English speaking hairdresser

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

Yup. For the sake of other southerners you start at Newcastle, follow the river to North Shields and turn left. (Probably not the AA recommended route!)

By the way, I used to be able to tell the inhabitants of Newcastle from those of Gateshead by their accents. Mind you, that was when the Cloth Market Cafe still had waitresses with black dresses and frilly aprons -- not as exciting as it sounds because they were mostly about 90.

[JeanS]

To get back to the thread ( nothing against Whitley Bay - went there once) or the correct use of upper/lower case. I use a non-Engilish speaking French hairdresser and have no problems -a get a better cut/colour than in the UK for half the cost.

[tonyd]

Fortunately there is another website that runs a forum, who has members who are only too happy to pass on their experience’s and advice. Where no matter what the question, they always answer sensibly,

Not with Garbage about whitely bay, Not sure why anyone in France would be the slightest bit interested in anything North of Watford anyway.

Still we have now found one.

[idun]

Which web site is that then?

I am from well north of the Watford Gap.

[ericd]

And I thought British people had the best humour !! Would you be referring to the same site that kicked me out for no reason whatsoever?? and my point remains, you could have asked for any amount of translation concerning your hair do and you would have had help. Don't huff, life is i am told far too short. Hey to make it up to you, I'll sing a song in Breton.

[Nimportequoi]

[quote user="idun"]Which web site is that then?

I am from well north of the Watford Gap.[/quote]

Probably AngloInfo. It consists largely of posts asking for English speaking hairdressers/doctors/dentists/butchers/garage mechanics etc. and asking where they can buy UK food.

[Weedon]

[quote user="tonyd"]Fortunately there is another website that runs a forum, who has members who are only too happy to pass on their experience’s and advice. Where no matter what the question, they always answer sensibly, Not with Garbage about whitely bay, Not sure why anyone in France would be the slightest bit interested in anything North of Watford anyway. Still we have now found one.[/quote]

Tony...would you be good enough to tell everybody where you found an English speaking hairdresser, I bet all the other posters are dying to know but don't like to ask. I thought hairdressing salons here only stocked various strengths of an orange colour, from a light rusty drain pipe colour to something that resembles a vivid goldfish, so any other colour would have to be shipped in no matter whether they spoke English or French.

Not being an expert on hair styles now, although in my younger days I spent quite a time in trying to achieve the Tony Curtis look, I reckon take a chance on your local teazy weazy but take a beeny hat just in case.

[Rob Roy]

Our village hairdresser is brilliant - she listens to what you want and delivers, much more cheaply than in the UK. She would also like to learn more English so we have rather mixed language conversations!

Added to that she's young and pretty - when my husband met her he thought it was time he went back to paying for his haircut, rather than letting me do it with the clippers!

[pachapapa]

[quote user="Weedon"]

[quote user="tonyd"]Fortunately there is another website that runs a forum, who has members who are only too happy to pass on their experience’s and advice. Where no matter what the question, they always answer sensibly, Not with Garbage about whitely bay, Not sure why anyone in France would be the slightest bit interested in anything North of Watford anyway. Still we have now found one.[/quote]

Tony...would you be good enough to tell everybody where you found an English speaking hairdresser, I bet all the other posters are dying to know but don't like to ask. I thought hairdressing salons here only stocked various strengths of an orange colour, from a light rusty drain pipe colour to something that resembles a vivid goldfish, so any other colour would have to be shipped in no matter whether they spoke English or French.

Not being an expert on hair styles now, although in my younger days I spent quite a time in trying to achieve the Tony Curtis look, I reckon take a chance on your local teazy weazy but take a beeny hat just in case.

[/quote]

Well perhaps he googled.[:)]

http://poitoucharentes.angloinfo.com/af/14/poitou-charentes-hairdressers-and-beauty-treatments.html

And the one at the roundabout in Parthenay has a big sign in the window.

[idun]

I have never minded buying english food treats, when I found them or when they were available.

But why would anyone move to France without getting stuck into the language, beyond me asking for 'english speaking anything' when one is a guest in France.

[NickP]

[quote user="idun"]I have never minded buying english food treats, when I found them or when they were available. But why would anyone move to France without getting stuck into the language, beyond me asking for 'english speaking anything' when one is a guest in France.[/quote]

So why do most public services in the UK offer most information in multi languages? Because my friend not everybody is fortunate to have your linguistic abilities, and sometimes we all need a little assistance in life , so maybe you might try helping people instead of being pompous? [:P]

[YCCMB]

Three things:

1. If the OP was a native Russian speaker, or Dutch, or any one of a host of other languages.......what do you reckon would be their chances (or even, indeed, the point) of asking for a hairdresser who could speak to them in their own language??

2. My last haircut in the UK was done by a lovely and very competent lady from Afghanistan. Fortunately, she had gone to the trouble to learn English or goodness knows what my hair would look like now. But then, I'm sure anyone looking for an Afghan-speaking hairdresser could have been happy to stumble upon her.

3. I once took a Czech (male) au pair with shoulder length hair to the barbers for a trim. Note: trim. I even asked him if he'd like me to come in with him and explain. He refused. I met him half an hour later, only to discover he was sporting a No.1 buzz cut. "What happened?" I asked "I don't know" he said "I told him I wanted just a little haircut". The barber, BTW, was Moroccan.

