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Licence to Employ

By
Kelly's Hair Oxford
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Keith Mellen of Anne Veck Oxford has been investigating the scope of overseas employment as along with many salon owners, this area has been a key ingredient to deepen recruitment opportunities in the UK. Keith has discovered that the common understanding that hairdressing is not on the Home Office list of skilled workers is, in fact, mistaken.  

On behalf of Anne Veck Oxford, Keith has successfully made an application for a Sponsor’s License-Skilled Worker from the Home Office and is now in receipt of a license that allows for recruitment from the EU or anywhere internationally, for a period of four years. 

Our successful application was for a training director, the job description included hairdressing duties, expert skills and lead role in in-salon education. For me, the interesting and useful point that I want to share with colleagues in the industry is that the phrase "salons manager" as stated in the Eligible Occupation Codes, appears to be a steer to applying for senior positions with management responsibilities rather than literally a salon manager. The other notable factor is that we pay £30,000- £38,000 for senior stylists and style directors and I was surprised to see the going rate of pay to be as low as the guide suggests at £19,300. As supporters of the Living Wage, it is more important for us to recruit good people who will remain in the business for a significant term rather than go for the lower pay rates.

The list published by the government of Eligible Occupation Codes (for hairdressing and beauty salon manager and proprietor the code is 1253) and Going Rates for Skilled Workers (based on a 39-hour week this rate is £19,300 which is £9.52 per hour). At each point of identifying an extra role, a further application needs to be made for the individual. For further information visit https://www.gov.uk/apply-sponsor-licence

Further information:

  • The process took 3 weeks from start to finish
  • Considerable detail required but nothing too complicated
  • A real job description is needed and because checks may be carried out
  • The application needs to recruit for a role that included management or leadership