Finding her feet as a self-employed hairdresser

Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Trades helps make a dream come true with certificate of competence

Syrian hairdresser, Kali Hussein, cuts and styles two women and two men models beneath the watchful eyes of examiners from the Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Trades and Crafts.

She takes the task in hand very seriously and does a great job. The scene is the salon at the Koblenz chamber's Centre for Nutrition and Health. The 50-year-old has the opportunity to prove her practical skills and theoretical knowledge in a competence test.

"The aim is to determine whether she has the necessary skills to run her own salon," explained master hairdresser Jürgen Günster.

Kali Hussein was born in Aleppo, Syria. That was where she trained as a hairdresser and obtained her qualification. She worked as a hairdresser in her own country for 10 years.

After that, she left with her children and husband for Dubai, where he had become a partner in a transport company, in the largest city in the United Arab Emirates. There, Kali worked in a salon for 15 years.

However, they never really felt at home in the Muslim country. "We are Kurdish Yazidis and religious freedom for the Christian community there is very restricted. Non-Muslims are not permitted to build places of worship in Saudi Arabia and neither are they allowed to gather for prayer in private homes. Even owning non-Muslim religious objects, such as rosaries, crosses, icon pictures or Bibles is forbidden," explained Kali.

In 2014, the couple decided to immigrate to Germany. Their sons and daughters have been living here since 2013. They had followed their relatives to Neuwied.

Now the family has been reunited. Kali would like to take up her trade again as soon as possible, and open her own salon. She would like to offer clients a head-to-toe service, including make-up and pedicure.

Her children are also going to work in the salon, since they are all from the same trade. The competence is an important step along this road, as it means she can be entered on the trades register at the Koblenz chamber.