A cut above: why become a mobile hairdresser?

Beauty salons and barbershops aren’t the only places you might find yourself working once you complete one of our hairdressing courses!

Demand for delivery and other mobile services is on the rise – just look at the meteoric growth of food delivery services (and that’s pre-COVID).

Little wonder that’s also seen the rise of mobile hairdressing services.

Never heard of these before? Keep your eyes open, because you’ll probably see them pop up more frequently over the coming years!

These types of businesses are an interesting alternative to working in a traditional salon – if you’re a creative person who gets itchy feet very easily, then this might be just the career pathway for you!

Study hairdressing for free in Victoria

While intended to revitalise the state’s TAFE system, Victoria’s Skills First funding program also offers a range of Victorian government funded courses for students like you.

Under this scheme, a whole range of TAFE and TAFE-equivalent courses are partially or even fully-subsidised, including the costs of learning materials in many cases.

And it just so happens to cover hairdressing and beauty courses as well.

Each of our beauty and hairdressing courses in Melbourne are covered by this scheme, including:

Covering a wide range of different skills and training, we’ve got the courses you need to kick-start your career as a mobile hairdresser.

Find out if you’re eligible for government funded courses.

A great alternative to working in a salon: is working as a mobile hairdresser right for you?

You’re always on the go

Imagine going to different places everyday, working with different people.

While working as a barber or hairdresser ticks that second box, it doesn’t really help with the first. However, there’s always another option – in this case, working as a mobile hairdresser.

Instead of being locked into a fixed location, you’re always on the move, going to new places and working with new people.

You’re independent

Starting your own salon (or any bricks-and-mortar business for that matter) can be expensive.

In addition to not being locked to one place, most mobile hairdressing clinics also get to work for themselves.

All you really need to get started are a good set of hairdressing tools and products, a reliable way to get from point A to B, and of course, strong practical, planning, and organisational skills!

If you want to work for yourself but aren’t sure about signing a long-term lease, going mobile can be a more affordable way of starting your career while maintaining your independence.

Flexibility

Since you’re working for yourself, you’ll have the freedom and flexibility to choose the jobs you want and to set your own hours.

Not only will you have the freedom to make your own decisions, but you’ll also get to set your own prices too!

Specialise

Thanks to their mobile nature, there are some types of jobs that only a mobile hairdresser will be able to take.

One example is hair for weddings. A bride-to-be and her entire entourage don’t exactly want to come to their local salon on the morning of – no, they need someone who will come to them.

Another job you might find yourself working in is film and TV shoots. Once again, this is a situation where a lot of the prep needs to happen on the day, and on-site, necessitating a mobile hairdresser or stylist.

How do I start a mobile hairdressing business?

How to become a self-employed mobile hairdresser

There are many reasons to be a hairdresser – and there are also many things you’ll need to do first before you can start cutting your first head of hair.

If you’re planning on starting a mobile hairdressing business specifically, then you’ll need a couple of extra things…

What does a mobile hairdresser need?

First thing’s first: you’re going to need a way of getting around – after all, ‘mobile” is in the job title!

On top of that, you’ll also need to invest in a good set of tools that you can easily take from job-to-job depending on what you choose to specialise in.

While you can get by with a good set of clippers and the family car, if you want to expand your services, you’ll also want to expand your toolbelt to include:

Mobile basins and bowls
Adjustable and mobile chairs
Hairdryers
Portable mirrors
Styling products
Hair accessories

Essentially, you’ll need all the same equipment as a regular hairdresser or barber, with one exception: it needs to be mobile and easy to transport, set up and disassemble.

And of course, you’ll want to ensure all of your gear is salon-grade!

How much do self-employed hair stylists make?

As we mentioned above, it’s all up to you!

Since you’re self-employed, you’re the one that sets prices. That means how much you earn will all come down to what you set.

Luckily for you, many of our higher-level hairdressing and beauty courses don’t just cover more sophisticated techniques, but also behind-the-scenes skills like budgeting, financial management and of course, pricing.

Can I be a hairdresser without qualifications?

There’s nothing stopping you from working as a hairdresser or barber without a qualification – however, that doesn’t mean that you should!

While it’s possible to pick up basic techniques (and even some more advanced skills such as colouring) on your own, if you want people to trust your skills, it’s a lot easier to start by enrolling in a hairdressing course.

After all, you’re dealing with people’s appearance – they want to know that they’re in good hands. And it’s a lot easier to overcome resistance if you can point to a qualification that certifies that you know your stuff!

Just like working in a salon, it all starts by getting qualified!

Working has a hairdresser or barber (mobile or otherwise) requires a lot more than just cutting hair – your typical day might also see you:

Colouring and dying hair
Washing people’s hair
Creating unique styles
Working with all sorts of hair types
Heat treatments such as chemical straightening

A lot of this stuff is perhaps surprisingly complicated, and requires a considerable amount of training and experience to pull off.

And we haven’t even gotten started on managing the business side of your mobile hairdressing venture!

All of this requires certain knowledge and skills – attributes and skills that only come from completing a hairdressing course.

Online learning gives you flexibility

As an inherently hands-on profession, a hairdressing course isn’t something you can complete using online learning.

That said, online learning does offer greater flexibility and more options.

For example, you can’t complete our beauty therapy courses online, but you can use our online learning system to begin your theory units remotely.

Get your start as a mobile hairdresser

Whether you want to work independently or join a large salon or barbershop, your career starts by getting trained.

And that means enrolling with Academia.

While there are many institutions around Melbourne, there are few that offer the same unique combination that ours does:

As a medium-sized institution, we’re able to offer the best of both worlds. Students get the resources of a larger institution, while also enjoying the one-on-one attention and support typically reserved for a smaller one.

And that’s on top of all the other things we have going for us: