Schools like to think they are preparing their charges for the world outside the classroom and for many years have been making the students get a taste of what they might like to do once they leave the education system.
Joe enjoys the taste and can't stop going back for more

Joe was struggling at school, he was not that academic, he was not much good at sport either, well who wants a spindly short kid on their team, he was good with his hands and got along well with people around him, so life was not too bad. Still he was proving a difficult child to place for work experience. Now he was sixteen and in his last compulsory year of school it was in the timetable that for at least one week every child in that year gained some experience working in a job he or she felt might be something they would like to take as a career. Joe had no ambitions though, he just wanted someone to tell him what to do, it was that simple for him, as long as he could do whatever was asked of him, he was happy.

As always the school was short of places to send their students and rely on the good will of parents and relatives every year to find opportunities for some students. Joe was one such child, and as a consequence of not specifying a career he ended up spending a week at a job his mother had come upon.

Kutz, was not the first thing Joe had on his list of possibles, but Kay was a friend of his mother and did in fact need a bit of help at the time, so it seemed like a good thing when everything was sorted between school and Kay. Joe was to start the week before half term in February. He was not ecstatic but it was better than school.

His first day was spent sweeping up and making drinks for the customers. His easy manner made him a hit with Kay who liked him straight away. Kay also had an odd sense of humour and liked to tease people to see what reaction she got. Joe would be no exception, at the end of Monday she gave him a pink tabard and told him he should wear it the next day to keep himself clean, just like Denise and herself did. Joe asked if she was sure, she said yes, so when he got home he asked his mother if it seemed right for him to wear the tabard. He showed it to her and realising he was being teased, so she decided to play along with it and say that if Kay wants him to wear it then he should.

The next day when he got to work he put the tabard over his clothes and started working. Kay could not help herself and smiled as he wiped down the work stations. Then she thought what else could she get him to do.

It was slack in the middle of the morning, so after they had had a coffee, Kay suggested that it would help Joe to understand what the customer experience is like by letting her or Denise do some of the treatments on him that they did on the customers. When Joe asked what sort of treatments, because he was thinking big hair does, she reassured him by offering to wash and dry his hair. No harm in that he thought, he did it himself at home anyway. So for the next half hour Joe's hair was massaged, shampooed, conditioned and then blow dried. He especially liked the washing and massage, but when she had finished drying his hair he felt rather conspicuous. Gone was his rather ordinary boy look, now he had a straightened fringe gelled across his forehead, the back of his head was a mass of spiky randomness. When he was asked if he liked it, he was diplomatic enough to say it was different and might take some getting used too, but yes he liked it. 'Super' said Kay and told him he should continue with his learning by doing it himself the next morning before he came to work.

This was a little harder to work round, the tabard was just in the shop, the women knew he was a lad and they only had pink tabards, so that was nearly ok. But his hair was for outside and not an easy thing to disguise, then he remembered his hoodie. His mum was a little surprised to see him home Tuesday night sporting a new style but flattered him as much as a teenage boy can be flattered. And when he said he had to do it for work in the morning she offered to help.

So Wednesday morning he was up early to replicate the style Kay had shown him, and with his mum's help did a reasonable job of it. Kay was full of compliments when he arrived for work, a little disappointed with the hoodie, but then quietly had a word with Denise over 'how far will he go?'

Neither was sure just how far they could push him until he said no, so waited till there was a lull and brought up the subject of experiencing what the salon has to offer. Joe did ask what else they could do, he had had a wash a blow the day before. Almost before he had said it he knew there was so much more that they did, Kay and Denise picked up a treatment menu. Colour. Permanent wave. Extensions. Cut. Styling. That was without turning over to the nail and beauty treatments they offered. Joe felt a little uneasy and asked what they had in mind, but had turned it around as Kay offered to do anything he chose. He had seen some women under the big hoods as he gave them coffees, but not knowing what they were for, but thinking it would be interesting to be in one, he asked if they would let him have a go in one. The two women looked at each other and in unison said 'yes'.

Joe was shocked when they did not just wash his hair, but wetted it, then wrapped his hair around curlers until his scalp hurt with the pulling of the hair. Then sprayed with something else and he finally got to sit under the hood. He was given a coffee and a cosmo to read. But after a little while Denise came and took a hand and started to file his nails, then she did the other. Nice and neatly rounded tips he now had, then to his horror she pulled out a bottle of varnish, he was stuck under the hood and could not get out, but soon relaxed when he saw the varnish was clear and not a bright colour like the woman who had been in first thing had chosen. Finally the hood timer clicked off and Joe was lead to the styling chair. A lot more spraying and brushing and drying was to happen before Kay was finished. Now the straight fringe was gone, now his hair flicked up all over his head, the opposite to curling it all under. The beauty of this treatment Kay told him was that it would not take as much to get it looking right in the morning as the products would hold the style overnight. He was not sure if that was a good thing or not. Worse was to come though, for the first time he was called miss by a customer. Then when he got home his mum told him the style was great but maybe a few highlights would make it better, then she saw his finger nails and told him he was supposed to be working not being pampered by Kay and Denise.

