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Bulletin Boards > A day in the life of.... > assistants required to pay for training!!

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Posted By:adventuregirl on: 11/18/2007 2:04:14 PM

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Thread: assistants required to pay for training!!

adventuregirl
Posts: 1

assistants required to pay for training!!
Posted: Sunday, November 18, 2007 2:04:14 PM

I recently got hired to be an assistant at a very upscale salon and spa. Before taking the job, I made sure that the salon had a training program/education for their assistants so that they can graduate and become a stylist at the salon. Well, I also found out that we have to find and bring models in for class and the models or the assistant must pay the salon a service fee for the haircut!!

So the salon is charging the model for us to learn and practice these haircuts on them. I always thought that the reason people became assistants, is to learn and be trained by the more seasoned veterans. So in exchange for education, we agree to be paid minimum wage. Is is normal for the salon to charge these fees every time we learn a new haircut? Or is this an unconventional method?

I would really like to hear your feedback.

russnyc
Posts: 1046
Platinum Member

Models
Posted: Sunday, November 18, 2007 2:48:15 PM

The challenge nowadays is that companies like Aveda and Bumble & bumble have made an industry out of doing models in a class of a salon. The good thing about this is that your models have a pretty good chance of converting into clients because they PAID for the session, it is my experience 20 years ago it was a very difficult thing to get people to commit to a class because if it is free there must be something wrong with it.

I have a tough time imagining why they would make the student pay, but here goes- They have to pay the stylist/educator to oversee the class and develop the programs necessary for the assistant to develop, most salons don't budget this and it IS quite an investment of hours for someone to commit to. None of the stylists I assisted for were paid for their expertise, but educators can command $100 or more an hour in a professional teaching setting. The money also needs to cover overhead, such as receptionist pay to come in early or leave late while class is in session, and materials like haircolor and class materials.

Honestly, there is no room in today's salon budget to cover this overhead from others salaries, and the color backbar used in a class situation gets very expensive because of mistakes.

There always reasons not to make a larger commitment to your career, ask yourself if this is really a reason to bow out, or commit to the larger picture of how it fits into the grand scheme of your career.