Hairdressing is one profession that always remains in vogue, whether you’re working as a hairdresser in an existing studio, going to the homes of your customers to render your services, or building your salon.
To become a hairdresser in Ontario, you must register and become a participant in a certified hairstyling school. Apprenticeship under a licensed hairstylist is also compulsory because it’s a prerequisite needed to be qualified to write the provincial certification exam. If this is done, you’d be able to acquire a license and become an official hairdresser.
A lot of people see hairdressing as a very exciting and attractive profession; however, it requires a lot of dedication and effort to be on top of the game. As new trends in hairstyles evolve every day so must the hairdresser evolve with the growing trend. The available hairstyling programs in Ontario have a way of equipping you for a prosperous career in the beauty industry.
How To Become A Hairdresser In Ontario
You will need to follow the below easy steps to become a hairdresser in Ontario, and legally ply your trade in the state.
1. Register and become a participant in a certified hairstyling school. Ensure that you finish an accredited diploma program that is not less than 1500 hours. Ensure that the college has its name registered under the official list of the Private Career Colleges.
2. After graduating from hairstyling school, the next step is to become an apprentice. At this stage you become referred to as a junior stylist; however, keep in mind that the apprenticeship must be observed under a licensed hairstylist.
3. After a successful enrollment of your apprenticeship, you can forge ahead to have your apprenticeship documented officially at any MTCU office near you.
4. You just have to keep working at your new job to have a proper knack of the skill. A minimum of 2000 working hours must be completed under the guidance of your guarantor. If you’re working for the normal time standard which is 40 hours per week, an estimation of the time spent for the apprenticeship will be a year.
5. Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, the next line of action is to undertake the Qualifications Assessment Examination; however, this is after you have shown a piece of evidence indicating your high school certification of 1500 hours and an apprenticeship of 2000hours. You must score above 70% in the examination to become a licensed hairstylist. The cost of the exam is about $100 each time it is written. For example, if the exam is written three times in a row and such a person fails in all three, evidence of educational advancement needs to be submitted before such a person can be eligible to rewrite the exam.
6. After passing the exam, your journey to becoming a hairdresser becomes official. You become free to open up your hair salon anywhere in Ontario.
You can either opt to train in a saloon or attend a training school. Let’s look at the peculiarities of both means;
Training In A Hair Salon
This is one phase of the apprenticeship program that has to deal with practical experience carried out in a hair salon by a professional stylist. The major skills that ought to be acquired during this phase are:
- Carrying out sanitization protocols
- Carrying out the daily routines in the saloon
- Giving treatment to the skin on top of the head and the hair
- Performing basic services
- The safety rules and regulations to be adhered to in a salon
Training In The School
Apart from training in a hair salon, the apprenticeship program also takes place in the classroom where subjects on hairstyling are taught. Such subjects include:
- Safety protocols in a salon
- Treatments for hair and scalps
- How to cut and make styles to the hair
- How to weave and relax the hair
- Functions of a salon
- Conferring with clients to determine their hairdressing needs, preferences, and specifications.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Hairdresser In Ontario?
In Ontario, the apprenticeship program comprises two things which are training in a hair salon and training in a school. An apprenticeship program takes about two years and it is made up of 3,020 hours of training in a hair salon and also 480 hours of training in the school. Before one can be eligible for this program, the minimum requirement is a diploma from high school.
How Much Does A Hairdresser Make In Ontario?
An estimation of the salary that hairdressers earn in Ontario is about $29,560; however, the range of the salary is usually between $24,544 and $36,297. The salary that a hairdresser earns usually varies and it is dependent on many essential factors which are level of expertise, degree of education, amount of time spent doing the job.
Are Hairdressers In High Demand In Ontario?
There has been a prospect that for the next six years, new job opportunities will arise for hairstylists in Ontario, these new job openings are expected to turn out from increment demand and substitute demand. While people seeking a job are expected to fill the vacant positions, these new job seekers are awaited to come from students finishing from school, people coming into the country, and mobility.
Do I Need A License To Become A Hairdresser In Ontario?
The answer to this question is simply yes. To become a licensed hairstylist in Ontario it’s either you enroll for an apprenticeship and become registered under the college’s apprentice class or you sit for the qualification exam and come out successful in it then proceed to enroll in the college’s journeyman’s class.
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Duties Of A Hairdresser in Ontario
- They help to give suitable advice to their customers on the type of hairstyles that’s suitable for them based on their type of hair and other factors.
- The weaving of hair, revamping of wigs, making of wigs, dyeing of hair, relaxing of hair according to the preferences of the customer.
- They help to wash the customer’s hair by applying shampoo, conditioners and drying the hair.
- Applying treatments to the hair of their customers.
- Make use of various hairstyling stools such as hairdryers, rollers, straighteners, curling irons, and all others to add a particular form of design to the customer’s hair according to their preferences.
- Guide other young hairstylists who come in for apprenticeships.
- Ensure that health standards are met by cleaning all tools used before and after use.