Talented hairdressing apprentice rebecca philp shares her story

As National Apprenticeship Week draws to an end, we meet Twenty year-old Rebecca Philp who has been an apprentice at Byron Hairdressing in Fife for eight months. What attracted you to the hairdressing career? I love the creative side of hairdressing – being able to take other people’s ideas and use my vision to bring them to life. Why did you choose the salon you work for? Byron had a fantastic reputation locally, so I applied and was given a three-month trial. I was not disappointed; I fell in love with everyone there – the team feels like a second family and the clients have all been welcoming and friendly. The training at Byron is exceptional; being trained in-house  by a respected team member Is definitely a huge positive. Tell me about a typical day in your job ? The whole team gets in early enough that we can all have a coffee together and a chat before we start the day. I then prepare for the day ahead by looking at everybody’s columns. It’s a good way to prepare and to know what stylists will need from me and at what times. When clients arrive, all the assistants help with gowning up for cutting or colouring, we shampoo, mix colour, ask and fetch any drinks for clients and generally spend some time with the client checking everything is ok. As each client is done I will make sure I am prepared for the next one as well as keeping the salon clean and tidy. From time to time I might be asked to take colour through for a stylist or to do a complimentary blow dry. This gives me time with clients and helps stylists keep their columns flowing smoothly. At the end of the day I make sure the salon is completely tidy and ready for the next morning. What are the major lessons you have learnt so far in your apprenticeship? The biggest lesson I have learned is that listening Is key. The more you listen the more you learn. Hand in hand with that is the necessity of asking about anything you don’t understand. There is never a stupid question. The other big lesson I have learned is that you can’t always understand and be able to do everything in a day. But you are always improving, and with hard work and time you can achieve anything.  Why Is an apprenticeship a great way to learn? After coming from a purely college-based background I can say that learning in the environment where you work in is hugely beneficial. The apprenticeship has brought my learning forward so much. Having the opportunity to put what you have learned into practice daily in a real working situation with real clients has improved my confidence and prepared me for when I am qualified. Working every day and interacting with clients at an early stage also helps build your clientele. What are your favourite parts of the job ? The people I am surrounded by every day are definitely one of the perks. I love the whole team; they are friends as well as colleagues. Our clients are also amazing; it’s great talking to them and I learn a lot from them, as well as listening to their stories and opinions. You begin to make a real bond with them. It’s a really nice feeling. My other favourite part of the job is the continuous learning and the amount of passion people have in the salon. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t learn something new or get to admire colleagues’ work. Whether it’s a great new colour or cut it’s fantastic seeing  how much passion and work is put into servicing each individual client. Where would you like your career to go in the next few years? As well as becoming a qualified stylist with my own column and clientele, I would absolutely love to get involved with external competitions and courses. I am determined to take every opportunity and see how far I can go. What  is your ultimate career ambition and how will your apprenticeship help you get there? It would be a real  achievement to walk into the local shop to buy my monthly copy of Vogue, and to see the model on the front cover with hair styled by me. Ultimately, I would love my career to take me to different places in the world, to develop my creativity to the max and be able to explore every facet of hairdressing. My apprenticeship is the perfect vehicle for realising those ambitions as I am encouraged daily to learn and achieve more. It is the best and most solid foundation on which to build a rewarding and lasting career.