Hairdressing and languages....a tricky mix.[:D]

[Jimmy]

[quote user="NickP"]

[quote user="idun"]I have never minded buying english food treats, when I found them or when they were available. But why would anyone move to France without getting stuck into the language, beyond me asking for 'english speaking anything' when one is a guest in France.[/quote]

So why do most public services in the UK offer most information in multi languages? Because my friend not everybody is fortunate to have your linguistic abilities, and sometimes we all need a little assistance in life , so maybe you might try helping people instead of being pompous? [:P]

[/quote]

Pompous is indeed appropriate.  I live in France (I’m not a guest, it’s my home), speak enough of the language to get by and am improving all the time. We had a good French hairdresser but now have an equally good English hairdresser. I’m only sorry we don’t live near the OP otherwise we could have helped.

[idun]

We are always guests unless we go the whole hog and get citizenship.

I have helped people over the years, french and brits, boat load of folks, I am not pompous, What I am is intolerant of this sort of question though, for goodness sake, I know how hard it is to learn french.

I still speak french like a vache espagnole, I do my best and it was a hard slog, a very hard slog.

I do not think that any country needs to waste money, putting things in other than the language(s) spoken in that country. Especially for anyone that choses, is not made to, but choses to live in their country and then expect some sort of special treatment.

[Weedon]

[quote user="idun"]We are always guests unless we go the whole hog and get citizenship. [/quote]

I don't consider myself to be a guest here. To my re-collection I decided to come here without being invited, so maybe I gate-crashed.  So far nobody has objected.

[Christine Animal]

You can be a bit of a whole hog though at times.  Five pages of this, c'est pas vrai, the poor OP.

 

[Quillan]

[quote user="idun"]We are always guests unless we go the whole hog and get citizenship. I have helped people over the years, french and brits, boat load of folks, I am not pompous, What I am is intolerant of this sort of question though, for goodness sake, I know how hard it is to learn french. I still speak french like a vache espagnole, I do my best and it was a hard slog, a very hard slog. I do not think that any country needs to waste money, putting things in other than the language(s) spoken in that country. Especially for anyone that choses, is not made to, but choses to live in their country and then expect some sort of special treatment.[/quote]

Whilst I agree with your comments (although the Catalans round here have forced the French to put some sign's in both Catalan and French) I don't think simply asking if anyone knows an English speaking hairdresser in a particular area comes within that remit.

[ericd]

It all started with a line of good banter reply and some posts since have had valid comments but the main point still remains, one will never progress in another's country if one does not speak the linguo and this starts with the coiffeur, boucher, garagiste and pompes funebres. Errors will be made and hopefully corrected to ensure the path to language fluency leads to complete integration. I have done it when I arrived some place well up North from the Watford Gap 26 years ago, the barber was the place I feered most (one to one and polite conversation) .....and trying to remember the word "side-burn".

[Weedon]

Depends what you mean by "progress" and "integration". I have no immediate neighbours, the nearest ones are 200 metres up the lane where there are about 4 or 5 houses. I have been for meals at 2 of the houses during the 9 years I have lived here, and am on nodding terms to the others, but I reckon they still refer to me as the English chap and not as *****. I don't really want to integrate with them nor do I particularly want them to integrate with me if that means popping in and out of their houses and having to have long conversations about a lot of trivia that is of no interest to me.

Funnily enough I held the same views when I lived in a village in Sussex for 30 years.

[ericd]

...???? But you didn't ask for an English speaking hairdresser in your area did you??

[Weedon]

I didn't often use the local one...he was Scottish. I could never fully understand what he said. But I did notice that his accent became less pronounced over the years...now that's progress[:D]

[NickP]

[quote user="ericd"]...???? But you didn't ask for an English speaking hairdresser in your area did you??[/quote]

 

Yes I did, and I did in Yugoslavia, Poland, Norway Morocco and what ever other country I had the pleasure of working in. Why struggle when you can make life easier, that doesn't mean that I wanted an English speaking hairdresser/barber for the rest of my life, just for the beginning to make things easier. Whats wrong with that?

[ericd]

....????? Sorry that was meant for Weedon

[Gardengirl]

How did you manage with the accent in Whitley Bay, ericd? It can be very hard to understand, even for those brought up not far away!

I've not yet asked for an English-speaking hairdresser in France. My first cut in France was 40 years ago, and I barely had enough of the language to ask for a coffee, never mind discussing hairstyles - I pretty much took what I got!  [:D]

 

 

[Richard51]

[quote user="NickP"]

So why do most public services in the UK offer most information in multi languages?  [:P]

[/quote]

Because they are stupid and like to waste tax payers money.  IMHO if you choose to live in a country (full-time or part-time) you should make the effort to learn the language.  This applies whether you are an East European living in the UK or a Brit in France.  Failing to do so shows arrogance and idleness.  How much effort does it take to use a dictionary etc to work out (and, if necessary, write down) what you want before you go?  It's Brits like you that make me cringe with embarrassment.  Do you shout loudly and slowly in English too?

Mrs R51