Student Professional Development Guidelines

All students must commit to and follow the Student Professional Development Guidelines during their enrollment at Paul Mitchell the School Portsmouth. These guidelines were established to assist in creating a safe, focused, and enjoyable learning experience.

Attendance and Documentation of Time

  1. The school records attendance in clock hours and gives appropriate attendance credit for all hours attended. The school does not add or deduct attendance hours as a penalty. Attendance is calculated using a computerized time clock and round hours. To ensure proper credit for clock hours, full-time students are required to clock in/out 4 times a day: when they arrive at school, when they leave for lunch, when they return from lunch, and when they leave at the end of the day. If a student fails to clock in or out for their schedule on the student time clock, the student will not receive hours. If the student wishes to dispute any hours they feel earned, the student must provide documentation to verify attendance on the missing time form. The documentation would include the student sign-in sheet, the specialty class attendance role, and/or the guest service summary.
  2. The school is open from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM for full-time day students.
  3. All courses require continuous attendance.
  4. The prescribed attendance schedule must be maintained each week.
  5. Day students may not miss Friday.
  6. Students must be on time, as tardiness inhibits the learning process. Students who are late for theory, a specialty class, or a guest artist class may attend the class but must be accompanied into the classroom by a learning leader. Students are never excused from mandatory theory class to work in the clinic classroom.
  7. Students who are late must come in before 10:00 am. If a student comes in after 10:00 am, they will be asked to go home and will not receive any clock hours for the day and will accrue absent hours, unless given permission from Financial Services Leader or Future Professional Advisor.
  8. During the Enrollment agreement period, the student is allowed to miss 10% before having to pay extra instructional charges. The student may use the 10% hours for vacation, appointments, illness, etc. Extra Instructional Charges will be billed to the applicant's account once the Schedule Program Length is reached. Overtime charges are to be paid at the time the student reaches their contracted time and must be paid one (1) month prior to graduation.
    Program Allowed Absent Hours Charge after all allowed absent hours have been used
    Cosmetology 1500 150 $12.00 per hour
    Instructor Training 800 80 $12.00 per hour

    The allowed absent hours can be used for vacation, appointments, illness, etc.

    **Refer to the school enrollment agreement for the enrollment agreement Period definition. Please note that if a student misses more than 14 consecutive calendar days, the student will be terminated from the program.

  9. Students who are late or cannot attend school must contact the school and talk to the school service desk. Day students must call in by 8:30 AM and night students must call in by 4:30 PM.
  10. Students must request time off from school from the Education Leader.
  11. Students attend Core the first 8 weeks (280 clock hours) of enrollment. During this time, the student must maintain a monthly attendance of 90%. If at the conclusion of the month, the student’s progress report is not 90% attendance, the student may be dropped from the program and asked to re-enroll in the next class start date.
  12. Students are required to be in attendance a minimum of seven (7) hours per day, 35 hours per week for the full-time schedule. Holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day will be set according to the calendar each year. Students cannot bank hours and attend over 35 hours per week to make up for missing hours. If a student will miss hours during the week, arrangements must be made with the Future Professional Advisor to make up those hours within the same week, or the hours missed will count against the hours allowed to miss and overtime charges can occur.
  13. Lunches and breaks are scheduled for all students. All students will take 30 minutes for lunch between 12:00 noon and 1:00 PM. Students should communicate with their instructor if they have not had lunch by 1:30 PM.

    Observe the appropriate breaks for your school schedule. Breaks are as follows:
    Student Schedule Breaks Lunch
    7 1/2 hr./day 15 min. in the morning & 15 min. in the afternoon 30 min.
    4 hr./day 20 min at mid-point of schedule n/a
  14. Documentation of time: Students may not leave the school premises during regular hours without an instructor’s permission.
    1. Students who leave school premises for more than 10 minutes or those who leave early must document their time by clocking out on the time clock, signing the sign-out sheet, and having an instructor book them out.
    2. Students who leave school premises for less than 10 minutes must sign the sign-out sheet.
    3. Day students must clock out on the time clock for lunch for 30 minutes every day. Students will not receive credit for the hour if they fail to clock in/out for lunch.
  15. Students may not clock in or out for another student.
  16. Students must keep a record of all services each day on the “service tracking sheet,” which must be completed daily and turned in every month.

