I Am A Beauty Professional! Please Take Me Seriously!

[Susie H]

The problem is as old as the industry, we used to get a Saturday job in a salon at about the age of 13, left school at 15 and went into the salon full time as a junior, yes I'm that old:green: and even though there is now a degree course, and having seen the content:Scared: it is a harder degree then some other better respected professions out there, we still have that 'home made' feel to our industry.
Girls in my school were encouraged to go into the beauty industry as well as office work because; we needed a career that we could leave for 10 to 15 years while we stayed home with the children
No one expected women to become chemists and computer engineers.
No one expected our industry to be stood on its head the way it has been.
And yes if you were a bit slow at the academic subjects then you did go into a salon or a cafe or a factory because you were expected to do better in a hands on environment. And that is how our industry is perceived, hands on, which to a lot of people means artistic or talented rather then intelligent. Could I tell you how to find the square route of a number? No I couldn't but could I tell you which ingredients you need to use to keep your psoriasis under control and why they work? Yes!
Am I thick? I don't think so I think I'm better at learning the things that are important in MY life and square routes don't figure :lol: in that world.
I see curiosity as a sign of intelligents but I've always looked beyond the surface of things as do most of the people on this site.

 

[weezie]

Someone once told me "my daughter started to train in beauty but then she decided to give it up and get a proper job". I bet she just found it too hard! I just laughed it off. People can think what they like as I have the best job in the world. I have actually had clients who have confided in me that after seeing how happy I am in my job have considered quitting their high pressured careers and retraining!

Many clients do really value me and when they book they ask when is convenient for me. For every person who thinks negatively about your career there will be a lovely client who makes up for them 10x over.

 

['chelle]

This is a subject that I have strong opinions about.

I completely agree with Adele, as long as we have a number of therapists who ply their trade for a bit of pin money whilst overlooking professional standards, onlookers will view everyone in the industry as though we are all silly ladies who are playing at shops to earn some spending money.

I have seen both sides of this "fence". Before I became a nail tech I was a legal executive. When people asked what I did they were impressed, I commanded respect at work and the job had a great deal of kudos attached to it. Well, for all its fancy titles, working lunches and big offices with nice shiney desks, I hated the job. I have no desire to be part of an old boys club where you have to sacrifice your family life to progress, and this made me think about doing something for myself, hence I trained to become a nail technician.

Since I started my own business, peoples attitudes towards me are starkly different. Firstly, most of my family and friends think I must have had a mental breakdown. Little do they know that this trade is one of the most challenging I have ever worked in, your clients are your harshest critics, they will not tolerate sub standard work, and they do not mince their words. I had a client yesterday who is a medical student, and she spoke to me in the most patronising tone. I was dying to tell her that actually, I could wipe the floor with her professionally, but I didnt feel the need to explain myself to her. I'm happy now, I dont dread going to work any more, that in itself is enough for me, I wont look back and I dont care what anyone thinks!!

Having said that, it is disappointing to see the general public hold such contempt for the industry. I disagree completely that respect has to be earned, common decency dictates that you show respect to others and their industry regardless of how litle you may know about it/them. Do you fail to show respect to someone until you know something about them and their job? I think not, that would be downright rude and so for someone to say you have to prove yourself before you can be shown respect is utter rubbish.

And just another thing before I get off my soap box, my personal view is that it is not professional to conduct business by text message. If a client sends me a text, I ring them back, I will not enter into any discussion by text. I'm not having a go at anyone who does, I appreciate that this is a personal choice, but I do think that you open the gates for a less than professional communication this way!!

 

[debs69]

''I AM A HAIRDRESSER, I WANTED TO BE A HAIRDRESSER SINCE I WAS MAYBE ABOUT TEN, I HAVE SEVEN O LEVELS, I AM NOT THICK !!!''
I always remember my Mom saying to me '' please Deb, why don't you want to train to do a PROPER job'' when I was due to start to go to college to STUDY hairdressing and what at the time went with it (wigmaking - manicure - speech - sciences - dance and deportment - art - cosmetic make-up - and other subjects). Now twenty odd years on she is very proud of me as I own my own business which is doing fine.
My inlaws are funny they think I don't actually work ! mother in law says I ''twiddle hair all day and drink coffee'' and father in law cannot get it into his thick skull that peeps actually make a living from it ! I think they think I do it for a hobby or something. It's damn hard work, we have to talk to clients and concentrate on maybe a tricky haircut at the same time while timing colours etc..knowing there is maybe one or two clients waiting for you. This is definately MULTI-TASKING. I would like to challenge anybody that thinks our profession is easy, I don't think they would swap their comfy desk job with dinner hour at the pub, especially on pay day when we have slogged our guts out for not a lot !!!

The point about educating peeps into thinking the hair/beauty industry is for thick people,it should start at school, when the career officer suggests that hairdressing, beauty, cleaning, working at maccy d's, being a car mechanic is all that you can do because you've got no chance of passing exams tell them to go take a hike !

 

[Lynne Baker]

I have 13 O levels, 3 A levels, 2 degrees and a post graduate qualification too. And STILL, even after running an IT department for a multi national, some people have been very scathing about my career change choice.
I think it might have been Confucius who said "find a job you like and you'll never have to work a day of your life". Every day I would drag myself to work, do the best I could do and be at the mercy of the men in grey suits. I ended up miserable, not sleeping, not eating, and practising surgery on my arms.
Yeah, that's SO much more worthy than helping people to feel a bit better about themselves, ain't it?

 

[ADiva1]

I dont think the division between academic and beauty related jobs would ever go away to be honest. I kind of agree with what Cec said. You get to a stage - who cares what they think?

I find it quite refreshing at times (I must be strange) to let people think that something I'm passionate about does not mean a thing to them. Its like 'who cares'. However sometimes I'm on the defensive...

Whilst I'm loving what I'm doing, they might be crawling into some job they hate and trying to be-little me in their spare time...

I love what I do and I wont change it for the world!

Mobile phones are a pain at times! Text back the word 'coward' to who ever cancels by text. Bet they will call thereafter!

Goodluck with your studies chic - you are certainly one of the best out there.:hug:

 

[Purple Rose]

Sorry if I'm repeating what other people have said, as I only read a few of these messages before getting myself all worked up!! You are right, we are not thick, we have studied very hard to be able to do what we do!! I remember being up all night, researching on medical websites, things that nurses and doctors learn to pass my BTEC course. Its amazing what we have to learn to become a therapist and it does really bug me that people think that all we know is how to paint a nail!!!! Not the fact that we have to learn all the bones in the hand and the characteristics of a nail from where it grows from, to how it grows. And what else really bugs me is that on telly they always portray a beauty therapist as a blonde bimbo (think Hollyoaks) when in the real world it is simply not true! Sorry if I've gone off on a bit of a tangent from the first post but felt that I had to put my say across.

Us therapists/hairdressers/nail technicians etc are all fab, have worked and trained very hard to get where we are so lets hope one day we will be treated with the respect we deserve from some individuals.

 

[Jeni Giles]

Everything that has been said comes down to one very basic thing. Education. The more we are educated and using professional, correct teriminology, we are perceived differently.

I am married to a PHD in physics and nuclear engineering, we go to his confrences and I have little in common with them on an educational level- I spent a couple of years they have a minimum of 10, but I am just as passionate and professional about what I do as they are. It is amazing the number of times that I speak with some one at one of these events and they are flabbergasted at the things that I know, the chemicals I handle daily and the amount of time and extra education that goes into this industry.

It all boils down to education, be proud of what you do, it shows in how you present yourself, your business and your attitude. NEVER STOP LEARNING!!!!