Screenshot of Sophie McGaffney over Zoom Photo Credit (background): Adam Winger on Unsplash
No industry was left untouched by 2020, yet a few workplaces recurred on the news nightly. Stories of the hospitality, live events and beauty industries dominated the bulletins and were hard to forget.
Of all, hairdressing was, perhaps, the worst hit. For hairdressers, given the necessity of proximity, working was swiftly impossible. Many salons closed their doors forever and, without furlough, countless others would have followed suit.
The situation was far from ideal for those beginning their careers. With almost 40% of workers aged 16-24, what has it been like for young people starting out in the industry?
Over Zoom one Wednesday evening, while painting her nails for a much-deserved holiday, I spoke to Sophie McGaffney, a 19-year-old trainee working at an independent salon in Hamilton, Scotland.
Tired after a shift, she chatted about school, training throughout the pandemic and what her work-life looks like now. From our conversation, hairdressing is clearly about more than a perm or purple rinse.
On what it involves daily, Sophie said, “ensuring that the salon is clean and tidy, ready for clients coming in that afternoon or the next day. As an apprentice, I make sure the salon is well-equipped for stylists. I tidy up, lay out their colours and wash towels. I also cut, colour and dry hair, which I've been doing more as my training has progressed.”
Since starting training in 2019, Sophie has balanced a weekly college course and paid hours to qualify. She left school two years early, a hard-worker who never felt she reached her full potential there. Where education failed, hairdressing has provided confidence and qualifications.
Looking back on the transition, Sophie called hairdressing “a good job to start with if you’ve just left school and you're not the most academic person.”
“It’s a good alternative to the university route” and a career path many young people follow. While a positive substitute to traditional education, due to the age of employees and the volume of apprenticeships, salaries are lower than average.With low pay and off-and-on-again training, breaking into the industry has been near impossible in recent years.
Sophie echoes this. She enjoys her work but admitted, “it can be busy and stressful.” With over 140 days of closure in 2020, it’s no wonder Sophie is stressed. Training over the pandemic was hardly easy.
“It was challenging because hairdressing is a practical job,” she said, reflecting on the experience. “There's no other way round about it. It was not an ideal situation and the timing of the pandemic when I just started my training was difficult to deal with.”
Thankfully, she persevered. Like so many in her shoes, Sophie returned to work regularly in 2021. Yet, she resumed a different role. “Now we're back to the salon as normal but I've noticed clients or the public in general, are a lot less tolerant and aren't as accommodating as they used to be,” Sophie says.
Although, positively, she admits, “the salon has definitely changed in terms of cleanliness. We're much more thorough now and I think that's a positive change that's come after the lockdowns.”
During lockdown, the community and interaction that comes with hairdressing was stripped away. Especially for older clientele, a salon appointment, with its routine and socialisation, can be the highlight of their week. Only now is normality being regained, for customers and employees alike.
Sophie agreed that community is an important aspect of hairdressing. “But it can be challenging as well,” she said. “If people don't get the exact appointment they want when they want it, they're not happy. It can be hard to handle, like in any customer service role.”
As Sophie said, hairdressing is stressful and with a majority of women-owned businesses (over 80%), it is an industry that, alongside beauty, is frequently underestimated.
But, as her training comes to a close, and with a recent promotion and pay rise, it’s unlikely Sophie will be hanging up her scissors any time soon.
by Lauren Burns
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