Thursday and Joe was not sure what to expect, his hair was still looking Ok even when he got up and a quick brush brought it back to life. But then as he left the house he overheard his mum on the phone saying 'that will be fine with me, just check with him though'. It was almost the first thing Kay said when he walked into the salon 'your mum thinks we should highlight the ends for you' Joe admitted she had said as much the night before but was not so sure about it himself. Kay managed to twist it around and somehow he agreed to letting her do the highlights as her choice this time, then next time he could choose. By dinnertime he had blonde tips on his flicking out bits, and even he agreed it did bring out the style. Kay could then say 'now your turn to pick'. Joe just thought 'what do I pick, none of these things are really for a lad' but then as he looked down the menu he saw the waxing and thought 'girls make such a fuss about it why not try it and find out for myself'. 'Waxing please' said Joe, 'Oh' said Kay 'best come this way right now before you change your mind'

Joe could not believe how painful it was, and off course it had to be quiet just at that moment, so when his arms had been done, Kay said they might as well do the rest of him and give him the full treatment. The moisturiser was a lovely massage to recover with though. His mum was getting to expect something new to have happened to her boy while at work now and asked what he had experienced that day. When he lifted the hood of his head his mum let out a little whoop, 'I knew it would look great', 'Also got myself waxed' 'what......all over?' 'yes, feels a little odd, all my clothes are so rough, my skin is like super sensitive'. While the tea was cooking she took him up to her room and gave him a silk 'shirt' to try on and some soft cotton trousers, luckily they were about the same size so he fitted the new clothes well enough, and enjoyed the softer fabrics on his skin. That night she gave him some satin pyjamas to wear, he was about to say 'mum' in an exasperated teenage manner, but she just cut in with 'I was right about the shirt and pants, just try them' he accepted but did manage a resigned 'but pink!'

For work on the Friday his mum got him to wear a soft cotton top, not unlike his normal t shirt but a lot softer, three quarter sleeves that he did not realise until later as they kept riding up after every time he pulled them down. And under his jeans some tights to lessen the rough texture of the demin. He was in the locker room putting on his tabard with Denise and Kay, when they saw the white top. 'That's nice' 'my mum lent it me, my skin is so sensitive now' 'looks lovely' said Denise 'just perfect' said Kay. The comments made Joe think this was not perhaps the look he would have chosen on Monday just gone, but then when he heard the first customer say to Denise 'could you ask the girl to fetch me a coffee, white no sugar' it took a moment for it to register that she was talking about him, moments later Denise spoke 'Josie, could you get Mrs Whirle a coffee dear'. All he did was mouth 'Josie' back and go to make the coffee as requested.

During the mid morning lull they were having a quiet drink together, 'so the last day of your week with us dear, have you enjoyed it?'
'It has certainly been an experience'
'Well if you want, I would like to take you on part time till you finish school, then as an apprentice after you leave school' offered Kay
'Oh er, thank you'
Kay and Denise went on to explain how they thought he had the right attitude to the salon world, good with customers, able to do the tasks required, and happy to make the most of himself using the beauty treatments, adding in a dismissive way 'even barbers are well groomed'. The clincher though was to get paid for his week and asked if he would work the next week as it was half term.
'Excellent Josie'
'Josie?.....please don't tease me' Joe replied
'but it suits you. especially in that top of your mothers. Come here and look in the mirror...........now tell me what you see, a butch lad, muscles bulging out all over the place, or a slim girl who looks a little like a boy'
'but I am a boy, I still look like me, well almost'
'we have not done that much, new hair and you have some different clothes on, but you are really the same slim person you were before just looking a little softer now'
'softer, more like a girl you mean'
'if you want to say so Josie, we can't disagree'
Just then the door opened 'Ah Kathryn, good morning, come for your wash and style this morning, manicure as well, going somewhere nice tonight.' then turning to Joe 'Josie would you take Kathryn's coat'
And that was it, Joe's name for the rest of the day was Josie, much to the amusement of Kay and Denise, and to the apparent acceptance of all the ladies who came through the door who referred to him as a her. One even commented that Joe was not made up like so many young girls these days, Kay replied that after a week with them Josie was a lot improved on what she was a week ago.