An apprenticeship is a great way to become a qualified hairdresser or barber. You can train while you work, so you will not need a large student loan. In some regions it is possible to start training towards the National Certificate in Salon Support while you are still at school through the Gateway Programme.  Talk to your careers advisor or gateway coordinator about this programme. 

Qualification by Experience

The HITO offers the Qualification by Experience (QbyE) process which allows  poeple with industry experience to have their hairdressing or barbering experience evaluated towards gaining a National Qualification with the support of the HITO.

Click here for a copy of the Hairdressing QbyE application form

Click here for a copy of the Barbering QbyE application

To find out more regarding this process please contact the 

HITO team on 04 499 1180.

Further Training

We also offers further opportunities to train once you have completed your National Certificate in Hairdressing or Barbering.  As a stepping stone to the  National Cerificate in Management qualification we offer awards in Train the Trainer and Advanced Hairdressing.

HITO EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATIVE

As you may know the HITO have been looking to appoint an employee representative onto our Board, to ensure that employee’s needs are met. We are pleased to announce that Elaine Gardiner has been appointed Employee Representative on the HITO Board. 

Elaine is employed in a salon in Tauranga, currently is an Industry Assessor and is passionate about the success of apprentices in the industry.

She can be contacted at  employeerep@hito.org.nz.

Elaine is there to ensure that your voice is heard. Elaine is extremely approachable so contact her today!

Should I do a Hairdressing or Barbering Apprenticeship?

Do you want to be a HAIRDRESSER who provides a total service that may include colouring, perming or styling or a BARBER whose focus is primarily on cutting hair?

STEPS TO GETTING AN APPRENTICESHIP

We have put the following resource together to help you in finding employment in a hairdressing salon.  Remember that 94% of your training will take place at work so it is important that it is a place that you enjoy being.  It is also important to establish if the salon you are considering has a Senior stylist with a qualification.  They must hold a qualification themselves to be able to train you

The minimum hours you can work in a salon, and still undertake an apprenticeship is 20 hours per week.

YOUR TOOLBOX (to help you search for employment in a salon)

NETWORKING

• Inside Secondary School

• Outside Secondary School

VISITING A SALON

• Preparation

• CV Writing

• Transferable skills

• What an Prospective Employer might ask you?

YOUR TOOLBOX (to help you search for employment in a salon)

This toolbox will help you find and create opportunities, as well as increase your knowledge. It will also help if you in seeking help from school resources, such as your library and career adviser, your friends and networking with people as you begin the search for employment.

Asking for help often sets things in motion. Search out and take advantage of any assistance you can.  This may come from many different places, and give you the edge in your search.

NETWORKING:

Networking (the process of making contacts and talking to people in the environment you are interested in) makes the business world go around – 80% of job vacancies are not advertised, people often get jobs through word of mouth, references or connections. There are people to network with both inside your school and outside your school

INSIDE SCHOOL

Your classmates

They may have attended a hair salon, or their family may have and heard of something going.

Career Adviser 

Your careers adviser has loads of information and resources that can put you in touch with people like us – NZ Hairdressing Industry Training Organisation Inc and may also have contacts within the industry through Gateway or work experience.  The Career Adviser also has contacts in all areas of training and often invites people to the school to speak about specific career paths.

Teachers or Tutors:

Someone you know may know someone else who is a teacher or tutor at a hairdressing school or polytechnic.

School Administrators:

These people have a wealth of knowledge about who and where people and organisations are in the community because every day they come into contact with a variety of people coming through the school.

Past Pupils

Some schools have a list of past pupils and where they may have gone to study or to work within companies and organisations.

School Libraries

Libraries have reference books on careers, occupations and professions. There may be some reference material you can source on the hairdressing industry and contact information.  They may also have access to computers for use on the internet.  You could surf for possible opportunities this way.

OUTSIDE SCHOOL:

Friends & Family

Who do you hang with outside of school, - family, friends, friends of friends, businesses, and organisations such as sporting or interest areas.

Think about your friends and family – how many of them get their hair done at a hair salon? Can they recommend one for you?.

Ask everyone because the more people that know you are looking for a salon to start your apprenticeship with, the more people you have looking and listening for possible employment for you.

Hairdressing Schools

These can be found in the yellow pages.  You could telephone them to enquire about hairdressing as a career path.  You may also like to visit them to observe what hairdressing training entails – you may even be able to go and observe the sorts of training that takes place.

Apprentices have one day per week training at a private training establishment or polytechnic.

