6
Intensive days
12
Week course
6
Maximum per regular evening group
What You’ll learn
12-week barbering course
in Edinburgh
Start your barbering education with evening classes, six intensive days with Riccardo Basco and supervised practical training. Small groups. A professional kit included.
Apply to discuss training · See student work and experiences
Edinburgh
Evening classes
Professional kit included
Six intensive days
Continued training support
Your course at a glance
Professional kit included · 12 weeks · 17 sessions · 75 scheduled teaching hours
Choose Monday or Wednesday, 7–10pm, with a maximum of six learners per evening group. January starts: Monday 18 January or Wednesday 20 January 2027.
Six compulsory intensive days: 31 January; 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 February 2027. Wednesday 3 February is off. Attend 9am–5pm, including approximately one hour for lunch, at a nearby venue a short walk from our Brunswick Street shop. The groups combine for the intensive, with up to twelve learners. There is no separate evening class that week.
Riccardo Basco personally teaches all six intensive days. Eachan leads the evenings, supported by Shiv, our senior barber.
Brazen’s own private certificate follows successful assessment. This is not an NVQ or SVQ, and employment or earnings are not guaranteed.
Check the current group options with us before enrolment.
Your eleven evenings
All dates below are in 2027, 7–10pm. Attend your chosen column only. Travel and your own practice are additional to the scheduled teaching.
| Evening | Monday group | Wednesday group |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 Jan | 20 Jan |
| 2 | 25 Jan | 27 Jan |
| 3 | 8 Feb | 10 Feb |
| 4 | 15 Feb | 17 Feb |
| 5 | 22 Feb | 24 Feb |
| 6 | 1 Mar | 3 Mar |
| 7 | 8 Mar | 10 Mar |
| 8 | 15 Mar | 17 Mar |
| 9 | 22 Mar | 24 Mar |
| 10 | 29 Mar | 31 Mar |
| 11 | 5 Apr | 7 Apr |
What You’ll learn
Learn the decisions
behind the haircut
Work through sectioning, scissor control, shape, length and weight on mannequins, with your educators checking your technique and explaining corrections. Clipper work and supervised live models then connect those foundations to a complete service: consultation, planning, cutting and finish.
No previous cutting experience is needed. Plan for your chosen evening group, every intensive day and practice between classes. Our training-while-working guide helps you think through that commitment.
Full Curriculum
The course
breakdown
Each phase builds on the last. Demonstrations and practice develop your technique; feedback helps you understand what to adjust. Progress to live models depends on your readiness, and the course finishes with practical assessment.
Phase 1 - Professional Foundations
(Weeks 1 - 2)
Build the professional standards expected in a modern barbershop: tools, hygiene, consultation and the theory behind the haircut.
Learn to handle and section hair with intention, understand how precision is created and recognise the choices that shape a professional result. Your educators explain their reasoning as they work, making the thinking behind the technique visible from the outset.
Phase 2 - Intensive technical development with Riccardo Basco
(Week 3)
Spend six full intensive days learning directly with Riccardo Basco, whose career spans high-level barbering, precision hairdressing and international education.
Study the architecture of a haircut: how shape, weight, length and balance work together. Develop disciplined sectioning, scissor control and a clearer understanding of why a technique produces a particular result. Riccardo’s close technical coaching connects the theory to your own work, building a foundation you can keep refining throughout your career.
Phase 3 - Fading & Clipper Work
(Week 4)
Develop clean, controlled clipper work and understand how fading connects to the shape of the whole haircut.
Learn to assess balance, manage transitions and combine scissor and clipper techniques with purpose. Individual technical coaching helps you recognise and refine the details, preparing you for supervised work on live models when your instructors judge you ready.
Phase 4 - Supervised Live Model Training
(Weeks 5–11)
Bring your technical education into the full client experience. When your instructors judge you ready, work on live models with close supervision: consult, plan the shape, execute with control and refine the finish.
Your educators review both the result and the thinking behind it, helping you recognise where to adjust. Document your progress and develop a portfolio that reflects the standard of your work.
Phase 5 - Final Preparation & Assessment
(Week 12)
Bring your learning together for practical assessment. Eachan and Riccardo assess the skills you demonstrate; attendance alone does not mean an automatic pass.
Successful assessment leads to the Brazen Academy Certificate, Brazen’s own award. This is not an SVQ, NVQ or City & Guilds qualification.
Who teaches each part
Riccardo Basco
Riccardo personally teaches all six intensive days. Precision haircutting education at the highest level is his full-time specialisation.
