Barbering Courses London
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Find a barbering course in London
You can find reviews of full and part-time courses, plus our thoughts on London’s best diplomas and barbering NVQ qualifications.
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If you’re a bit overwhelmed with the number of courses in the capital, you can sit back and let us do the heavy lifting. To get started, fill in the contact form above, and a member of our student enrollment team will be in touch to discuss your needs.
We’ve built relationships with colleges, training academies and barbershops in London, and once we understand your requirements, we’ll recommend a barbering course that suits your needs.
Our reviews are honest and unbiased, and as part of our research, we speak with the training providers and their students. This gives us a broad perspective of the course and insight into the quality of training.
To help you make an informed decision, we strip back each course and show you exactly what’s on offer. The reviews are also categorised to make it easier to find the perfect barbering course near you. Finally, we have details of barbershops in London that take on apprentices, and you could find this information useful if you’re looking for employment opportunities.
We consider the price, course content, assessment criteria, and the provider’s reputation when we put together our list of the best barbering courses in London. We’ll update the list as we review more training providers and receive feedback from previously enrolled students.
Stasi Barbers & Academy
Located in the London borough of Islington, Stasi Barbers is a family-run barbershop offering a range of affordable barber training courses. Running successfully for nearly 50 years, they provide NVQ-accredited courses for beginners and experienced students.
We recommend taking their 10-week NVQ Level 2 full-time barbering course if you’re inexperienced. At £3,600, it’s excellent value for money, and it’s one of the cheapest NVQ courses in London. You can expect the highest quality training with fantastic reviews and a maximum class size of 6 students per session.
As well as being reasonably priced, Stasi Barbers also provide you with a barber kit free of charge. You can use the equipment throughout your course, and it’ll save you between £200 and £400, depending on the cost of your kit. In addition, if you bring your own kit with you, Stasi will knock £200 off the cost of your course, bringing the total down to £3,400. All in all, it’s a great deal.
The course runs 4-days a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. You’ll train from 10am to 4pm, and your attendance is mandatory.
You can contact Stasi Barbers through the details below;
Address
Stasi Barbers
75 Junction Road,
Archway,
London, N19 5QU
Phone Number
Email address
London School of Barbering
The London School of Barbering run a 14-week evening course. Located in London, Liverpool Street, LSB are a barbering school with a good reputation in the industry, qualifying over 500 barbers each year.
This course teaches you everything from basic cutting techniques to advanced disconnect hair cuts. You’ll receive a Level 2 NVQ Barbering Diploma from LSB when you pass, and you’re ‘job-ready’ when you do. The qualification allows you to work in a salon, barbershop, or in the wider industry, so ask LSB about any local vacancies as you approach the end of your training.
The course runs for 14 weeks, Monday to Thursday, and each lesson is three hours long. The lessons start at 6pm and end at 9pm. The course costs £4,099, and a 5% discount is available if you book three months in advance.
It’s worth noting that you’ll have to pay for your training kit yourself. Some training academies in London provide you with equipment free of charge, but LSB does not. Instead, they recommend purchasing your kit from Cool Blades for £549.
You can contact the London School of Barbering through the details below;
Address
13 Artillery Ln,
London E1 7LP
United Kingdom
Phone Number
Email Address
Alan d Hairdressing Education
Based in Farringdon Central London.Alan d Hairdressing Education work out of a modern and spacious workspace. Established over 60 years ago, they’re considered one of the best training academies in the London area. Alan d Hairdressing Education is well known across the industry, training some of the best and brightest barbers in the capital.
We highly recommend Alan d’s NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Barbering if you need a part-time course. The course runs for 12-weeks, with a total of 60 days of training. You can attend part-time, but only if you train on three consecutive days each week.
During your training, you’ll learn how to cut hair using clippers, scissors, and trimmers. Clients in London love a wet shave, and this course covers the particular skill in great detail. At the end of the course, you’ll receive an NVQ Level 2 qualification, allowing you to work in any barbershop in London.
At £6,000, the course isn’t the cheapest, but you are paying for high-quality tuition.
Address
4 West Smithfield
Farringdon, London EC1A 9JX
Phone Number
Academy vs college-based courses
There are many barber training courses in London, each with a unique set of characteristics. Before you make your decision, consider the qualification on offer, course length, cost, delivery method and type of provider, i.e. training academy vs a college.
It’s easy to overlook the last point, but there are key differences between academies and college-based courses.
Price
One of the big differences between college-based courses and private academies is the price. College courses are cheaper as many sites receive government funding or financial support.
Most private academies will need to turn a profit to stay in business, which often leads to higher prices.
Range of courses and qualifications
Colleges will offer a wider range of courses and qualifications. Most colleges will offer courses at levels 1, 2 and 3, with some sites offering both NVQs and Diplomas. Training academies tend to offer fewer courses – this isn’t always bad as it’s less confusing for learners – but it does mean the academy may not offer your ideal course or qualification.
