luck yet.

I am all up for the volunteering part, and have done this, but at the end of the day, I have bills and rent to pay. I can't volunteer for 3-4 days a week (as I work) and I can't give up my day job to earn £2.65 an hour apprentice wage, or I'll be living in a cardboard box. So what are we to do?

It's a hard place to be for an older student hairdresser.

 

[Faye_T]

It is difficult getting a break, and I don't know if anyone take on apprentices of a certain age. I would hope that they do. I've had no luck yet.

I am all up for the volunteering part, and have done this, but at the end of the day, I have bills and rent to pay. I can't volunteer for 3-4 days a week (as I work) and I can't give up my day job to earn £2.65 an hour apprentice wage, or I'll be living in a cardboard box. So what are we to do?

It's a hard place to be for an older student hairdresser.

Yea, thats a hard place to be - im lucky that my fiance has his own business and is good enough to let me follow this crazy dream ive been chasing. I just do his accounts etc in the evenings. I have been a single parent for many years which is why i couldnt leave my then fairly decent job in IT so i feel for you.

Its a shame us older people cannot get on in this industry as easily, in my experience, we have alot to offer in terms of business understanding, customer care as well as huge ambition.

I wish you the best of luck.

 

[KayaPapaya]

It's really hard going I've got to say.

I'm not afraid of hard work, I do a full time job, have been doing evening classes for the last two years, and I was volunteering on my free weekends until recently. But something had to give and the volunteer placement went first unfortunately. Stupid I know, but I physically couldn't do anymore hours :-( I am single, so have no-one to fall back on, it's all me!

Now of course I can't get a trainee job as I'm too old! LOL!
Best of luck to you too
I'm sure there are some great salon owners out there who would benefit from conscientious, hard-working older apprentices and realise how difficult it is for us!

 

[persianista]

It's really hard going I've got to say.

I'm not afraid of hard work, I do a full time job, have been doing evening classes for the last two years, and I was volunteering on my free weekends until recently. But something had to give and the volunteer placement went first unfortunately. Stupid I know, but I physically couldn't do anymore hours :-( I am single, so have no-one to fall back on, it's all me!

Now of course I can't get a trainee job as I'm too old! LOL!
Best of luck to you too
I'm sure there are some great salon owners out there who would benefit from conscientious, hard-working older apprentices and realise how difficult it is for us!

There are lots of us would love to, however, you cost us the same as an income producing stylist. We can't even have volunteer work experience now, they must be paid full min wage. It's the reason why we all want the 16 and 17 year olds, they are the only ones who are affordable. It's a disaster for the industry and for the individuals trying to break into hairdressing, but salon owners can only operate within the law. Write to your mp if you want the rules changed.

 

[lauren89]

I'm in a similar position at the minute, too old for an apprenticeship, unable to get a voluntary place at a salon and not enough experience for a stylist position. :irked:

So are salon owners only able to take on voluntary workers from college as part of their course?

 

[persianista]

I'm in a similar position at the minute, too old for an apprenticeship, unable to get a voluntary place at a salon and not enough experience for a stylist position. :irked:

So are salon owners only able to take on voluntary workers from college as part of their course?

Nope. Gotta pay them full min wage due to a change in the law to protect people doing unpaid internships.