HJ VOICENOTES

Harry Andreou shares the surprising parallels between a career in the police force and hairdressing. Who knew there were so many?!

HARRY ANDREOU

“I HAVE GAINED SO MUCH CONFIDENCE FROM BEING A POLICE OFFICER. IF ICAN TAKE DOWN ADRUNK 6FT IDIOT, ICAN GET UP ON STAGE IN FRONT OF INDUSTRY GREATS AND SHOW THEM WHAT I CAN DO!”

During the pandemic, like all of us, I had no idea when salons were reopening and what limitations there would be when they did. Being self-employed, I had to find a stable income stream fast. I had always considered joining the police. I had been a voluntary first responder, so was experienced in emergency response. To join the force, I had to do eight exams, and I thought ‘let’s see how far I get…’

After passing all the exams I sat in my police jacket along with all the new recruits and felt so proud. I didn’t think ‘I will never be a hairdresser again’, but I knew I was ready to get my passion for ‘me’ back. I had been working for 17 years as an educator and salon manager, and felt exhausted.

I must admit I’d always felt that people were judging me when I told them I was a hairdresser. But in the police force, when people asked: ‘what did you do before’, they were fascinated. Plus, I had so many transferable skills, particularly in communications and conflict resolution. As hairdressers, we crisis manage situations like colour corrections or conflicting appointments, and it makes us great problem solvers. Thankfully, I was never spoken to by suspects or members of the public disrespectfully, but a lot of my colleagues were. Again I put it down to my hairdresser training, we are polite, non-confrontational and we know how to get people talking.

After being a police officer for three years I was mentally stronger and even more proud of my hairdressing background. I started to think I had been too hasty in changing careers. I also began to feel a lack of job satisfaction as a police officer. As a hairdresser, you get a hit with every client and often situations are resolved in one or two appointments. But in the police force you can’t resolve most issues personally. In addition, I wanted progression and there were two police jobs that I applied for, but my inspector said ‘I can’t lose you’. One night I was looking on Instagram and I saw everything going on in the hair industry and I thought – I used to be a part of that. Someone I knew put a job post out, and I responded saying ‘maybe I can suggest someone’. She replied ‘if it’s you, the job is yours’! Well, that was in January 2023 and by April I’d finished my last police shift and was ready to return to hairdressing.

The anxiety of coming back to an industry that I felt I’d turned my back on was very real. But every single person was welcoming. I got that job satisfaction again, as I rebuilt my client base. Sometimes I miss having four days off in a row, but the police night shifts were brutal! There are other things that I miss too – a great pension, benefits and welfare support. But coming back to hair, I’ve noticed there’s more focus on mental health. Although there’s no industry-wide structure in place, I’m hopeful for the future with people like Hayley Jepson leading the charge.

Last year I applied for the FAME team – when they removed the age limit, I knew I had to give it a go. If I can take down a drunk 6ft idiot, I can stand in front of industry greats and show what I can do! My belief in myself and my skill set has grown. I’m putting myself forward in new ways and loving it.