From the States to Sunderland: Hairstylist Amanda Reece’s Journey

Amanda and Jonathan Pickup.

Meet Amanda Reece, an American professional stylist from Tucson, Arizona, who has been living in Sunderland for the past four years after falling in love with an Englishman. When his visa application to the States was declined during the 2020 lockdown, she thought rather than wait a whole year to see if they could reapply, “Why don’t I just go where you are” and so here she is.

A bold move for Amanda, who had been “working behind the chair for the past 28 years as a fully qualified stylist, working at a salon that was a private suite. A friend of mine and I worked together and after lockdown, we installed an air purifier so we could work”.

Excited by her move, Amanda soon began looking for a job locally in Sunderland, she initially found employment in a city-centre salon but its main focus was on nails rather than on her speciality – hair. One day, while shopping on Blandford Street, she met Jonathan Pickup, owner of Jonathan Pickup Hair. Finally, in the UK, Amanda had found someone who spoke the same language as her when it came to hair techniques. No longer did Amanda feel like a deer in the headlights and quickly she was working with Jonathan’s team.

Weeks into her new job and still adapting to the different regulations, Amanda began feeling overwhelmed as it was difficult for her to shake off her education from beauty school in the US. Unlike here, in the USA, each state has its own board of cosmetology and barbering. This board is responsible for protecting and educating people who wish to perform barbering, manicures, electrology and other cosmetology services. They are also in charge of regulating individuals who provide services and the salons where the services are performed.

“In the USA we have what is called a State Board of Cosmetology. Your workstation is totally different to here in the UK, everything’s put away like your towels in enclosed cabinets. You have to make sure you have your sanitiser handy, also blood spill kits, and all that”.

Part of the board’s duties is ensuring that those applying for licensure have completed the necessary training needed for the licensing categories available in their state and making sure applicants pass a written and practical examination. If a consumer has a complaint against a person or place of business like a salon, they will submit their complaint to the state board of cosmetology, and they will review and decide what actions will be taken against the accused.

“So, I think the rules are a little bit stricter in the USA, because you have people come in and they have their clipboards, their pens, they check to see if everything is up to date. Your insurance, your license, your towel. It is run through the government and we have a license, and the license has to be near your station. So, they check to see if that’s up to date. You’ve got to. And you renew it every year on your birthday”.

Despite these changes in rules between the two countries, Amanda says the type of clientele remains the same “living on both sides of the pond I have realised that I have attracted the same sort of clients no matter where I go. They are very chilled out, very authentic and I think this has a lot to do with my personality and unique skills’.

Want to find out more? Find Jonathan Pickup Hair at 1st Floor, 10 Blandford St, Sunderland SR1 3JP, or their instagram here!