It’s that time of year again, we are looking to recruit our new apprentices. They will be the Hairstylists of the future. They arrive in the salon all shy and quiet & we, like proud parents watch them grow over the two years……and oh how they change!

  Why is it so good to do a hairdressing apprenticeship in a salon?

There are lots of reasons that are a huge benefit to the apprentice. It is a real working environment & gives a true taste of what the actual job is like to do. At Mark Jeffs Hair & Beauty Studios we have a very varied array of clients of all ages & backgrounds. It is a great place to learn how to communicate with people from all walks of life. A very important skill for Hairdressers. It shows apprentices the glamorous side of hairdressing as well as the hard graft of it all and also how rewarding it is when a client loves their hair and feels good about themselves. If they still love hairdressing at the end of their two years then it is the job for them.

In our Salon we have 17 Stylists who have a wealth of experience in the industry, as well as a Master Colour Expert & a Vidal Sassoon Stylist who worked in Covent Garden in London. We also have Stylists who have managed salons. All these knowledgeable Stylists mean the apprentices can learn so much from them. The Stylists all have different techniques & creative ideas which the apprentices can watch & ask questions about on a daily basis. This variety keeps the learning process more interesting for them & gives them a much broader knowledge base.

The Apprentices attend college one day a week & work in the salon as well. Their tasks in the salon include shampooing, sweeping up, making teas & coffees, washing up, washing towels, helping on reception and learning how to communicate in a professional way with clients etc. This all sound a bit menial but is of massive importance to keep the salon running smoothly so they are an important part of the team. As a reward for all their hard work Mark offers extra training on a Wednesday night. This is not compulsory but those that attend improve much quicker. Currently Mark teaches cutting along with Holly and Leanne, Tom (the Master Colour Expert teaches colouring) & Ellie teaches hair up & braiding.

Training starts on head blocks until they are eventually ready for clients. These wonderful clients book in on a Wednesday at 5pm & wait patiently for their hair cut (which can take some time!) Mark checks the cut at each stage & then the client pays £6 for it.

We also say that the apprenticeship is like a two year job interview. If an apprentice is outstanding over the two years, i.e. hardworking, pleasant personality, gets on with everybody, enthusiastic, attends our extra training sessions & obviously ends up with excellent cutting & colouring skills they are more likely to be offered a job in the salon after their apprenticeship. We do only take the best & we expect a lot but we have taken on many of our apprentices over the years & we still have 7 of them working in the salon. Some of them have been working as Stylists for as long as 10 years. Some now work as Independent Stylists on a self-employed basis, running a busy column of Clients.

Our second year apprentices are now working on real clients & we can’t wait to see them grow over the next few months as they grow more confident in their abilities.