July 5, 2022
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Does hairstyling interest you? Maybe you cut your brother’s hair during the COVID lockdowns and surprised yourself with how great it was? Or maybe you’ve always liked the craft but just weren’t sure how to get started?
If you answered yes to these questions, then this blog should help you in your quest to become a professional barber.
But there is one main obstacle you must overcome – barber school. This industry is highly regulated with most countries requiring some sort of licence to practice. These licences are issued only after you complete barbering school and have passed your exam.
But not to worry, we’ll let you in on all you need to know in this article.
Barbering is a craft or an art form that involves cutting, coloring, trimming, and styling hair. In theory anyone can cut hair, like painting a picture, but in practice not everyone is good at it!
First and foremost, these are colleges set up and designed by the government to ensure that each and every barber offering services to the general public is doing so with sufficient training. It protects the average Joe from a really bad hair day.
Schools will cover topics like hair types, structures, health and safety, best practice and even shop management.
Other than just getting your licence, there is a lot to gain from a good barbering school.
Barbershops are continually springing up all over the country. Plus, the industry has enjoyed increasing revenue over the years. This signifies that barbering is a lucrative industry with fantastic earning potential. Who doesn’t want to make cool cash doing something that they love?
Since all US states require barbers to hold a licence from a state-licensed cosmetology or barber school, it means that this isn’t so much a consideration but a requirement to start your barber career.
Getting into the barber industry is one thing, and being employable is another. You don’t want to dive into the barbering industry only to face difficulty getting a job, do you?
Barber school equips you with all the skills employers watch out for in the industry. So, once you’re done schooling, you’ll have a higher chance of steady employment.
What’s more, going to barber school gives you the opportunity to earn much higher than those who don’t attend.
Imagine how convenient it is to choose your own hours as you study to be a professional barber. This means that you wouldn’t have to give up every other hobby of yours just to get a licence to barb. That’s precisely what barber school offers you.
Barber school gives you options for completing your studies full-time or part-time. You can even opt for night classes if you’re busy during the day. Amazing, right?
Attending barber school expands your options in the industry. Do you want to find employment in a traditional barbershop, or do you wish to run your own? Is signing into an agency that notifies you of barbering opportunities your thing? Getting a license from an accredited barber school makes you qualify for those.
While joining a barbershop gives you a consistent work environment, owning one lets you make decisions that suit your personal goals. Working with an agency provides you with a platform to showcase your skills to a broader audience. For example, you may get to work on film and tv sets, private events, weddings, etc. You may even become someone’s personal stylist.
How do you get to be really good at your job? Consistent practice, of course, and that’s what barber school offers you. At barber school, you get to learn various techniques and gather experience practicing on mannequins and humans.
Barber school teaches you hair cutting and shaving, straight razor shaves, beard trimming and styling, comb overs, etc. So, you’re not wasting time but acquiring knowledge that will make you stand out in the industry. It’s important to learn the correct shaving techniques but also the health and safety measures around shaving for both you and your client.
While we’ve outlined the pros of going to barber school, it’s important to know the possible challenges so you can be adequately prepared:
Attending barber school may not be as expensive as a University’s four-year degree. But let’s face it — spending up to $15,000 on barber school tuition is still very high. These costly fees force some students to take out federal loans.
As a result, many of them enter debts and risk not being able to pay up when it’s due.
Barber school trains you on industry-specific skills. This means that you can’t transfer what you’ve learned in barber school to another industry. This makes switching jobs a huge challenge for professional barbers so make sure this is what you want and not something you will be bored of in a year’s time.
The barbering industry is highly competitive with barbershops trying to outdo each other in terms of facilities, convenient services, etc. This is a huge challenge for barbers who are just fresh out from barber school.
Check out our other blogs on how to boost your earnings using simple yet effective techniques
If you wish to attend a barber school, you must meet these requirements:
Barbering school applicants must not be less than 16 years old.
Barber schools require that you must have received formal education to some degree prior to your application. So, you must have a high school diploma before applying. Alternatively, you can make do with an equivalent certification like the General Education Diploma (GED).
Some barbering schools mandate applicants to submit personal essays or letters of recommendation. You may also need to take some tests and submit tax forms along with your application. That’s especially true if you’re applying for a scholarship.
Like many educational institutions, you must undergo a background/criminal check before resuming at a barbering school. The criteria for passing this stage vary from state to state. For example, in some states, you wouldn’t be eligible for barber school if you’ve got a criminal record. Meanwhile, in other states, it depends on the severity of the crime (i.e whether you committed a misdemeanor or felony).
The quality of your barbering school significantly affects how successful you’ll become in your barber career. So, don’t just apply to the first barbering schools you notice.
