Hairdresser / Hair Stylist
💇Cuts, colours and styles hair, matching the look to the client's face and style. Works in a salon or self-employed.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $42.1k a year on average · +7.7% jobs by 2035 · 73,400 openings a year
Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £24.2k median a year · 15,000 jobs
Hairdressers and barbers — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
AI suggests cuts and colours from a photo, but a stylist's hands and personal contact can't be replaced; the job is nearly AI-proof.
Who it suits
Interests: 💄 Beauty, style, fashion, 🎨 Drawing and design, 🤝 Helping and caring.
Key strengths: manual dexterity, artistic taste, understanding people.
Where to study
- Apprenticeship Hairdressing apprenticeship (UK Level 2–3), Ausbildung Friseur/in (DE)
- Vocational Cosmetology school and state licence (US)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): Art & Design, Chemistry.
🧗 UK: a 2–3-year apprenticeship (Level 2–3); Germany: 3-year Ausbildung; US: cosmetology school (about 1,500 hours) and a state licence. Then build clients; grow into senior stylist, colourist, own salon.
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