Hairdressing

”Since I was a little girl, I have always been fascinated by doing hair and I kind of always knew that I wanted to be a hairdresser.

I am a graduate of MIT hairdressing and they have given me the confidence to go out into the world to do what I love. They taught me hands-on-skills and how to work with clients. Making me feel confident to go out into the workforce knowing what I am doing.  

I studied at MIT before I did hairdressing and I have always felt comfortable. That is why I went back there because I have always had good experiences there in the past years. The thing I enjoyed most was the environment that I was in with my tutors and my fellow classmates.

When I was at studying, I had a daughter who was six years old at the time and I found it quite flexible with MIT, being close to where her school was.

Some of the exciting things you can do in hairdressing are fashion, beauty and working with clients to make them feel good is the best thing ever.

Definitely go for it. MIT – I do not regret it. It was, I feel, the best years of my life."

Keila Robinson
MIT graduate

“The hairdressing programme is for anyone. We have open entry programmes and anyone from 16 to, I think the oldest student I've had is 64 years old, and anything in between. Age doesn't matter, male or female, we cater for everybody.

The level three programme is designed as a foundation programme so it helps you build on all of your skills to eventually go into the level four programme. We teach everything from, basic shampooing treatments, blow waves, and then we can build on that, and eventually, we go into the level four programme, which is like running your own salon and your own clients.

We have hair days that are programmed into our timetable every semester. They’re designed to help students put into practice everything they've learned, then at the end of the semester, we do final assessments and observe the students, putting all of the practical skills and their theory, into practice on clients. Hair days are offered to the public. Students get real-life experience working on clients here.

With hair days we really encourage our students to bring their whānau and friends in, so they can experience what's happening with their learning.  

Hairdressing is unique because only hairdressers do what we can do. It's a very unique job. We make people feel good about themselves, every single day. Come and study at MIT hairdressing. We are a practical based learning environment. We have a fully operational salon where we do clients. The best part of my job is that I get to help people live their dreams, come and join us.”

Vicki Grant
MIT lecturer

“I chose to study hairdressing as it’s something I've always been passionate about as a child. However, I went in a different direction. Due to COVID I lost my full-time job and decided this was the best time to follow my dreams and do a hairdressing course.

MIT is helping to set me up for my first job because of the structure of how we learn, we do everything exactly as we would if we were in a salon working on real clients. We dress as we would professionally for the job, we have routines, and structures to work. We're prepared for a real job in a salon and there's lots of support to help us get there.

As a student at MIT, I really like the way that there is a lot of support provided by the tutors. It's a full-on hands-on course and you're not left on your own to guess what you're doing, there's constant support behind you and the tutors are there explaining things, doing demos. It's a really relaxed, fun environment to study in, and a nice environment to be doing the course in.  

I'm a single mum with children still at school and I needed to find an institute to study at that was flexible, that allowed me to still get my children to school, be there for them after school, and the hours weren't too long or every day of the week. MIT has made it possible for me to study again because I can still do everything and still do life, and I can still learn and get my qualification.

MIT is unique because it caters for all ages and all people There's a variety of ethnicities learning here, there's a variety of ages. I was a bit nervous at first coming here because I was older. I realised I had nothing to worry about because there’s younger students, there’s older students, everybody gets on and it's just a really warm, welcoming, friendly place to study in. I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve spent studying here so far.”

Emma Ritson
MIT student

“I chose hairdressing because I have always been into fashion since I was younger and as I got older, I went into more of a paperwork and business type of job. Then when I hit my 30s, I was kind of like life's too short and I'm going to do what I want to do, and that was hairdressing.

From the moment we step into the classroom in the morning, it is prepping us for getting our first job, in the morning we set up our stations. Then we're learning about sanitizing, disinfecting, keeping everything clean –  all the things that you need to know to get your first job because you want to be able to slip into the junior roles in the salon. Then as we move forward, we’re greeting clients and we're working on real people, real hair, real conditions and the tutors are always around making sure that we're in line with where we need to be with regulations.

Hairdressing is unique at MIT because I think it's just a real sense of family here. I think a lot of it comes down to the tutors being so open and friendly. I had a smaller class; I think there were about eight of us. It's just really nice to know that you've got your classmates around you and they all want you to do well. I think it really reflects on our marks. We've all done really well this year.”

Emma Renata
MIT student

“I work as a lecturer at MIT and I also work in the industry within my own salon, which I have done for the past eight years. They are all very competent lecturers here and I find that even we learn from each other. There's such a diverse range of people here and that's awesome to be able to see the different types of people as they grow.

We set students up so that they are capable of walking into a salon and being able to know all the knowledge of all the basics. In my salon, I like employing MIT graduates because they are very good with clients. They're always very friendly and they’ve had that previous experience here, working on clients, as it's an in-salon base type of training at MIT. There is a lot of passion and creativity in MIT hairdressing students.

MIT hairdressing is only a couple of days a week, so, you can still work in the industry at the same time as trying to learn. It's a lot more flexible and easier for students to learn whilst working as well.

If you're creative and you're thinking of studying hairdressing, MIT’s a really great place because you learn hands-on skills and you will have a lot more experience when going into the industry. It doesn't matter if you're male or you're female - everyone here gets treated exactly the same, we are like a family. We all pitch in and help each other out.”

Jacinda Cannon
MIT lecturer and salon owner

“I'm passionate about hair. I wish I would have started two years ago right when I first had the thought, I should have studied straightaway.

At Level 3 we work on mannequins which is very different from working on clients. After level 3 we started to take clients in the salon which is really good because you get the feel of real clients.  

I really enjoy working with the students and my lectures, they're very helpful, the lecturers are very supportive. Everyone is very supportive here; students are also very helpful. We all work as a team here.

My advice for people who want to come and study at MIT is don't wait. If you think you want to study just start, I really enjoy it. Come and study.”

Jia Li
MIT student

“At high school, one of the girls there said that I couldn't be a hairdresser because I was a boy and it really stopped me from starting my journey. But I came into MIT one day to do my hair, and all the tutors just encouraged me to come back and start the course.

Before coming to MIT, I didn't really have any experience in hairdressing, but since starting the course the tutors have been really hands-on and showed us what to do and what not to do. They do a lot of demos for us and after the demos, we go back to our stations and do it ourselves. MIT is on your own terms, and how you want to study.

I enjoy the company of the teachers and the students because before I came here, I thought I wasn't going to make any friends. But, the whole class makes me feel welcome.

My advice to someone considering to study at MIT would be everyone here is very friendly, the tutors are nice, the students are nice, it’s just very welcoming and don't be scared to study here.”

Kane Brown
MIT student

“At MIT we do one-on-one hands-on teaching to give students the basics, to get them employed into a salon after they graduate.

We have hair days which is where we have real clients coming into our training salon so we can simulate what actually happens out in the industry. We have clients come in that want their hair done, and the students perform that service for them.

As a lecturer, we like to do as much one-on-one as we can to help and support our students through their learning. We will advise them on what they need to work on, what they need to change, and how they can improve what they’re doing. I love that my knowledge is being passed on to the students and seeing the connection they have with the industry.  

We have a great new facility that enables us to mirror our industry as best as we can. Come and study hairdressing at MIT if you have a flair for creativity.”

Nicola Ter Weijden
MIT lecturer

“I chose hairdressing because I wanted to step out of my comfort zone. I had done my undergrad in politics, in journalism, and I thought that it was about time that did something else. I chose hairdressing because it was different, it was something that allowed me to make people feel good.

MIT is very hands-on. You can see it through our curriculum. It’s been one of the most robust programs I've seen, and I think that that's what is needed in the industry especially as hairdressing is very hands-on. It's preparing you for the industry, it's not as textbook oriented. I am well prepared to enter the industry with an entry-level.

What I've enjoyed the most so far at MIT has to be this environment. I think that the environment is very welcoming, especially being an international student. It's been very warm. The people have been amazing, my lectures have been very accommodating, the whole process for me has been smooth. I've been able to see that there's a lot more confidence in the work I do, in what I'm delivering, there's less fear when I take on a client. I’m more prepared now.

My advice to anyone considering studying hairdressing at MIT is you're going to get the hands-on experience, you're going to get the industry placements, you're going to feel prepared. MIT is a good place to start your journey.”

Rachael Nath
MIT student

“I chose hairdressing because I’ve always had a passion for styling hair, from when I was young.  

MIT is helping me get into my first job because I already know the basics such as cutting, foils, washing, and we get to put that knowledge into action with actual clients. The more clients that come in, the more confident you get. I like hearing everyone else's experiences with different clients and what they could do better. It motivates me to do something different because you hear other students' perspectives.

MIT is unique because the salon is modern, the techniques we learn here are different compared to other institutes, and the tutors here are amazing. They inspire us with high energy every day.”

Shanece Low
MIT student