To make the best of barber school, it’s essential to consider these factors:
How much can you afford to pay for barber school considering your income? This should be an essential factor in determining what barbering school you can attend. As much as possible, prevent yourself from going into huge debts in your attempt to become a professional barber.
You’ll want to consider how impactful your training will be at your barber school. One way to do this is by verifying the number of students per teacher in class. You deserve a dedicated barber school with a small student-instructor ratio. This ensures that you’ll have more one-on-one sessions with your trainer in the classroom.
Check that the instructors at your preferred barbering school are qualified enough to offer you quality training. Is the school accredited by the relevant bodies? How long have the teachers been in the barbering business and what’s their niche? Ask as many questions as you may have about their portfolios to ensure you get the best instructions during your course. A great teacher will set you up to becoming a master barber.
One way to assess the quality of a barber school is by focusing on their past graduates. First, what’s the graduation rate like? Are many students able to complete their studies and receive licenses? How respected and successful do their graduates become in the barber industry?
Does the barber school leave you to your fate after graduation? Or do they offer assistance in ensuring that you get good placements when you complete your program? The best barber schools should be just as concerned about your future as their own financial gain.
The best barber schools would have various types of amenities and the latest technology to improve students’ learning experience. So, an important factor to keep in mind when choosing a barbering school is the resources at their disposal.
Go for the schools that give you a headstart by offering you after-graduation placement services in the best establishments.
What do you really learn in practical and theory at a barbering school?
Hairstyling and hair cutting are the heart of barbering. A barber school will teach you the basic procedures for cutting male and female hair with razors, shears, and clippers.
For hair styling, you’ll learn shampooing, scalp massage, brushing and combing, and hair design. Barbering schools also offer courses in iron curling, reconditioning hair, hairpiece fitting, thermal pressing, etc.
Shaving is an art that every professional barber must master. In barbering school, you’ll learn advanced techniques of hair coloring, shaving, chemical relaxing, positions, and strokes.
To do a perfect job on a client, you must understand general physiology and related sciences. That’s especially as they relate to the arm, face, and head. You’ll learn all these in a barber school.
Hygiene and Health and Safety are at the core of barbering school. This makes sense because you’ll be dealing with tools and equipment that can spread infections from client to client. So, you must learn health and safety procedures like disinfecting, infection control, sanitization, and sterilization.
Barbering is more than just aesthetics. You must also learn how to sell your products and services. Barbering school teaches you everything you need to know about salesmanship and product knowledge.
You’ll learn the chemistry of common cosmetic products in the barbering industry. This includes organic chemistry and basic theories of molecular structure.
Generally, barber schools divide their curriculum into classroom training and services/skills. In the classroom, you’ll learn leadership skills, chemistry, bacteriology, anatomy/physiology, communication and networking skills, etc.
The practical training sessions include scalp treatments, haircutting, men’s and women’s facial hair grooming, hair coloring, chemical relaxing, etc.
Before attending a barbering school, ensure that the institution meets your state requirements for accreditation. The National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCAS), is the largest accrediting body in the USA. It ensures the school you attend meets the minimum requirements for licensing. Currently, it has accredited more than 1,500 schools across the country.
Other US barbering school accrediting bodies recognized by the Department of Education include:
The time you’ll spend in barbering school depends on numerous factors like your availability and program type. If you’re going to barber school on a part-time basis, you’ll spend about a year and 6 months in school. For a full time program, you should be done with barber school in less than 9 months. Different schools may have differing start dates so be sure to check out their sites for full details before enrollment.
Note that some states may allow you to complete the required training hours as part of an apprenticeship program.
Here’s how to choose the best barber school to attend:
The barber school you attend can significantly determine how fast you’ll achieve your career goals.
Yes; barbering and cosmetology, though related, are entirely different fields. First, while barber schools teach barbering, you’ll need to go to a beauty school to learn cosmetology. The scope of practice is also different for both professionals.
Barbering deals with facial hair styling, cutting, and coloring. On the other hand, you’ll learn about facial treatments, hair, nails, and skin care, etc., in cosmetology. The learning durations for cosmetology and barbering also vary.
If you wish to excel as a barbering student, you must develop these skills and character traits:
After you successfully complete barbering school, you can try these ten best US cities to begin your barbering career:
You can apply for licensure after completion of your barbering program. The license will come from your state’s governing body and requirements for obtaining your license differs from state to state.
For example, Connecticut mandates that licensed candidates must have completed a program of at least 1,5o0 hours. Meanwhile, in Florida, professional barbers must have only trained for 1,200 hours. Again, while some states follow the accreditation criteria of the National body, others have their special licensing requirements.
When applying for a license, you may have to submit proof of age, program certificate, and other documentation. You may also need to write the National Barber Examination administered by the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology.
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Learn more about barber schools from the answers to these frequently asked questions:
