Your Guide to Barbering Courses in the UK in 2025

Maybe you’re searching for barbering courses because you’re considering a career change, or perhaps you’re just leaving school and are ready to start your barber training. Whatever your reason, becoming a barber is a very rewarding and interesting career.

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1. How to Become a Barber in the UK?
2. How Much do Barbers Make in the UK?
3. How to Find the Best Barber Courses in the UK?
4. Conclusion

How to Become a Barber in the UK?

Ultimately, the barber training option that you choose will be determined by the amount of time you want to spend learning and your budget. Of course, your age and any previous learning or skills you’ve acquired can also factor into this.

Let’s take a closer look at what barbering students can expect as they begin their journey.

What Are the Requirements for Becoming a Barber in the UK?

Minimum Age: Whether you’re starting a barbering course or about to train as an apprentice, you’ll need to be at least 16 years old. Of course, many mature students enroll in a barber course much later (some even do this as a second career later in life).

Educational Requirements: If you’re enrolling in a barbering course at a college, they’ll expect beginners to have two or more GCSEs with good marks (usually grades 9 to 4) or the equivalent.

If you’re starting as an apprentice, you’ll most likely need some GCSEs, including English and Maths. It’s possible that you can be hired on and work to upgrade these as you train, depending on your situation.

General Skills: You’ll also need good customer service, listening and communication skills as well as a strong interest in the hair care industry and good manual dexterity.

How Long Does It Take To Become A Barber In The UK?

This depends on the type of training that you choose.

A barber training course at a school or college takes one or two years to complete and covers a broad range of techniques and skills related to haircuts, skin care and beard care. You can enroll in a fast track barbering course that lasts about eight weeks to learn the basics. Finally, the average barbers apprenticeship usually lasts two to three years.

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How To Join A Barber School?

Taking the first steps and joining a barber academy or college course is actually fairly easy, as long as you stay organized and do your research first.

• Choose your barbering school: There are so many schools for barbers out there that the first step in how to join barber school is choosing the one that’s right for you.

  Decide on a private barbering academy or barber course at a local college. You can begin by simply searching things like “Fast track barbering courses near me” and seeing what comes up, then narrowing down your options based on the structure and length of each program, along with any specializations offered that you’re interested in.

• Double-check the barber course: Make sure that it provides you with an NVQ (national Vocational Qualification) certificate upon graduation. This is essential if you want to work in the U.K. as a barber.

• Get your credentials ready: Students will usually need access to a copy of their transcripts with GCSEs to apply to a college course or barber training academy, so make sure that your school can either give you these or has excess to them online.

• Apply online: Check the website of each school or academy offering a barber course that you’re interested in. they’ll have a section where you can start the application process, and you can even contact staff with any questions about the course. Most schools will require you to pay an application fee, but local colleges might not.

Do not miss our post on how to manage a barber shop in the UK.

How Much is a Barber Course in the UK?

The cost you’ll pay to attend barber training depends on a number of factors, including your age, location, and the school delivering the course. As an apprentice, it’s very likely that you’ll actually be a paid member of a barber shop’s team doing hands-on work while you learn.

Let’s look at these barber training options in more detail:

• College: Is barber school free? Sometimes it can be. Local colleges offer free barbering courses to students aged 16 to 18.This can be a great option for beginners looking to launch their careers. If you’re over 18, you can usually still attend these courses and learn the foundations of your trade, you’ll just need to pay a fee.

• Barbering School: Enrolling in a barber academy is an excellent way to learn the haircut and grooming techniques you’ll need, while having access to industry experts who can teach you specialized skills and help you get started in the trade.

  You can expect to pay anywhere from £2,000 to £6,000 at an academy, depending on the location, length and nature of the training program.

• Apprenticeship: Rather than attending barbering school, some people get started in the industry by learning business skills along with hands-on hair and beard care techniques from experienced barbers working on real clients.

  As an apprentice, your employer will pay you a salary and provide instruction and mentorship while you learn the techniques required to become a professional barber.

We recommend you to check out our post on barber shop business plan.

How Much do Barbers Make in the UK?

This depends a lot on your level of experience. The average salary for beginners just starting out after college or barber academy is around £15,000, while more experienced professionals make an average of £25,000 a year.

How to Find the Best Barber Courses in the UK?

Whether you’re looking for the best barber school for beginners or hoping to upgrade your current skill set and learn some new techniques, here’s some guidance to help with your search.

• Location: Unless you want to move to a new city, start by checking your local area- you can search for “Barber courses near me” online, or even reach out to local barbers and professionals to ask for recommendations.

• Credentials: Visit each program’s website to make sure that they’re accredited and can provide you with a nationally-recognized Level 2 or 3 NVQ Diploma in Barbering upon completion.

• Structure and Staff: Take a look at the profiles and experience level of each teacher delivering instruction, the space you’ll be studying/ practicing in, and the general focus of the program. Don’t be afraid to reach out and call/ email them with any questions.

We have also prepared recommendations for you of our top picks of:

• Barbering Courses in London

• Barbering Courses in Glasgow

• Barbering Courses in Manchester

Conclusion

We hope that we’ve been able to help you get all of the information that you need to start training as a barber. If you’re interested in haircuts and like working with people, it can be a very fun and rewarding career.

Choosing between barbering courses might seem intimidating at first, especially when you have so many options. Our best advice is to get in contact with a couple of the schools you’d like to attend, ask questions, and reach out to any local barbers for advice and recommendations.

Citations

The education of man
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=rYeyFDqp

Education in England: a brief history
https://www.academia.edu/download/35236474/

An analysis of costs in institutions of higher education in England
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03