Polytechnics

There are a lot of polytechnics that teach hairdressing unit standards.  You would need to contact the hairdressing faculty and make an appointment to visit them and have a look around.

Hair Salons

There is bound to be a number of hairdressing salons near to where you live, or where you go to school. You might like to make an appointment to visit them for hairdressing services yourself or enquire about hairdressing as a career choice for you.  Start to observe where they are, what services they offer and what sort of environment it is (i.e. is it a small salon with one owner hairdresser, or a larger salon with several staff) Where are they? Next to the corner shop in the suburbs, in a shopping mall or in the inner city – where do you see yourself working?  And what size of salon would you prefer?

Newspapers and Magazines

Newspapers, both local and national papers have situations vacant sections.

Magazines have articles about products and services and are always referenced at the back of the magazine for future reference.

A Mentor

There will be many people who will help and give you advice. A mentor is someone like a coach or a teacher who will support you with your career and they will go out of their way to help you. They offer advice and support while you are salon searching, or they may assist you in that search. Your mentor could be your parents, an employer you may have worked for part time while at school. Everyone needs a little guidance when planning his or her career

VISITING A SALON:

Telephone the salons you think you would like work in and make appointments to go and speak with them:

Preparation:

Prepare a list of questions you would like to ask the salon owner or trainer.  Some you might like to consider are: 

• How did you get started in your career as a hairdresser?

• What are the skills and abilities needed to be a good hairdresser?

• Are there any particular subjects at school I should be concentrating on?

• What are the most challenging aspects of the job?

• What kind of salary can I expect to get when I first start?

• What does a typical day consist of?

• What kind of hours would you work (i.e. how many late nights, weekend work etc)

• What benefits can I expect to gain if I pursue hairdressing as a career?

• Are there possibilities for promotion?

• Are there other qualifications I can gain once I became a qualified hairdresser?

• Would I need to wear a uniform?

• Would I need to purchase special tools i.e. scissors etc?

• Do you have any apprentices in your salon at the moment?

• Would it be possible to talk to them about the study they do?

• Do you have any openings in your salon at present?, suggest work expereince with a view to maybe some part time work or ultimately an apprenticeship

• Can I leave you my CV for your future reference?

Curriculum Vitae (CV):

A CV is a short history about you and should contain the following information:

• Your name, address and phone number

• Your career goals (in this case a career in hairdressing)

• A list of your skills (you may be surprised how many skills you already have)

• Your work experience (this should include any part time jobs you may have had whilst still at school (i.e. babysitting, supermarket/shop, paper runs etc)

• Your education history. 

• Any awards you may have received at school which illustrate your personal attributes and talents

• Any school activities you have participated in – i.e. a school production and/or school sports teams

• Any references from employers, family friends (you can always make these available on request) although it is a good idea to attach copies to illustrate your positive qualities

Transferable skills

You may think that because you have never been employed before, you have very few skills to offer a potential employer – wrong!

You have learned skills from various situations in your life that did not involve being employed. These skills can have as much value as skills learned on the job. 

Some examples of this:

• Babysitting/childcare – taking care of a child or children – this shows you can accept responsibility, have flexibility and a caring nature, you may have knowledge of first aid care, are dependable and trustworthy.

• Helping a friend or family member in their place of work – working without pay shows you have dedication and loyalty, you can commit to duties, you have been efficient, needed good communication skills, organising, filing, answering the telephone.

• Taking on special responsibilities at school, a special project, or being on a committee, organising a group effort, being a team leader - good time management skills, responsibility, leadership abilities, being able to work with others and be part of a team, energy, interpersonal skills, coming up with ideas

• Volunteer work – caring, good time management, dedication

• Special jobs at home i.e. cooking the evening meal – planning, safety, concentration, responsibility, dependability, creativity

• Communication – have had experience handling telephone calls, writing letters, conversing with customers. Reporting to teachers or school administration, customer service experience.

What an Prospective Employer might ask you?

Tell me about yourself? – give a brief overview of your education, work experience and interests. Any awards or special merits you have received at school, or in the community. Emphasise what you can do and what your interests are.  Show interest and enthusiasm.

• What interests you about becoming a hairdresser?

• How would one of your teachers describe you?

• Where do you see yourself in 3 years time?

• What kinds of interests do you pursue?

Take a spare copy of your CV with you. That way you can refer to it as you talk with the salon.

Emphasise the positive. Discuss your good points.  Sell yourself!

WRITE A THANK YOU NOTE TO THE EMPLOYER THE NEXT DAY