Thread: Shaving others as a career?!!!

Hi Pea, It sounds like you have a great idea. I was looking at the Geo. F Trumper website and they talk about a shaving school. I don't know what that might entail but since they are based in the UK they could probably shed some light on your local laws about qualifications in your country. I don't Know if they are a full fledged barber college but perhaps someone there can point you in the right direction.

Everytime i go to my sicilian barber he suggests i bring friends to practice shaving on. I just can't convince any to come! He reckons it coudl be a decent career, but it is not where my heart lies, which is in psychotherapy i fear.

Originally Posted by pea

I just really think it would be great to set up a little barber shop in my town that does high quality shaves, you know the works, so the world can see how great it is, and gillette and wilkinson sword will bow down to us!!

I can't see there being any courses that teach purely straight razor technique though. Hey maybe there's a market for that too!! mmmm interesting!

In the Netherlands, at least until very recently, vocational training for hairdressers offered shaving lessons for those interested.

Originally Posted by pea

Does anyone know what qualifications you need in the uk to be able to start up shaving customers professionally. I'm getting very interested in it as a future thing!! I'm talking just shaving, not complete barbering.

I don't think hairdressing in the UK requires any qualifications. There is an NVQ (national vocational qualification) but i do not think it is required. It may be required in practice for trainees, to get a barber or salon to take thm on for further training, but i do not think it is legally required to have one to run a barber shop. You would need to use something that took disposable blades i think, for health and safety at work.

Originally Posted by ernestrome

Everytime i go to my sicilian barber he suggests i bring friends to practice shaving on. I just can't convince any to come! He reckons it coudl be a decent career, but it is not where my heart lies, which is in psychotherapy i fear.

One of the barbers at the shop I go to basically said the same thing. I asked him how he practiced, if he used a balloon or whatever, when he was learning to give shaves. He said, "Balloons? No, I practiced on real people." He was shaving other people before he was old enough to shave himself.

Anyway, I don't know about the UK, but in the USA, shaving is the sine qua non of a barber - and what historically separated a barber from a "hairstylist." I think in some states it still does. Being the lather boy or the towel boy or whatever was, in both the US and the UK, historically a step in the training of a barber. So, I would strongly suspect that to hang out your own shingle, you would need to be a licensed barber.

So, I would strongly suspect that to hang out your own shingle, you would need to be a licensed barber.

I've tried to tell you people politely that you do not need a qualification or registration to be a hairdresser in the UK! Most hairdressers are trained and registered as shops won't take untrained people on, but there is nothing to stop me buying a shop tomorrow and ruining people's hair.

3 How can I register as a professional?

It is not required by law in the UK to register with any trade or professional bodies to practise in most of the areas
described here.

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learni...utytherapy.pdf

Hey Pea,

I found an article written last year that might interest you. I realize that you stated that you are only interested in shaving, but the article shows that the interest in barber services is up and that you might be able to have a future there

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12821149/site/newsweek/

Originally Posted by ernestrome

I've tried to tell you people politely that you do not need a qualification or registration to be a hairdresser in the UK! Most hairdressers are trained and registered as shops won't take untrained people on, but there is nothing to stop me buying a shop tomorrow and ruining people's hair.



http://www.britishcouncil.org/learni...utytherapy.pdf

I stand corrected then.

Originally Posted by kimw

Hi Pea, It sounds like you have a great idea. I was looking at the Geo. F Trumper website and they talk about a shaving school. I don't know what that might entail but since they are based in the UK they could probably shed some light on your local laws about qualifications in your country. I don't Know if they are a full fledged barber college but perhaps someone there can point you in the right direction.

I went to Trumpers for their strait shaving lesson when I first started. It cost £75 for about 1.5 hours and was quite useful, but to be honest I found Lynn's DVD was much more helpful. Trumpers use Dovo 'Shavette' for lessons and to shave their customers, which take a replacable blade. They let me use my own Dovo Dismarck for my lesson but I could tell they weren't overly happy about it.

Don't get me wrong Trumpers is a nice place, just not great value for money IMO. Also the whole time I was there they were on the hard sell trying to make me buy creams, soaps, brushes, razors, moisturisors, strops etc even after I explained I already had all of that (several times).

If you want a good straight razor shave in the UK, I would recommend 'The Gentlemans Shop' in Hungerford. Again, they use Dovo 'Shavette' type razors for reasons of hygene, but do a very nice experience for anout £17 IIRC. Robert (the owner) goes over to the USA occasionally to do straight shaving demo's for Sachs when they're doing shaving promotions, so he's pretty good.

http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/

By the way they were recruiting for a Barber a while back, I spoke to the owner about it and they wanted someone who'd been to hairdressing school and had 5 years experience cutting hair and doing shaves etc.

I think it'd be tricky getting customers unless you had a fair amount of practice/experience shaving others, and had a known track record. Maybe best to start as someone's assistant to get some experience.

Hi Guys

All very interesting views, so thanks so much for replying. I really need to look deep into this one! There is a great barber shop in bristol called mr Swantons. I say great, i've never had any shaves etc there but the vibe was great and it looked the part. I'm sure the guy in there can point me in the right direction.

I've heard about The Trumpers instructional lessons, but to be honest the tips given on this site are second to none. I've gone from being rather disheartened on the first few shaves, to being totally in love with the art, and it's all down to the guys that have been there and done it in this place. For me, every shave is better, closer and more enjoyable.

Picture, if you will, a small glass fronted shop, with a beautiful old barbers chair, mahogany cabinets running around the room, glass cabinets full of beautifully restored straights, all the creams, lotions a guy could need. Great coffee, great service, nice music and a nice welcoming atmosphere. It's somewhere i'd go for sure!! Shaving these days for a lot of people is such a chore. Everyone i have spoken to shows a great interest, and many ask questions about it. It's something that needs a good kick up the arse, not david frickin beckam selling razors with batteries in them!! I think marketed well, something could come of a small chain of great barbers, performing great shaves and putting shaving back in the 'enjoyable' part of life!!

Who's in........?