Job search, feel hopeless

Tweety987

Just looking for advice on my situation not sure where else to ask. I'm a qualified beauty therapist currently working towards getting my Cidesco certificate which requires 600 hours work experience after passing the exam. I finished college last year and since then I've been doing a couple of days a week in a salon to finish the 600 hours required. I'm given a list of jobs to do when I come in which involve helping customers, booking appointments, cleaning, reception duties. I also do treatments every now and then but not that often as the boss is always busy and doesn't have time to train me in to her ways. It's also not guaranteed, some weeks I could be working others I get a text off the boss last minute to say she doesn't need me.

This is unpaid work so in the meantime I've been applying to other salons for paid work and also have applied to a lot of other entry level jobs but have been getting nowhere. I have had job interviews in other salons but they say I don't have enough experience or live too far away. I thought about freelancing but it's never a guaranteed wage and I do bits and bobs of friends and family at the minute.
One salon offered me a trial day she seemed very happy with the interview but a few days before the trial I get a text from her saying basically I should stay in the salon I'm in and that she wouldn't be able to pay me anyway until I'm finished the 600 hours which makes no sense to me because I am qualified. The course I did was 2 years, you are qualified after the first year. Doing the second year is your choice for a better qualification. I just don't know what to do anymore. I've even applied for supermarket jobs, cleaning jobs, fast food jobs, sale assistant I would do any job at this stage.

I don't understand why I can't get even a simple job that most people could do. I'm told I dress well, speak well, hardworking. I don't want to turn this post into a "poor me" because that's not like me at all, I bottle most things up I'm just feeling so deflated. I've even went around to the charity shops but they're full up. I'm constantly on job websites applying and I have went personally to the managers and handed in CVs but it makes no difference someone else always gets the job. I don't even feel happy anymore this is tainting everything. My life feels over before it's even begun. I know the longer I don't have a job the worse it will look but I don't know what else to do.

Any advice would be appreciated or even others in a similar situation:)

shanered

Now, apologies if this is not what you want to hear but here it goes, the beauty industry as is the fitness industry are saturated with people who want to work in them. In otherwords, there are countless people who picked the beauty salon route to work as is the fitness instructor industry.
Its more a supply/demand situation in my opinion.
Because of the supply of workers in this industry the economics dictates the terms which employers are offering which are terrible as you have pointed out.
That's not to say the industry itself is not booming but the money is made but the employer not the employee.
Your going to have a hard grind to establish yourself in such a compeditive industry such as the one you chose. Nixers are a way to make money but you got few options other than grind your 600 hours out. You should look at your social welfare entitlements if you are below minimum thresholds until you complete your 600 hours.
Keep the chin up, visit salons, get business cards, walk in and drop cards telling them your looking for work, be as open to possibilites as you can be, network as much as you can to give you that edge. As said before, its a compeditive industry even though as you put it, its not rocket science.

Tweety987

shanered wrote: »

Now, apologies if this is not what you want to hear but here it goes, the beauty industry as is the fitness industry are saturated with people who want to work in them. In otherwords, there are countless people who picked the beauty salon route to work as is the fitness instructor industry.
Its more a supply/demand situation in my opinion.
Because of the supply of workers in this industry the economics dictates the terms which employers are offering which are terrible as you have pointed out.
That's not to say the industry itself is not booming but the money is made but the employer not the employee.
Your going to have a hard grind to establish yourself in such a compeditive industry such as the one you chose. Nixers are a way to make money but you got few options other than grind your 600 hours out. You should look at your social welfare entitlements if you are below minimum thresholds until you complete your 600 hours.
Keep the chin up, visit salons, get business cards, walk in and drop cards telling them your looking for work, be as open to possibilites as you can be, network as much as you can to give you that edge. As said before, its a compeditive industry even though as you put it, its not rocket science.

Oh I realise they're saturated but only realised after I finished the course and tried finding work. If I'd known how hard it was to get a job in this industry I would never of picked it. Now I feel like I'm stuck because even if I wanted to go back to college to do something else I couldn't afford it.

MissShihTzu

OP - Can you not finish your hours any way you can, and set up your own business? Perhaps you could run a mobile business?

Just an idea.

Cupcake_Crisis

Op, I'm a beauty therapist too so I know where you're coming from.

If you're working towards CIDESCO I assume that you have ITEC/CIBTAC or both? If so you shouldn't be working for free or still doing the grunt work at this stage. That's what work experience is for, or even the first month or 2 in a new salon.

In my opinion, your boss is taking advantage and will continue to do so. You need to sit and have a chat with her, but be prepared to walk away. I've seen it happen before, salons keep people there until they have to pay them then boot them. It's horrible, but it happens.

