“I kept my job and came three nights a week. The instructors stay until everyone on the floor has had a turn.”
Delphine K.Student, evening track
Barber academy · Now enrolling
Learn barbering in a school small enough to know your name
Two instructors, one practice floor and a student clinic where every cut is checked before the cape comes off. Applications are open for the next group.
- A new group each quarterJanuary, April, July and October
- Days or eveningsTwo tracks, the same program
- Student clinicWednesday, Friday and Saturday
- ParkingIn the lot behind the building
Earline Gholston
Director and barber instructor
She opened Protege so a career changer and a school leaver could learn on the same floor, at the same pace.
Earline teaches the first weeks, when hands are learning the clippers, and she signs off every student before they take a clinic client. She works Monday to Thursday and speaks English.
What she teaches
- Clipper work and tapers
- Waves, coils and twists
- The shop floor and the state exam
Barber instructor license · OH Lic. 000000
Emmalee Whitmore
Barber instructor
She teaches scissor work and fades, and keeps the clinic line moving.
Emmalee teaches the way she wishes she had been taught: one skill at a time, shown slowly, then repeated until it is boring. She works Wednesday to Saturday and speaks English.
What she teaches
- Scissor-over-comb
- Skin fades and line-ups
- The clinic floor and the line
Barber instructor license · OH Lic. 000000
The schedule
A week on the floor
Pick days or evenings. Both tracks cover the same program, and both end up on the clinic floor.
| Day | Full-time days | Part-time evenings and Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Full-time daysTheory and practice floor, 8:30am – 3:30pm | Part-time evenings and SaturdayPractice floor, 5:30pm – 9:30pm |
| Tuesday | Full-time daysPractice floor, 8:30am – 3:30pm | Part-time evenings and SaturdayTheory, 5:30pm – 9:30pm |
| Wednesday | Full-time daysPractice floor until 11am, then the clinic until 3pm | Part-time evenings and SaturdayNo class |
| Thursday | Full-time daysTheory and practice floor, 8:30am – 3:30pm | Part-time evenings and SaturdayPractice floor, 5:30pm – 9:30pm |
| Friday | Full-time daysClinic day, 9am – 3pm | Part-time evenings and SaturdayNo class |
| Saturday | Full-time daysNo class | Part-time evenings and SaturdayClinic day, 9am – 2pm |
How to apply
Four steps from a visit to your first Monday
Visit the floor
Come on a clinic day, or book a tour, and watch a class work. Bring your questions.
Send a short application
Tell us about yourself and the track you want. We will say what the Ohio State Barber Board asks you to bring.
Meet the director
Earline goes through the schedule, your tuition in writing and the kit you will carry. Take it home before you decide.
Start with the next group
Groups begin in January, April, July and October. Your first week is clippers, combs and mannequin heads.
From the floor
“I had never held clippers. Ms. Gholston had me draw one straight line for a week, and now I know why.”
Octavia R.Student, full-time days
“I booked a Saturday cut. It took longer than a shop would, an instructor checked it twice, and the fade was clean.”
Wendell P.Clinic client
Sample reviews.
Before you apply
Do I need experience?
No. Most of our students have never held clippers. The first weeks are mannequin heads, a comb and one skill at a time.
Can I keep my job while I study?
That is what the evening track is for. It meets Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, plus the Saturday clinic day.
Will the school get me a license?
A license is the state's to give. We teach the program and prepare you for the state exam; what the exam asks is set by the Ohio State Barber Board.
Can anyone book a clinic cut?
Yes. A student cuts and an instructor checks the work before the cape comes off. Cuts take longer than in a shop, and the booking page shows how long to allow.
How is tuition paid?
You get your tuition and payment schedule in writing at your enrollment meeting, before you decide. How tuition works explains what it covers.
Come and watch a cut
Visit during clinic hours and see a student work with an instructor at their shoulder.