Dannie Allan

Dannie Allan recently moved from Rotorua to Wellington and had no trouble finding a barbering job. 

“I applied for two shops the first week I moved down here. The week after, I had two interviews and they both wanted me.”

Dannie was originally bouncing between tradie jobs when a stint at his uncle’s barbershop opened his eyes to the alternative career path in front of him.

“For two weeks, I went into the shop every day and swept the floors and saw how he treated his workers. I thought, I want to be someplace where I’m an asset to the company.”

Dannie’s now enjoying the creative challenge of working with clients during short appointment timeframes, thanks to the skills he learned during his New Zealand Certificate in Barber Skills (Level 3)+ course at Toi Ohomai.

“It helped with knowing what the customer’s saying and understanding how to look at hair a lot better. The course helped me understand the need to compete to get into the industry. It gave me the confidence to go to a shop and ask for a job.”

Dannie does many kinds of cuts, from comb overs and flick backs to skin fades. He says speed, precision and a good attitude are the keys to success.

“A lot of students come out of barber school and think they’re barbers. But you have to do it all in 25 minutes - the hot towel, razor and clean up.”

His advice to other young barbers? 

“Be timely, be professional and be proud to do what you’re doing.” 

Dannie hopes to one day have his own mobile barbering truck and trailer, travelling around New Zealand giving shaves, cuts, fades and good service.