Hairdressing Jobs in South Africa - A Great Career Option

There are many opportunities for hairdressing jobs in South Africa. A simple Google search for hairdressing jobs in South Africa listed over one hundred ads. This is no surprise given that hairdressers - also known as hair stylists - are in a recession proof industry; people need their hair cut and styled regardless of the economy. 

 

Duties of a Hairdresser

The duties of a hairdresser are varied. It starts with the simple cutting of the hair. There are different styles and lengths of hair and hairdressers need to know how to achieve the desired look. Additional duties include shampooing, tinting, and perming. Shampoos include both washing of hair and the use of hair conditioners to clean and provide texture to the hair. Tinting refers to changing the color of the hair. Perming is adding of curls and waves to hair. A qualified hairdresser is able to do all of these. Beyond these tasks, a hair dresser needs to keep a hygienic work station, have a pleasant personality, and be able to keep accurate records.

 

Career Opportunities in Hairdressing

Hairdressing is often thought of as a woman's domain, but that would be false. Both men and women become hair stylists and both men and women go to hair styling salons. Their career typically starts in a neighbourhood hair salon but once they become experienced, many move to new settings.

 

Neighbourhood Hair salons -  

Typically, one would begin their hairdressing career as a stylist working in a neighbourhood salon where they work with local residents providing hair care activities. Here they learn the basics of hairdressing. Most work as independent contractors, renting a chair from the salon owner.

Salon Owner -  

This is the most logical extension of a hair stylist's career. They know how to style hair, now they want to ensure their skills can optimize their income. As a business owner, they can earn money from the efforts of the hair stylists in addition to their own work. A salon owner is a business person, and as such they are responsible for leases, business licences, insurance, record-keeping and complying with all regulatory agencies. A business owner's potential income is only limited by the number of stylists they can keep busy.

Institutions -  

There are many government and private institutions that require resident hairdressers. Hairdressers can be either employees of the institution or they may be independent contractors providing hair care services to residents of that institution. These institutions include seniors' centres, hospitals, and prisons.

 

Spas -  

Hairdressers are an integral part of spa, their goal is to enhance one' self-image through improving their appearance. These spas are located throughout the world in international resorts, in city centres and business class hotels. One interesting option is cruise ships. These ships take cruisers on tours to exotic locations. Part of the cruising experience is the spa experience, hairdressers are essential to that experience.

 

Becoming a Hairdresser in South Africa

Become a hairdresser there are private colleges that offer hairdressing programs. It is important to ensure that they are SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) sanctioned. One could be trained privately but the SAQA diploma allows for better compensation and more opportunities. Initially, hairdressers would want to complete levels 2 and 3. Level 4 is for those who wish to own their own salon. Alternatively, one could start working in a salon with no formal training and apprentice under a hair dressing professional.

 

Statistics

For entry level hairdresser jobs in South Africa, pay starts at R18,000 (South African Rand) per year. After five years, the median wage for hairdressers in South Africa is R160,000 if they are working in a salon, R305,000 if they own the salon.

How to Get Top Paying Fitness Instructor Jobs in South Africa

If you love sport and you would like to turn that passion into a career, you can do so by focusing on qualifying to become a fitness instructor. There are plenty of fitness instructor jobs you may like to consider once you are qualified. Indeed if you want to take a peek into the career before you get started, let’s do that right now.

What kinds of fitness instructor positions are available?

While you’ll see lots of jobs available in this career, not all of them will be exactly the same. The role of a fitness instructor is varied and no two jobs are likely to be identical.

For example some instructors will be responsible for taking classes in various disciplines. These positions usually cover several classes so there is the opportunity here to follow your particular likes. For example you might take yoga classes and Zumba classes. In contrast another position might call for you to take aqua aerobics or perhaps even general fitness classes.

Do fitness instructors take jobs coaching individuals or groups of people?

They can do both. If you take a job in a fitness centre or sports centre you are more likely to take classes; however you may also work with individuals depending on where you work.

There is also the possibility of becoming self employed. Many Fitness Instructor Jobs decide to go down this route and it can be worth doing. It can be very rewarding to work one on one with someone over the course of several weeks or months, and sometimes longer. This is particularly the case if the person wants your assistance to help change their life for the better. Depending on the person’s goals you would create a plan for them that would help improve their fitness levels and also possibly reduce their weight.

Going self employed can be enormously rewarding if you have a good clientele. But it can also be a struggle if you find it difficult to get the clients you need to earn a reasonable income. However there is the potential to earn a very good living if you are able to build up a good reputation and get plenty of recommendations.

What should you expect when searching for fitness instructor jobs?

You might be surprised to see some variety in the jobs advertised. Some of the more general ones simply ask for a Fitness Instructor Training , and they may mention some areas in which you would be expected to have skills.

In other cases the opening may be a lot more specific. For instance some recent examples we saw included a pole dance fitness instructor, a personal trainer and a group fitness instructor. As you can see there is some variation in what you can expect to find.

So if you are aiming for a career as Become a Fitness Instructor you can see there are plenty of jobs out there to look for. The fitness industry is an ever increasing one in South Africa, and it offers many opportunities too.