Eachan Maciver
Eachan leads the evenings: professional standards, clipper work, supervised model practice and client-building.
Shiv — our senior barber
Shiv supports the evening teaching with practical guidance and feedback.
Kit and course resources
Your professional kit
Your professional barbering kit is included in the course fee. Check the supplied kit list before buying additional equipment.
Your Brazen manuals
Your course resources cover haircutting, professional shop standards and Clients, Content and Consistency. Use them to revisit the theory, practical guidance and client-building exercises alongside your training.
Build the habits that bring clients back
Our marketing book, Clients, Content and Consistency, gives you practical tasks to help turn your developing skills into a clientele. Examples include:
- From Facebook groups to a content pipeline. Write a clear model offer for a local group that allows it, agree what can be filmed, then turn the appointment into useful portfolio content. This connects finding someone to practise on with showing your work to the next potential client.
- Build a repeatable content process. Choose clear footage, edit a short showcase, add a useful caption and make your location and booking route easy to find. The aim is to make posting manageable and give interested people a clear next step.
- Practise the next-appointment conversation. Explain an appropriate return visit and invite the client to book again. This helps you connect a good haircut with an ongoing client relationship.
- Review what brings people back. Record where enquiries came from, who attended and who actually returned. Use that information to decide what to improve, rather than judging progress by views alone.
The aim is to build habits you can keep using as your work and clientele develop.
See what the education meant in practice.
Hear from people who brought different experience and ambitions to Brazen.
Glen
On the depth of the education and reaching his first fully booked day.
Eve
On developing her understanding and experience of the training.
Andrew
On refining his fundamentals and learning to market his work.
Explore different starting points
Hear more about starting from scratch, changing careers and developing your craft in the full collection of student stories.
Where you train
Training in Edinburgh
Evening classes take place at Brazen Men’s Hair, 88 Brunswick Street, Edinburgh EH7 5HU. The six-day intensive takes place at a nearby venue, a short walk from our Brunswick Street shop. We’ll share the meeting point and access details with you.
Individual feedback
Small regular groups give you time to practise, ask questions and understand your next step. Live-model work begins when your instructors judge you ready.
Price and payment options
Your professional kit is included. We explain the full price and payment options during your consultation.
Before any deposit, you receive the applicable terms and individual payment schedule, confirm your understanding and complete the agreement.
Plan beyond the course
Allow for travel, practice time and any additional costs that apply to your situation. Use the budget-planning guide to prepare your questions.
Questions before you apply
Do I need experience?
No previous cutting experience is needed. The course is designed for beginners and career changers. You need to be able to attend your chosen evening group and all six intensive days, and make time for the practice and tasks your educators set.
Do I attend both evening groups?
No. You join one regular Monday or Wednesday group. Each evening group is capped at six students. We confirm the group and current availability with you.
Can I train while working?
The regular sessions are in the evening, but you also need daytime availability for all six intensive days and time for the required work. Check the complete timetable against your commitments.
Will I work on live models?
You build foundations on mannequins and move to supervised model work when your educators judge you ready. They guide you on suitable models. If a model cancels, Brazen helps find a replacement; if none is found, you practise on a mannequin that evening.
What if I miss an evening?
Tell us as early as possible. We try to help students catch up, depending on the reason and at our discretion. A replacement lesson is not automatic. Ask about the effect on your course and guarantee eligibility. All six intensive days are compulsory.
What is included in the kit?
Your professional barbering kit is included in the course fee. Check the supplied kit list before buying additional equipment.
What certificate do I receive?
Brazen awards its own private certificate following successful assessment. It is not an NVQ or SVQ. Attendance alone is not an automatic pass; the course does not guarantee employment or earnings.
What is the Confidence Guarantee?
Eligible students can receive further training through the Confidence Guarantee, subject to its attendance, task and practice conditions. Read the full applicable conditions before payment. It is not a refund, job or earnings guarantee.
What support is available afterwards?
Graduates can stay in touch for advice about finding work, including text and voice-note support. This is separate from additional tuition under the Confidence Guarantee.
Can I train if I am under eighteen?
We recommend the course for learners aged sixteen or above. If you are younger, discuss your situation with us before applying. A parent or guardian will be involved in applications and enrolment for anyone under eighteen.
Your next step
Start with your application
Tell us what you want to learn and how training fits your plans. If a consultation is the right next step, you can choose a free 30-minute phone call with Eachan. Applying does not commit you to enrolling.
Apply to discuss trainingRead student experiences and see their work