Approved centres
Some employers will ask for a specific qualification from an awarding body before hiring you. For example, you might need an NVQ level 2 barbering qualification from either City and Guilds or VTCT before getting your first job as a barber.
If a specific qualification is required, check that the academy or college is a registered centre of that awarding body.
Tutors
The standard of teaching in college-based courses can range from exceptional to mediocre. You can find great tutors at college. However, we’ve seen many complaints about uninterested trainers and classes where the tutors change weekly.
Bespoke training academies tend to have dedicated tutors who have worked in the business for several years. This usually leads to a higher standard of teaching and a reputation that you can crosscheck before signing up.
College based barber courses in London
| College | Course | Qualification | Duration | Study Mode | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waltham Forest College | Barbering Level 2 - Fast-track | NVQ Diploma | 6 Months | Part-time: Two days a week | £1,456 |
| Newham College | Barbering Level 3: Adults | Certificate in Barbering | 36 Weeks | Part-time: Two days a week | £1,645 |
| College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London | Barbering Level 2 Diploma | Level 2 Diploman | 1 Year | Full Time | Free |
Evening and part-time courses
An evening or part-time barbering course could be the ideal solution if you cannot train during the day or complete a full-time course.
Evening courses
You can fit an evening course around your current commitments, and in most cases, you will end up in a class with fewer students than an equivalent daytime course.
On the one hand, smaller class sizes allow supervisors to spend more time reviewing their students’ work. While on the other, the trainer might charge more for the course – due to fewer students signing up.
Part-time courses
Part-time courses are pretty flexible, and you may have the option of choosing your working days. Before picking a course, check the terms and conditions to see if there are a minimum number of days per week you need to come in. It’s also worth looking out for clauses requiring you to come in on consecutive days. Remember, part-time will mean different things to different training providers, so make sure you do your research before settling on a course.
Uxbridge College’s Introduction to Barbering: Part time evening course
If you can’t complete a full-time course, you can try Uxbridge College’s introduction to barbering. It’s a part-time course with evening lessons, perfect if you plan on fitting training around work, study or other responsibilities.
It’s a 6-week course that combines practical teaching with theoretical knowledge, at the cost of £199, the course is affordable too.
As it’s an intro course, you won’t be able to work in a barbershop right away, but after passing, you can enrol on a ‘job-ready’ NVQ Level 2 course.
How much can you earn working as a barber in London?
Depending on the barbershop’s location, junior barbers in London can expect a salary of between £14,000 and £20,000 a year. This works out at between £54 and £77 a day. In contrast, a newly qualified barber can expect to earn between £40 and £60 a day outside of London.
Once you’ve worked as a junior barber for around 2 to 3 years, you stand a good chance of being promoted to a senior role. As with any promotion, you can expect a salary increase to follow, and senior barbers in London earn between £90 to £130 a day, not including tips.
Use a job board and find job adverts on Reed to build out the context behind the salary in that particular location.
What character traits do you need to be a success in this role?
Working as a barber in London can be challenging but very rewarding. The key character traits of a good barber are;
Reliability
As most barbershops in London book their clients through a central system, you’ll be assigned a set number of clients for any given day. If you’re unreliable and miss work at short notice, you could mess up the rota, which could disappoint and frustrate lots of customers.
A good barber is dependable and someone you rely on.
Punctuality
Being punctual is of the utmost importance when working as a barber. Most clients will book an appointment before coming to the barbershop, and if you’re consistently late, you could delay all your clients for the day or rush your earlier customers to get back some of your time.
London is a busy city, and your clients and manager won’t take kindly to repeated bouts of tardiness.
Good communication skills
You need to speak English fluently to work as a barber in London. Most of your clients will speak English, and you must communicate well to deliver good customer service. If you cannot express your ideas or communicate your intentions, it could frustrate your clients and lead to a breakdown in the relationship.
FAQs
It really depends on the training provider. Some academies provide the kit or give you a discount if you bring your own, while others require you to buy the kit outright.
Purchasing kit can be expensive, so make sure you factor the cost into any decision you make.
Again, it really depends on the training provider. For example, LSB gives you two options when it comes to payment. You can either pay a 10% deposit to secure your place on the course – £409.90p if you’re paying the deposit on the 14-week evening course – or pay the course fee in full.
Some training providers may allow you to pay for your course in equal instalments, while others might work with a lender to help you get credit. With course fees being expensive, many academies provide flexible payment options, so it’s worth enquiring as you could nab yourself a better deal.
Check the terms and conditions before signing up if you’re worried about changing your mind after purchase. Some courses have a cooling-off period – which you should have by law – while others are non-refundable. It’s always wise to read the terms and conditions before choosing a course.