If there’s one thing that’s certain in an unstable world, it’s this: people will always need to get their hair cut. Even in times of economic downturn, people still want to look good – perhaps even more so in fact, when other parts of their life aren’t going to plan.
This isn’t just conjecture either – it was proven to be the case after the 2008 recession, which saw barbershop success soar. As we enter into another uncertain job market after the Covid pandemic, whether you’re looking to retrain or enter into the working environment for the first time, becoming a barber may be an option to consider. The below goes into some of the practicalities of the career.
Interaction
If you’re a people person, becoming a barber is one of the most satisfying job choices out there. It’s a chatty job, and the number of interesting people that you’ll come into contact with every day will be astounding. After a year spent locked in our own homes kept away from everybody, a lot of people have realised just how important frequent social interaction is for their mental wellbeing. Combining this necessity with work is like striking two birds with one stone, and can make your working life much more enjoyable.
Stable yet flexible
As barbers are a sought after profession, one of the benefits brought about by this job security is that it’s easy to be flexible. While you can work for someone at a salon, it’s also easy to go self employed, either renting a chair at a salon or travelling and going freelance. With the pandemic, barbers offering home visits have become much more popular as well – this might be one of the cheapest ways to start a lucrative business, as there’s no rent to worry about and you can charge more than if clients were to come to your shop.
Earnings
Barbers are highly skilled, and the pay reflects that. An experienced barber can earn up to 50k a year, with junior barbers earning more like 20k. It’s not something that you just start doing though, it requires training and qualification. Private courses aren’t too long or expensive – an NVQ level 3 can be achieved in around 12 weeks, for around £4000. That may seem a lot, but will be earned back rapidly.
Job satisfaction
As well as good pay, flexibility and a great social life, being a barber allows for creativity. While the official training will set you up to start, being a barber is an art that can be perfected over a long career. As more and more jobs become dull, monotonous, and office based, the creative output of being a barber may very well suit a lot of people.
The benefits listed above are just a few of the reasons as to why barbering is becoming more and more popular as a profession. The barber industry saw steady growth in the years coming up to the pandemic, growth which is predicted to resume as life starts to open up and people get back on their feet.
If you’re wondering where to start and are Manchester-based, take a look at the dedicated barbering course from the team at notjust.
