We all had to start somewhere...... salon experience when qualified!

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jujojones

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:lick: have just been thinking back to when i first quailifed as a beauty therapist! I thought i was the bees knees, knew it all and couldnt wait to start mobile!!

OMG how wrong was I! thank god I got a salon job where they kicked me into shape!

So i would like to know all your views..... do you think that it is possible to be go off on your own as soon as those college doors open or do you think it is ESSENTIAL to work in a salon and get salon experience? :)
 
I'm working mobile currently. I did my nvq2 as well as spray tanning, and have 2 young children. My aim is to complete my nvq3, however I need to bring in money/ pay back what has been invested and save for my nvq3. I would love salon experience but due to my circumstances its not feasible so i will work mobile for a couple of years to gain experience. I have learnt so much more since working mobile than when I was at college. I have learnt on the job but i do feel salon experience is essential because at the moment I have to learn by each and every client/ treatment I do and may well be making errors and I don't necessarily feel competent xx
 
absolutely agree, Essential!

Personal development & confidence, product knowledge updated constantly, experience of varied clients & situations, then how to deal positively with those situations, teamwork plus most importantly Enjoyment x
 
Essential, i trained back in the city and guild days at college full time, we did a lot of practical - cutting 'real' models in the first term, i had a lot of 'friends' to practice on but without the work I did in a salon as soon as I left college I would not know half the stuff I know now - and believe me, I don't know an awful lot now 20+ years on!!:D
 
I'm working mobile currently. I did my nvq2 as well as spray tanning, and have 2 young children. My aim is to complete my nvq3, however I need to bring in money/ pay back what has been invested and save for my nvq3. I would love salon experience but due to my circumstances its not feasible so i will work mobile for a couple of years to gain experience. I have learnt so much more since working mobile than when I was at college. I have learnt on the job but i do feel salon experience is essential because at the moment I have to learn by each and every client/ treatment I do and may well be making errors and I don't necessarily feel competent xx

I know its not ideal being mobile straight away, but you have a great attitude! You know your not perfect and still in need to learn more! And I'm sure you will go far! I however thought I was amazing as soon as my portfolio was complete! (I am now! Ha ha! But that's only as I learnt how to develop my skills and realise that you can NEVER stop learning in this industry!) I see a lot of threads about going it alone by newbies, and just know they have the same attitude as I did and give myself a chuckle thinking 'oh you will learn' lol x
 
I remember 'cleverly ' choosing my clients to practice on in college, .ie, getting my friend with the least hair on her legs to wax! It wasn't till I got into the real world and I thought PANTS how do I wax thus hairy woman!! Lol x
 
Essential. What have we got to strive towards when out there working alone?

Learning things at college or training establishment is the first step on the ladder. First salon I worked in after I qualified was ok, 2nd one was the real eye opener. The owner plus other staff were fantastic therapists.

I wanted to be as good as them and each set of nails I did or each facial I carried out I pushed myself to have the same finished result as those other therapists. I wanted to hear clients make the same comments as I heard them make about the other staff/ manager. I pushed myself all the time.

Without working in a salon environment and working with other experienced therapists etc,we have no knowledge of client expectations or anything to strive towards other than what we have learnt from out tutor and coursework.

You pick up hints and tips in a salon, if something goes wrong or you need advice you have someone there for back up and support. Looking at other therapists work ie a make over or a freshly done pedicure can be a real incentive and make you realise actually I'm not that good or I may be good but nowhere near as good as her/ him so I need to improve.

For me it was and is a must.
 
My tutor at college wax excellent, however it is amazing how much I have picked up from here that made me realise that I have been taught in a slightly old fashioned way. For example, i read on another thread that it is not necessarily terrible to use a see saw motion when filing IF using certain modern nail files. This was a massive no no at college. And i wasnt taught to use oil or talc under wax. I currently don't know if I am up to a certain standard; if I went to work in a salon I could well be told Im not up to scratch to work on clients. Don't get me wrong, I have been focused on my work 24/7 for the last year to the point of obsession but I feel I need to in order to improve myself. How do people feel about renting rooms in hairdressers etc? Do you feel that this also should not be done until you have salon experience? x
 
I wish colleges would provide "placements" as essential for training, I really don't believe that you are salon ready straight from education. Even if your skills are good enough chances are your confidence isn't.

That said when I came from college I couldn't even get interviews in salons as I had no "experience" but honestly how was ever expected to get experience if nobody let me work? I'd even applied for voluntary and one day a week things but nope.

I basically had no choice to set up mobile myself and gain experience hands on, you learn from mistakes and realise what the clients are looking for. In some ways it more valuable than salon work, you earn your own money etc and obviously begin to appreciate that unless YOU get the clients in you don't have a wage! You see it from the business owner point of view and see that all mistakes are soley on you.

I've actually received more replies about interviews now I can put I worked for myself part time for two years. Before I was just ignored.
 
I've gone straight from college to a beauty room I have done placements at college and learnt a lot from them and also done some mobile work, even tho I'm not working with other beauty therapists I can still see if and where my work needs improving & I'm still gettin experience like I would if I was employed , I'm always looking to improve though & I probably always will, like others have said a lot of salons want you to have experience but how can you get that straight out of college if no one will take you on? :)
 
I worked in a salon whilst training and for two years after.. I now rent a beauty room and have been ther a yr and 4 months..
Personally i feel the salon gave me confidence and i learnt how to deal with things and got used to clients.. I dont think i would have felt confident enough straight from college without the salon experience.. But thats just me personally i guess!!
 
Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to work in a salon as they all want experience so mobile is most of the time the only option.
 
I agree beautybyk, its so hard to find anyone wanting to take on inexperienced people so we have no choice but to go it alone.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using SalonGeek
 
I agree beautybyk, its so hard to find anyone wanting to take on inexperienced people so we have no choice but to go it alone.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using SalonGeek

It's been a total nightmare for me trying to find anywhere that will even take me voluntary over the summer! No hope for newbies but to go mobile.
 
It's been a total nightmare for me trying to find anywhere that will even take me voluntary over the summer! No hope for newbies but to go mobile.

It depends how you have been trying, I thought this, I sent out hundreds of cv's and thought it was no good, so one day I had had enough, I finished college early, was still in uniform and went in to visit them. The first one said her salon wasn't ideal for work experience students because she works on her own, but if I couldn't find anything else she would give it a go, the second was great and I got a job, I am now lined up to be an apprentice next year.
 
The problem I have is I can't afford to do voluntary work as I need to earn money to pay the bills. I work weekends as a chamber maid and am a full time mum to a 3 year old so if I volunteered I would have to put baby into nursery and that's not Cheap. So I have to go it alone
 

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