To think I could be a mobile hairdresser and work school hours?

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I have worked in a boring office job(s) since I left uni. I currently work 9.30-2.30 in a minimum wage admin job. Great for school hours but dull. I pay for a holiday club in the school holidays which DC would prefer not to go to. I have inherited a small amount of money which would allow me to retrain. I have always wanted to be a hairdresser (which my parents discouraged) and have found a Saturday nvq at a local college which I could do while working. AIBU to think I could become a mobile hairdresser working school hours? And maybe have the schools hols off? Or do most people want evening/weekend appointments? Am I living in fantasy land or is there anyone that does this? I have also got excited looking at beauty courses too which are run part time. I really want to overhaul my life instead of spending my days in a dull job but still want to work school hours! Anyone hairdressers/beauticians or anyone that uses one I would be grateful of any advice!

Hi op!! I'm sure there are loads of people who would be happy with school times but you may find that this will be massively reducing your client base. For me I have a 9m dd and I would absolutely hate to get my hair done at home when she's there it would be zero relaxation because if have to watch her. When she's at nursery I'm at work.
I would choose a time when dh is home like after 6pm or weekends etc

I think you would probably find that when you turn someone down for an evening or afternoon appointment they won't use you again as they have other options and you would need to be flexible.

The mobile hairdresser I use (I work from home, so can do email while she does my hair) says most of her clients have small children/babies so school hours is her busiest time. She also does nails, so its a perfect solution if getting to a salon is an issue for people

Well you won't be cutting any school children's hair in those hours. Or anyone who works during the daytime.
Also, I guess you wouldn't want to work in the holidays either, so that would rule out much of the lucrative Christmas work.

My mum's retired and has a mobile hairdresser every week. I know the hairdresser does a lot of pensioners' hair and is very busy. She is very quick - shampoo and set for my mum yesterday took 20 minutes - but it's also cheap - about £8. I know she works in the evenings, too, as she'll chat about her day and it often doesn't end until 9 pm. Sometimes she'll do a whole family, but she said that people were funny about payment - eg if she's waiting 20 minutes for a colour to develop, they think she might as well cut all the children's hair for nothing. That 20 minutes, in a salon, would mean you could cut someone else's hair, but when you're in their house you're stuck.

My best friend is a very successful mobile hairdresser. The vast majority of her appointments are evenings and after school. You cannot really expect to retain a client base taking off 6 weeks during the holidays. Your regulars are your bread and butter.

Thank you that is useful info. I hadn't thought about not being able to do a whole family's hair as their dc at school. Hmmm I might need to think of something else as I don't want to drag my DC round with me while cutting people's hair either!

You might get some retired folk and mums with pre schoolers but I always prefer a Saturday morning or the school holidays as I'm a teacher.

I guess being a hairdresser will just have to remain what I would of done in another life! My dh works shits including nights and weekends so I don't think this could work

My sis is a hairdresser. She was mobile and now has a salon at home. She only works school hours but she also works all day on a Saturday and that's where she makes most of her money. She also does the Brazilian blow dries which are about £100 a time so that bumps her income up quite a lot. I think she charges more or less the same as a salon and she's rushed off her feet so if you decide to go down that route then don't undersell yourself.

Could you have clients come to you in the evenings?.

As mentioned before- pensioners are a good market for school hours. My MIL has recently moved into a retirement flat and likes her hair washed and set regularly. As the same mobile hairdresser services a lot of other ladies in the building too, I think she makes a fair bit. I go to my hairdresser but have a visiting beautician who always comes during the day - I work part time so it suits me very well.

Op if you really really want to be a hairdresser then do it. You only get one shot at life and your children won't be children forever.

The thing is, hairdressing in general is nowhere near as lucrative as it used to be.

I remember years ago, you couldn't get an appointment for love nor money on a Friday and Saturday for example, unless you booked well in advance.

Every hairdressers on the high street (and there were loads) used to be buzzing, especially during those times.

But since most of over the over 60s no longer go for a shampoo and set, and people in general rarely just go for a blow-dry, mainly due to the popularity of hair straighteners, the salons have very much lost their 'bread and butter' clients, who brought in a steady income.

Add to that the fact many people expect mobile hairdressers to be cheaper, due to having less overheads and you'll be missing out on the school haircuts trade, and you might find yourself on far less than minimum wage when you look at your monthly income.

As long as you bear that in mind and it's not going to break the bank while you try to build up a steady client base, it might be ok.

Sorry to sound gloomy and good luck

I think there are lots of potential clients! By asking on here you have automatically reached a lot of people with school age children but some of us are older! The only problem I would have would be the holidays, especially Christmas, but personally I'd have no problems with my hairdresser bringing a child & dvd's, toys etc. There is quite a lot of waiting time if you're having colour etc when you could see to your child.

My friend does school hours only. She also does nails, eyebrows and lashes. She is very busy. Lots of shift workers, pensioners, retail people who work every Saturday.

She also does the Brazilian blow dries which are about £100 a time

She points her hairdryer at a small strip of fanny hair and charges £100??

I'm in the wrong job

I always imagined that hairdressers needed to do their training in a salon and work their way up, rather than being able to set up on their own straight away? I have a mobile hairdresser, but I know she ran her own salon for a while, and she is very experienced. I think I'd be a bit wary of a newly qualified hairdresser, without the backing of experienced colleagues to sort things out if she screwed up!

That said, I think there probably is a living to be made in school hours, e.g. going round nursing homes. My hairdresser works saturday mornings from her home with her children often there, which is fine as they are lovely and well behaved.

I think if you enjoy cutting hair you should go for it but not the mobile variety. People will expect dirt cheap prices and you will be stressed instead of bored.

You absolutely could do that, especially if you are happy to work in hospitals and nursing homes.
And dont forget, people on psychiatric wards are in desperate need of this kind of service.

I've considered this. I want to train to cut curly hair - no one does it here

And to answer your question I absolutely think you could do it in school time only.

worraliberty it's the semi permanent straightening system.

Go for it if you want to do it.... However my friend recently did hairdressing on one of the Saturday courses. She said because youre learning it in one day they really rush through it and those that really blossomed were the ones that could get more experience in a salon. Just something to bare in mind.

Also train to do hair extensions. They are about £350 for a head and people far prefer having that done at home as it takes so long to do. I think it depends where you are in the country as to demand but where I am the hairdressers are heaving and it's almost impossible to get an appointment within a couple of weeks

OP, you sound really excited about being a hairdresser – and you have your inheritance money, which sounds like a great opportunity. Maybe you should look into it very seriously before giving up?

I get my hair cut at home on a weekday. I work at home for myself and am always very busy, so it's a godsend having someone come to me instead of having to go to a salon. I only have to take five minutes to wash my hair and then about twenty minutes for the cut itself.

Depending on the demographics of where you live, work-at-home people might be a good market for you.