Professional Image

A professional image is a requirement for successful participation in school. Students must maintain the following professional dress code:

  1. Core and Phase One students must wear all black.
  2. Clothing must be professional, clean, and free of stains and tears.
  3. Shoes must have backs on them and should be black, professional, and comfortable for all students.
  4. Hair must be clean and styled prior to arriving at school. Ponytails are not accepted.
  5. Cosmetics must be applied prior to arriving at school, using trend-appropriate makeup techniques.
  6. The following is a list of unacceptable dress:
    1. Foot thongs, Crocs, or open toe sandals
    2. Ripped jeans
    3. Tank or sleeveless tops
    4. Sweatpants
    5. Printed T-shirts other than those with a PAUL MITCHELL logo; acceptable T-shirts must be clean and professional, and you must dress them up
    6. Short skirts that fall above fingertips
    7. Spandex or biking shorts
  7. All dresses and skirts must not fall 4 inches above the knee.
  8. Students will be issued a name badge during the first week of school. The name badge is to be worn at all times while in school.
  9. Students who fail to comply with the professional dress code will be asked to leave and return with appropriate attire.

Sanitation and Personal Services

  1. Future Professionals must keep workstations and classroom areas clean, sanitary, and clutter-free at all times.
  2. Future Professionals must clean their stations in the clinic classroom, including the floor, after each service.
  3. Hair must be swept up immediately after a service is completed, before blow-drying.
  4. Clinic stations must be cleaned at the end of the day, prior to clocking out for the day.
  5. Future Professionals may receive services on Tuesday through Thursday. To receive a service, students must do the following prior to starting the service:
    1. Notify a Learning Leader and be scheduled off the service books
    2. Be current in practical skill assessments, theory attendance and test
    3. Pay for service supplies including perms, color, lightener, rinses, conditioning, treatments, manicures, nails, etc.

Personal services are considered rewards and scheduled for Future Professionals who are up to date with all practical exams, and clinic practical worksheets. School assignments and successful learning are the priority.

Communication Guidelines and Professional Conduct

  1. Visitors are allowed in the service reception area only. Visitors are not allowed in the classrooms, student lounge, or clinic classroom area.
  2. Only emergency calls are permitted on the business phone. Students may use the student phones for a limited time. Please keep your calls to three (3) minutes or less.
  3. Cell phones are permitted in assigned areas of the school.
  4. Future Professionals may not visit with another Future Professional who is servicing a service guest.
  5. Future Professionals may not gather around the service desk, service reception area, or offices.
  6. Food, drinks, and water bottles are allowed only in the lunchroom.
  7. The school is a smoke-free campus.
  8. Stealing or taking school property or another’s personal property is unacceptable and grounds for termination.

Learning Participation Guidelines

  1. Peer teaching and tutoring are encouraged. Taking credit for another’s work or cheating during exams is unacceptable and is grounds for termination.
  2. Future Professionals will be expected to maintain an average of 75% on all theory tests and assignments.
  3. Future Professionals may not be released from required theory class to take a client.
  4. Only service desk personnel may schedule or change client service appointments.
  5. All services must be checked and the service ticket initialed by a Learning Leader.
  6. Future Professionals are expected to be continuously working on school-related projects, assignments, clinic practical worksheets, reading theory, or test preparation during school hours.
  7. Future Professionals will receive clock hours during the times they fully participate in their learning experience.
  8. When Future Professionals are not scheduled with service appointments or are not scheduled to attend theory or a specialty class, they may focus on the following:
    1. Completion of practical skill assessments through Course Key
    2. Completion of theory review worksheets
    3. Performing a service on another Future Professional
    4. Listening to or reading school resource center materials, including educational videos, audiotapes, and books
  9. Future Professionals must comply with school personnel and Learning Leader’s assignments and requests as required by the curriculum and Future Professional guidelines and rules.
  10. Future Professionals may not perform hair, skin, barber, or nail services outside of school unless authorized to do so by school administration. Conducting unauthorized hair, skin, barber, or nail services outside of school will be reported to the state board and may result in your inability to receive a professional license.
  11. Future Professionals are responsible for their own kit and equipment and may use a clinic station drawer only while working at that clinic station. All kit, equipment, tools, and personal items must be secured in the Future Professionals assigned locker. The school is not responsible for any lost or stolen articles.
  12. Parking is allowed in assigned parking areas only or cars may be towed at the owner’s expense.
  13. If a Future Professional fails to complete the practical skill assessments or required weekly theory hours they will be placed on the Back on Track List. Future Professionals have one week to get caught up before they receive a coaching advisory.
  14. If a Future Professional fails to complete a worksheet 100%, the Future Professional will be placed on the Back on Track list and will remain on the list until the following month.
  15. If a Future Professionals fails to pass the Core written and/or practical exam on their second attempt, they may be asked to withdraw from the program and re-start in the next Core class start date.
  16. The school requires a Future Professional to complete all theory hours as part of their graduation requirements. Refer to the graduation requirements.