In just nine months people of all ages are getting the training they need to become professional barbers at a local barber college.
International Barber College has been in Chandler, at 7200 W. Chandler Blvd., Suite 5, for about five years. In that time they’ve had more than 50 students graduate and a 100 percent success rate of graduating students getting their barber’s license.
The small school, tucked behind Can’t Stop Smokin BBQ, has 20 chairs for teaching, located right next door to a four-chair professional barber shop. Two instructors with over 25 years of experience teach students all they need to be successful, even the techniques that were once considered outdated that are now coming back into style.
“My mom teaches every day,” said Milana Matatov, whose parents, Zina and Arthur, are the owners and instructors at the school. “She’s like a mother to all of them. If they aren’t here on time she calls them right away. She’s a great teacher. Every detail from ladies longer hair to short cuts to some styles barber schools usually don’t teach, she teaches.”
Students who have graduated from the school range in age from 16 to 50. The profession is a good option for students who want to get their career started quickly.
A student needs 1,500 hours to graduate and take their certification test, but a student working full-time can complete those hours in nine months.
Lev Matatov, the son of the owner, became a professional barber at the age of 17. Now, at 18 he has his own shop and is going to college on the side.
The college also offers shaving refresher courses for cosmetologists or barbers already in the industry.
The school offers discounted hair cuts and shaves for residents.
For more information on the college, visit internationalbarber.net.
• Contact writer: (480) 898-7914 or ahurtado@ahwatukee.com