Keep doing your bits on the side but put the money away towards courses to up skill and make yourself as valuable as possible. I don't know where you did your course, but mine was quite basic. When I wanted to qualify in gel nails, advanced waxing, lashes etc I had to do it from my own pocket. You should to if you can't find a salon willing to invest in you and send you on them.

While I agree that the beauty industry is over saturated, there is always work for a good beauty therapist. Another avenue to go down would be to pick one or 2 aspects and get as good as possible at it. Whether it's skin care or waxing or whatever try to make yourself a go to girl for that one thing, you'll always be busy!

I know it can be disheartening but try to stick it out! If you want any other help feel free to pm me, been there done that!

Tweety987

Cupcake_Crisis wrote: »

Op, I'm a beauty therapist too so I know where you're coming from.

If you're working towards CIDESCO I assume that you have ITEC/CIBTAC or both? If so you shouldn't be working for free or still doing the grunt work at this stage. That's what work experience is for, or even the first month or 2 in a new salon.

In my opinion, your boss is taking advantage and will continue to do so. You need to sit and have a chat with her, but be prepared to walk away. I've seen it happen before, salons keep people there until they have to pay them then boot them. It's horrible, but it happens.

Keep doing your bits on the side but put the money away towards courses to up skill and make yourself as valuable as possible. I don't know where you did your course, but mine was quite basic. When I wanted to qualify in gel nails, advanced waxing, lashes etc I had to do it from my own pocket. You should to if you can't find a salon willing to invest in you and send you on them.

While I agree that the beauty industry is over saturated, there is always work for a good beauty therapist. Another avenue to go down would be to pick one or 2 aspects and get as good as possible at it. Whether it's skin care or waxing or whatever try to make yourself a go to girl for that one thing, you'll always be busy!

I know it can be disheartening but try to stick it out! If you want any other help feel free to pm me, been there done that!

Yeah I'm ITEC qualified but working towards Cidesco. I do feel that I'm being taken advantage of to just clean the place for free and at reception but I know if I say it to the boss she will just say that's all I can offer you and let me go. I'm trying to be positive in the industry but I just have no motivation anymore when I'm just being used. And I wouldn't have much confidence in myself already and this just makes it worse. It's nearly making me depressed at this stage. And yeah my course was quite basic too so I will look into other courses:)

Cupcake_Crisis

Tweety987 wrote: »

Yeah I'm ITEC qualified but working towards Cidesco. I do feel that I'm being taken advantage of to just clean the place for free and at reception but I know if I say it to the boss she will just say that's all I can offer you and let me go. I'm trying to be positive in the industry but I just have no motivation anymore when I'm just being used. And I wouldn't have much confidence in myself already and this just makes it worse. It's nearly making me depressed at this stage. And yeah my course was quite basic too so I will look into other courses:)

How long have you been in this salon for? After a few weeks they should be at least letting you do basic treatments, or letting you bring people in to do treatments on at a reduced rate to get the experience.

By the sounds of it this salon isn't offering you a lot so you're not missing out on much by walking away. It also sounds like she has no intention or keeping you on once you get yout cidesco. industry changes quite quickly so if you're wasting months being a free cleaner your skills will start to become outdated.

Tweety987

Cupcake_Crisis wrote: »

How long have you been in this salon for? After a few weeks they should be at least letting you do basic treatments, or letting you bring people in to do treatments on at a reduced rate to get the experience.

By the sounds of it this salon isn't offering you a lot so you're not missing out on much by walking away. It also sounds like she has no intention or keeping you on once you get yout cidesco. industry changes quite quickly so if you're wasting months being a free cleaner your skills will start to become outdated.

I've been there for a few months on and off. I also don't understand why I'm not doing even basic treatments I'd love to be able to do even an Eyelash tint on clients or a file and Polish. This just knocks my confidence more I must not even be good enough for basic treatments. Even though realistically I did really well in my Itec and cidesco exams. I do treatments on friends and family to keep my skills up.

Cupcake_Crisis

Tweety987 wrote: »

I've been there for a few months on and off. I also don't understand why I'm not doing even basic treatments I'd love to be able to do even an Eyelash tint on clients or a file and Polish. This just knocks my confidence more I must not even be good enough for basic treatments. Even though realistically I did really well in my Itec and cidesco exams. I do treatments on friends and family to keep my skills up.

The only advice I can give you I'd to talk to your boss, tell her that she's knocking your confidence badly and if she can't offer you adequate training in return for your labour then you'll have to leave. Send out CVs relentlessly, even for positions you feel under qualified for, you may not get the job but you'll get the interview experience.

Have you thought about renting a room in the back of a hairdressers? It can be a daunting set up, but often comes with an existing client base. Start keeping an online portfolio of you nail work/lashes/brows for salons to look at.