Life at Banbury and Bicester College

Rebekkah O’Neill studied Hair and Beauty at Banbury and Bicester College from 2014 to 2016. She has since made her way up the ladder in the beauty industry by setting up her own salon and successful hairdressing blog. 

“My first year at college was probably one of the best years of my life. I didn’t really enjoy school, so it was really refreshing when I got to college and had a lot more freedom and was treated like an adult,” she said. 

“The teachers were lovely, and I found myself really looking forward to going into college every day. I knew that I was going there to learn something that I was really passionate about.” 

Favourite memory

One of Rebekkah’s most memorable moments from college was her time spent with teacher, Sam Smith, and the skills she learnt through one-to-one teaching. 

“If it weren’t for her, I would not have the knowledge I have today. She always went out of her way to make sure we understood things and help us practice,” Rebekkah said. 

“Her help throughout college is what really stuck with me. For example, she taught me how to razor cut hair, and now I get people who specifically come to me because I razor cut. I learnt all of that from Sam, and now that’s one of my specialities.” 

Life since college

After working in a salon for a couple of years after college, and then in a home salon, Rebekkah found a space to set up her own business, The Orchard Hair Salon in Banbury. 

“I’ve been there for four years now, but in 2022 I finished my training to be an educator, so now I teach beauty and hairdressing courses as well,” Rebekkah said. 

“I also manage a hair and beauty blog which has been quite successful. I’ve been featured on sites like Buzzfeed, Bustle, and SheFinds.” 

While Rebekkah has been a hair enthusiast from childhood, she was surprised to discover her love for teaching. 

“I absolutely love it, it’s very rewarding. The training has opened my eyes in so many ways, for example how everyone has different learning styles,” she said. 

“I think I didn’t enjoy school because the way we were taught did not suit how I learn best. I now transfer that knowledge to my teaching and try to understand all my students’ learning styles so that I know my teaching is beneficial to each student. 

“I can definitely see myself wanting to teach more in the future,” Rebekkah added. 

Proudest achievement to date

Rebekkah’s proudest achievement so far was when her dandruff vs dry scalp blog post was feature in Buzzfeed last year. 

“I was blown away when it went live, and the amount of traffic that has come to my website from that one feature is just insane,” she said. 

“That experience made me want to do more, and that’s how I got to be on Bustle and SheFinds. I’m a content reviewer for SheFinds now, so it’s amazing how many doors it’s opened for me.”  

Advice for life post-college

Rebekkah shared some words of advice for those leaving college soon. 

“Don’t force things. Sometimes things don’t happen the way you want them to happen, but you have to remember that there will always be other opportunities,” she said. 

“I remember the pressure after college of thinking that I needed to do everything right away, but you don’t have a time limit. You can take it step by step. 

“Just because something doesn’t happen now, doesn’t mean something better won’t happen in the future.”