More than a hairdresser. More than a tutor. Someone who genuinely wants to see you succeed. If you are training in hairdressing at The Academy by Sharon Leavy, this is a chance to meet Martina, hairdressing tutor whose own path into the industry shapes exactly how she teaches now.
If you are considering training in hairdressing, here are five real reasons students consistently come away inspired after they meet Martina, hairdressing tutor with a genuinely different approach to teaching.
Reason 1: She Started Exactly Where Her Students Start
Meet Martina, hairdressing tutor whose own journey into the industry wasn’t always easy. She started from the bottom, training and working full-time while completing her own qualifications. She knows first-hand how demanding it can be to learn new skills, balance work and study, build confidence and find your feet in a busy salon.
And she’s not afraid to admit that she learned plenty the hard way. Mistakes, challenges, difficult clients, things that didn’t quite go to plan, they’ve all been part of her journey.
But that’s exactly what makes her so passionate about teaching.
“If I can help my students avoid some of the mistakes I made, I’m doing my job.”
Martina wants her students to learn from her experience, not just from a textbook. When you meet Martina, hairdressing tutor for the first time, that honesty about her own beginnings is usually one of the first things students notice.
Reason 2: She’s Still Behind the Chair Herself
As well as being an experienced hair educator, Martina continues to work in the salon, keeping her connected to the reality of working behind the chair. She understands the pressures, the expectations and the little things you only learn once you’re actually working with clients.
Her teaching style is hands-on, patient, positive and practical. She’ll demonstrate it, let you have a go, watch what you’re doing, help you correct it and, if you still don’t get it, she’ll happily explain it again. Because everyone learns differently. And there are no silly questions.
Students who meet Martina, hairdressing tutor and current working stylist, often say this is what sets her apart from tutors who teach purely from theory.
Reason 3: She Never Stops Learning Herself
One thing that has never changed throughout Martina’s career is her desire to keep learning. She’s always looked for opportunities to develop her knowledge, improve her skills and push herself further, and she still does.
Because in hairdressing, you never really stop learning. New techniques. New products. New trends. New knowledge.
And Martina wants to pass that mindset on to her students. She wants them to leave the Academy not only with a qualification, but with the confidence and curiosity to keep growing. Anyone who has met Martina, hairdressing tutor known for this attitude, tends to describe her as someone who leads by example rather than just instruction.
Ireland’s further education and training authority, SOLAS, regularly highlights exactly this kind of ongoing professional development as central to quality vocational training, which is exactly the standard Martina holds herself to.
Reason 4: She Genuinely Celebrates Every Breakthrough
For Martina, one of the most rewarding parts of teaching is watching that lightbulb moment. The student who was nervous to pick up the scissors suddenly creates a haircut they’re proud of. The student who wasn’t confident with colour finally understands what’s happening. The student who started saying “I can’t do this” eventually says:
“Look what I did!”
Those moments are why she loves teaching. She’s a positive person by nature and genuinely wants to see people do well. Your success is something she’ll celebrate with you, genuinely and visibly, not as a formality.
Reason 5: She Remembers What It Felt Like to Be a Beginner
Martina knows what it’s like to start at the beginning. She knows what it’s like to work hard, make mistakes, feel unsure and wonder whether you’re ever going to get there. And she also knows how amazing it feels when all that hard work finally starts to come together.
That’s what she wants to give her students: the knowledge, the practical skills, the patience, the encouragement, and most importantly, the confidence to believe they can do it. Because everyone has to start somewhere. And sometimes, having someone beside you who genuinely believes you can do it makes all the difference.
“I’ve been the student. I’ve been the beginner. I’ve made the mistakes. Now I want to help you become the best hairdresser you can be.”
Martina
Real Student Success
Sandra, a real hairdressing graduate of the Academy, is exactly the kind of student Martina’s approach is built for, someone starting from a genuine beginner level and building real, working confidence over the course of her training. Megan Reid, another graduate, developed her skills specifically in beginners upstyling under the same hands-on, patient teaching style Martina describes here.
Both are proof of what Martina means when she talks about that lightbulb moment, students who arrive unsure and leave with a qualification and the confidence to use it.
Why Choose The Academy by Sharon Leavy?
The Academy is based on Harbour Street in Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Its Hairdressing Courses Ireland range is taught by tutors like Martina, who combine a genuine teaching qualification with real, current salon experience rather than teaching purely from theory.
If you want to meet Martina, hairdressing tutor and know more about the actual course she teaches on, the Level 2 Diploma in Hairdressing is a natural starting point for beginners building the same foundation Sandra and Megan built before her.
Frequently Asked Questions: Meet Martina, Hairdressing Tutor
What makes Martina’s teaching style different from a typical hairdressing tutor?
Martina still works behind the chair in a real salon alongside teaching, which keeps her directly connected to what clients actually expect day to day. Her approach is hands-on and repeats as often as needed, demonstrate, practise, correct, and explain again if it has not clicked yet, since she believes everyone learns differently.
Do I need previous experience before training with Martina?
No. Martina’s own path started from the very beginning, training and working full-time while completing her own qualifications, and her teaching style is built specifically around meeting beginners exactly where they are. Nervous first attempts with scissors are expected, not a sign you are behind.
What happens if I don’t understand something the first time it’s explained?
When you meet Martina, hairdressing tutor, she explains things again, as many times as it takes, because she genuinely believes there are no silly questions. Her own experience of struggling with new skills early in her career is exactly why she does not expect students to grasp everything instantly the first time round.
Does Martina only teach cutting, or colour and styling too?
Martina’s teaching covers the practical skills that come up in real hairdressing work, including cutting confidence and understanding colour, based on her own ongoing experience working behind the chair. Her focus stays on building genuine, practical competence students can actually use with clients, rather than covering topics purely in theory.
Why does Martina keep training herself instead of relying on past experience?
Because hairdressing never stops evolving, new techniques, new products and new trends appear constantly, and Martina wants to model that mindset for her students rather than just teach them once and stop. She wants graduates to leave with genuine curiosity as well as a solid qualification behind them.
Are there real graduates who trained under Martina’s teaching approach?
Yes. Academy graduates including Sandra and Megan Reid built their hairdressing skills and confidence through the same hands-on, patient teaching style Martina describes here, moving from genuine beginners to qualified, working hairdressers over the full course of their training under her guidance and support.
Meet Martina, and See What Training With Her Actually Feels Like
Meet Martina, hairdressing tutor at The Academy by Sharon Leavy, and you meet someone who has genuinely been exactly where her students are now, unsure, making mistakes, and wondering if it will ever click.
That is precisely why her approach works. Not because she skipped the hard parts of learning hairdressing, but because she remembers every one of them, and built her entire teaching style around making sure her students do not have to struggle through them alone.
If you are ready to start your own journey, browse the Hairdressing Courses Ireland range at The Academy by Sharon Leavy, or get in touch with any questions before you enrol.
