Cónaill went straight into work after completing his GCSEs. However after spending several years in jobs he didn’t enjoy, he decided to return to education to pursue his longtime interest of barbering. He chose SERC due to his local campus in Downpatrick being close by, and he was impressed by the welcoming environment of the college during an open evening he attended.
On his course, Cónaill says, “The consultation process is my favourite part of the work we do – it involves talking to the client to understand what they want, and as a people person, it’s something I definitely enjoy for the social aspect. It also gives you everything you need to achieve the right cut or service for your client.
“We learn all the fundamentals of barbering, which includes learning about shampoo and conditioning, developing and maintaining different hairstyles, detailing beards, how to do different techniques such as fades and a lot more. The facilities we have are great too – you have your own individual station for cutting hair. My long-term plan is to work in a barbers, so it’s great we get to work in an environment very similar to an actual barbers.”
He concludes, “I would recommend SERC, for me it’s been far more welcoming than school was. If you’re thinking about coming here and saying to yourself it’ll be just like school, just know it’s really different. The tutors are great, and the staff in general are nice and there’s even a counselling service for mental health, which I think is a big bonus especially for young men who don’t talk about their mental health enough. Tutors always check in on you and make sure you’re doing OK – you can tell SERC actually cares about you and not just your work.”
