Barber School: Become A Barber In New York
Being a barber can be a rewarding career, both personally and financially. But to become a barber you need to be trained and qualified at a reputable barber school.
At Pall Mall Barbers, our experts have created a guide to becoming a barber in New York at the Best Barber School. We’ll talk about everything from responsibilities, salary, skills, and what to expect from barber school.
Learn More About Barbering
Whether you have always wanted to be a barber as a kid, or whether you are considering a change of career, it’s important to understand everything about barbering before your start training to be a barber. You should understand what a barber does, what you will need to learn, what the benefits are, and what challenges you may face.
What Does a Barber Do?
It’s obvious that as a barber you will cut, style, and groom men’s hair. That means the hair on their head and their face, so you will shave and trim beards and mustaches too. But as a professional barber, you will also be responsible for hygiene as well as health and safety. This includes keeping your tools, the chair, and your barbershop clean, especially in times like this in a global pandemic.
You will also need to be an expert in your trade. Your clients will often rely on your knowledge to guide them towards the right styles for them and the right aftercare too. So that means you need to understand how different haircuts suit different face shapes, which cuts need lots of maintenance, and how all the different types of hair act after being cut.
The Benefits Of Being A Barber
Being a barber comes with many benefits, from pay to flexibility. It is also an incredibly social and active job, so you will seldom find yourself bored or lonely.
Flexibility In Hours
As a barber, it is up to you how many hours you want to work. You can decide how many clients you have in a day and between what hours, so you can have full control over how and when you work.
But bear in mind that the number of hours you choose to work will affect how much you earn.
Demand – Everyone Needs A Haircut
Everyone needs a haircut, which means that your pool of potential clients is huge. In New York alone there are 2300 barbers for 8.5 million people. That means that most barbers have jobs and clients before they even finish barber school.
How To Become A Barber
If you want to become a barber you will need to train and gain specialized knowledge of barbering. Training requirements and qualifications can vary from state to state, so make sure you check before enrolling.
What Qualification Do I Need To Be A Barber In New York?
To practice as a qualified barber in New York, you will need to:
- Submit a Barber Apprentice Application to the New York State Division
- Find a licensed barber to be your registered mentor
- Train for two years with them
- Register for the New York State barber exam
- Pass the New York State barber exam
How Long Does It Take to Become A Trained Barber?
The length of your barber training usually depends on the state you live in and what type of training you choose.
In New York, a barber apprenticeship lasts for two years in order to complete the New York State barber exam. However, in some states, an apprenticeship is just one year.
How Much Does Barber School Cost?
In New York, a typical barber school can cost upwards of $10,000. Some even charge $20,000 for a complete barber course.
The cost of barber school can vary depending on:
- Training Hours
- Location
- Supplies
What Will I Learn In At Barber School?
When you enrol in barbering school you will learn everything you need to know to work as a barber in the real world.
You will learn how to cut, style, trim and shave hair. You’ll learn what tools you need and what each tool can do. And you’ll also learn how to keep your barbershop and tools clean.
A typical barber school syllabus includes both hands-on and theoretical learning, including:
- Hygiene Standards
- Health And Safety
- Customer Service
- Scalp & Skin Anatomy
- Laws & Regulations
- Tools
- Cutting techniques
- Styling Techniques
- Beard Grooming
- Shaving Techniques
- Shampooing
- Hot Towel Treatments
How Do I Find the Best Barber School Near Me?
If you have decided that barbering is the career for you, you will need to find the best barber school near you to train.
When looking for a barber school you need to do a lot of research, visit different places, and ask a lot of questions. You will want to make sure:
- You get real-world experience
- Your tutors are practising barbers
- Consider the cost and travel time
- You get support transitioning from school to the workplace
Our Barber School
At our Pall Mall Barber School, you will learn how to cut hair, style hair, groom, and hot towel shave. Our experienced and specialist barbers will teach you how to become masters of the art of barbering. We aren’t a cosmetology school or a college. We are barbers.
Pall Mall Barbers Barber School are a team of specialists who still work and practice as barbers in the real world. You will get real-world experience with us. You will learn in a real barbershop environment and cut hundreds of clients’ hair as you master the art of being a barber at our Barber School. Once you have completed your training, we will support you in finding your first job as a barber – we could even offer to employ you at our Pall Mall Barbershop.
More Frequently Asked Questions
1) How long does it take to become a barber?
Barber school typically requires 1,500 hours, which takes about 10 months to complete. Students in these barbering programs take coursework in theory and receive hands-on training in hair-cutting techniques.
2) Is becoming a barber worth it?
Barbering brings a lot of benefits—you can make great money, the job security is next level (c’mon, people will always need their hair taken care of), there’s lots of customer interaction, and you get to tap into both your creative and business savvy sides.
3) Is it hard to learn barbering?
Being a Barber is not hard, but being a good Barber can take years to achieve a profitable working routine. … Anyone can do the bare minimum in any working field, but if you want to leave a legacy and a substantial profit in this business learning all of the aspects of barbering will take effort.
4) What is the difference between barber school vs cosmetology?
Barbering and cosmetology are two different things, barbering is the grooming, cutting, and styling of men’s hair, cosmetology is the study and application of beauty treatments such as skin care cosmetics manicures and pedicures, waxing, and permanent hair removal procedures. (trained and licensed to perform treatments to hair skin and nails).
5) What is the difference between barber school vs apprenticeship?
The difference between barber school/college and an apprenticeship:
Barber school = an intense course over a period of 12 – 6 months (longer in some cases) learning everything from how to hold a pair of scissors to how to cut and style complex men’s haircuts
Apprenticeship = based at a college or a school, you will do all of your learning of barbering including health and safety at the school and spend 4 days a week in the barbershop and one day a week in the college/school
6) Barber School how long does it take?
Barber school can range from 10 weeks to a year depending on how intense the course structure is and how regularly you attend.
7) What is the best barber school?
The best barber school is the barbershop itself! , taking learning and progression slowly allowing yourself to take every detail and technique onboard. The most popular barber schools in New York are the New York school of barbering and inspire.
8) What is taught in barber school?
Everything from cutting and styling men’s hair to skin fades and shaving and beard trims are also taught health and safety. And the structure and science behind hair and skin.
9) What barber school is like?
In barber school you will be in a class of students, you will start with learning the basics of the science behind hair and health and safety, then move onto how to hold and use your equipment and tools, once this is done you will begin learning the basics on dolls heads, before moving onto real-life people, performing basic haircuts, then moving onto more complex haircuts once techniques and confidence are gained. shaving and beards will follow towards the end of the course.
You will then receive your NVQ diploma in barbering. And be ready to go into the shop as a junior barber or apprentice.
10) Can you go to barber school with no experience?
Yes, we will teach you everything you need to know to become the best barber in town.
11) How much does Barber School cost?
In New York, a typical barber school can cost upwards of $10,000. Some even charge $20,000 for a complete barber course
12) How long is the barber school?
10 weeks – 6 months – 1 year depends on intensity and regularity of attendance