Fay Ingles

Tell us a bit about yourself, your background etc?

My name’s Fay, I’m 18, I’m from Newcastle. I first got into hair, beauty and make-up in lockdown, when I was in Year 10. When it came to leaving school I realised that I didn’t want to stay in school, so I started looking for alternatives to going to Sixth Form. I enjoy doing make-up; I didn’t want to do it as a job back then, but I liked practising my skills and I realised I was actually very good at it, so once I left school I decided to pursue more formal training in beauty.

How did you hear about Newcastle College? Did you attend an Open Day prior to starting at the College? If so, did you find it useful?

Oooh, I don’t know! I came to an Open Event, but after I’d applied for my course. As soon as it came to applying to Sixth Forms, I know I didn’t want to go, so I told my parents I was applying to a college and since Newcastle College is the closest to me and the best-regarded for hair, beauty and make-up courses, I settled on coming here pretty quickly!

What made you decide to come to the college and enrol on the course you selected?

I thought the college was really cool! The Subject Session Open Day I attended was in the Lifestyle Academy, where all the hair, beauty and make-up facilities are based, and the lecturers did a full demonstration with us, including a mock lesson where they showed us different content, techniques and skills I’d never seen before. It was really impressive to see, and since I knew I enjoyed learning about make-up, and I felt that I was good at it, so I decided to go in for a career as a beautician.

How would you describe the advice and support you received from college and your tutors? Have you had any support for our Central Support Team – Pastoral support?

Pretty good! Especially my tutor now, she pushes us to do as much as physically possible to develop our skills. She’s put me forward for several competitions, including one next week, because she believes in me and knows I can. All of my lecturers are definitely really encouraging, learning from tutors with so much industry experience has really helped to boost my confidence, both as a professional and as a personal.

I haven’t had any support from Student Services or Central Support Services (CSS).

Do you have any tutors who have industry experience? If so, how has this helped you?

Off the top of my head, I know one of my lecturers runs a freelance business offering semi-permanent make-up for parties – for example, I’ve worked with her doing make-up for a wedding before. Another one has done theatrical and studio make-up for film and TV before, which has been really interesting to find out more about. Maybe one day in the future, I might like to transition into media make-up, but for now it’s not an immediate career goal.

Did you look into financial support available from the college? If so what were they and how did they help?

No.

Have you overcome any challenges while on your course? If so how has the college helped you?

I was really quite shy when I started at Newcastle College. I used to feel really uncomfortable talking to people, but thanks to my time as a Newcastle College student I’ve definitely come out of my shell a lot; I can especially feel the benefits on my placement, when I’m working in the salon, since I’ve had to step out of my comfort zone to the point where very little intimidates me anymore, because I know how capable I’ve become with the support from my tutors and friends while I was thrown in  the deep end.

What do you/did you enjoy most about your course?

The competitions are really good! I didn’t realise that was an opportunity for students when I first started, but now I’m regularly competing in national hair, beauty and make-up competitions, like the one I did last week in Blackpool. They’re all really, really good, I love doing them. I absolutely love fashion and editorial style make-up, it’s what I love to do most, so the chance to compete against (and alongside!) the best young people in the beauty industry around the country has been fantastic and has really helped me to develop my skills.

How do you feel that the course has/is benefitting you?

I’ve learnt loads thanks to studying on this course! It’s not just skills – while my practical skills have definitely improved courtesy of my tutors, some skills can be self-taught, whereas studying at Newcastle College has given me greater knowledge of the industry from my tutors’ own experiences, such as how you should behave around clients, self-management and time-management, or other related skills.

Have you done any work experience or a work placement as part of your course?

I’ve also learnt a lot from doing my industry placement in the salon, since I have to complete 350 working hours throughout this year, and I really feel that I’ve improved during that time in terms of skills and confidence. Most of my coursemates have only worked there one day a week, but I’m one of the lucky ones since my employers were so impressed by my performance that they offered me a paid position in the salon as a make-up specialist. Honestly though, the biggest benefit to me as a person was having to find the placement myself, because most businesses don’t take on placement students, so taking responsibility for myself and my progression was quite daunting! That said, the experience of ringing loads of places, texting businesses on Instagram or visiting different salons in-person to make face-to-face requests or interviews really boosted my confidence and helped me to have more faith in my own abilities.

What would you like to do when you finish your course? Would you consider studying a degree at Newcastle College University Centre?

I don’t know where, but I’m doing a year out after I finish my course to do work, but I do want to get a degree. I’m not sure if I’ll Step Up to Newcastle College University Centre, but I’m looking to do a more niche field in the fashion and editorial industry, so I might go elsewhere but if I think the right course for me is here, then I’ll definitely be coming back!

What are your ambitions for the future?

Right now, in the next year, I’m working at my salon full-time. In the future though, I’d love to go into catwalks, magazines and photographic media.

What would you say to anyone thinking of studying a course with Newcastle College?

Ooh, tough question! I think the best advice I can give is to always push yourself to come out of your shell a bit. Don’t be shy, don’t sit in a corner quietly, make sure you’re always giving any task your best effort because there are so many opportunities to develop yourself if you’re open and if you speak to whoever you can. In my case, studying at Newcastle College has helped me to connect with people in the Photography course and the Fashion course who have collaborated with me on a couple of shoots and shows in the last year, which has been a fantastic chance to progress myself and my skills. So that’s my advice: If you always put yourself out there as much as you can, it’ll pay dividends in the opportunities you get from taking the risk.

Top five tips

Be confident – make friends, don’t be shy.

Be your best – don’t try to be ‘cool’ by not trying, always commit to doing the work and remember to put your best foot forward!

Get to the car park before 8.30am if you want a space! – otherwise you’re stuck in the Eagles car park like I usually am.

If you want pizza, go to Lifestyle – it’s quick, cheap and tastes fantastic.

Never be afraid to ask for help – you get so much more out of opening up to other people.