ATTENTION TO FUTURE BARBERS CONSIDERING THIS SCHOOL FOR EDUCATION:
I've chosen to write a review on this school because I wish, along with other past students, that I had read about the ins and outs of this school before attending.
When I first toured this school I thought it was amazing and well done, the staff seemed friendly and inviting. After enrolling I was quick to find out I was wrong and it was all a front that owners and head instructors play. First of all, the owners of the school are both cosmetologist that have very little knowledge of barbering and the differences cosmetology and barbering. They will try telling you that there is little difference between the two and will push you to learn a more Cosmo teaching rather than Barber education. True, it is all just hair, but the business behind Barber and Cosmetology are completely different ball parks and require a different business strategy and approach, a lesson that the school simply does not offer.
The owners of the school own their own salon next door and there is not a full barrier between the two establishments so you will hear them working and chatting all throughout the day, even when you are right next door trying to take a test.
The tuition fee is not terribly expensive but you will soon find yourself asking, "What am I actually pay for?" The only good thing that comes out of the school are the kits they provide. But being a good barber is much more than having a good pair of shears and clippers.
Another huge red flag that I should have seen from the start is the turnover rate of the schools instructors. They can barely keep the them! And the instructors will gossip about you and your fellow students, making the environment almost hostile and uncomfortable being judged be the people teaching you.
The favortism is very evident within the first few weeks of enrollment. And they always favor the students who are self taught outside the school and already have a steady clientele. They will put these students up on a pedestal while leaving the students that are just trying to learn and get a hang of the art behind.
They do a horrible job getting walk-in clients in the door for students, if already have a handful of friends/family to continuously cut, don't expect more than 1 client a week and that PUSHING it. I confronted them about the lack of hair cuts while I was enrolled and they told me "We're basically training you to go out and get your own clientele." A horrible excuse for not spending extra money to get clients in the door. Any professional will tell you that one of the hardest things to do is build clientele when you're not even confident in yourself. The only way to learn the craft is to continually cut hair. If you're planning on relying on walk-ins and a small number of your own clients, only expect to learn the very very basics of Barberimg after 6 months and $11,000 later.
Nikki and Sarah (the owners) already do not have a good name with the many of the working Barbers in Boise, they have problems with so many professionals and it's evident.
If you're still considering this school, go there, look closely. Pull one of the students to the side (out of earshot of the instructors) and ask them how they truly feel about the school and the experience they've had there. The answers will truly back up what I'm saying. If I can avoid at least one person from giving these sharks their money, I've succeeded.
Thank you for your time and good luck with your journey in this amazing career, dont do what I did and start it the right way.