How to Become a Hairdresser

Becoming a hairdresser can open up many possibilities for the creative-minded

Hairdressing is always a popular choice of career for many people due to its creative style, interpersonal skills and possibilities for business management and owning your own business. Becoming a hair dresser, like most other careers, involves an even balance between education and experience with many young hairdressers choosing to volunteer at a young age to get a feel for the industry and what it entails.

There are several steps that every person should or has to go through on their way to becoming a hairdresser that will help them to decide if this career is for them and what they have to do to become qualified.

The first step of any career decision is to determine whether you really want to be a hairdresser and work within hair salons and clients. Look into what the career involves on a daily basis and what the long term goals can be for career development. You need to ensure that your temperament and personality are suited to hairdressing and the daily tasks involved.

Once you have determined that you do want to be a hairdresser, there are several steps to complete to become qualified. After high school there are various levels of post-secondary education and training that you will need to complete to become qualified, with various levels and extended training for higher qualifications.

There are a number of schools and programs available with one of the most popular being the Certificate III in Hairdressing from TAFE institutions. This course is the basic one year course that trains students to become fully qualified hairdressers, with the Certificate I and II being the foundation courses. Naturally there is a Certificate IV in Hairdressing available that develops the skills and knowledge at a higher level of specialist hairdressing, in addition to business management skills. This course is ideal for those wishing to operate hair salons as a business.

There are also Diplomas of Hairdressing Salon Managementwhich is classified as an advanced trade qualification and is an alternative to the Certificates. The two year Diploma course is for new entrants to the hairdressing industry and it combines both certificate criteria with management skills at Diploma level for effective hair salons management.

As an alternative to straight educational courses, many hairdressers opt for an apprenticeship as a means of becoming a qualified hairdresser. This is means to a full trade qualification with many hair salons offering training from the commencement of a hairdressing apprenticeship to its completion, often with a career at the end.

Of course, key to a quality education is to pair it with experience. This can be gained even during school as a volunteer at a local hair salon, with work experience or job shadowing being credible options for those looking to enter the field of hairdressing.

Being a hairdresser does not have to be limited with career and educational options ranging from the local hair salons to working your way up the ranks to become a leading hair stylist or designer. In today's hairdressing industry, there are creative and artistic avenues for competitions and experimentation, designer hair fashion shows and innovative design forums. The field of hairdressing is ideal for those who enjoy being with people, are creative and expressive with a keen eye for detail.