METIN SAVAS
Stoke Newington
17 November 2005
BD. Did you become a barber in Turkey?
Yes.
BD. Which part of Turkey?
South Turkey.
BD. And how old were you?
Twelve. Because in my country if you want a career you have to start early. If you want to go to school, you got to school. I didn’t want to go to school because I’m Kurdish, you know.
BD. So you’re Kurdish but you don’t come from the east?
My family come from the east but I come from the south because life is so hard in the east, that’s why my family left there and go and live in south Turkey.
BD. What did you start learning when you were twelve?
I got family friends who have this job so I started helping him. Simple things like brush floor. I start there. After going to college for this career when my age be 14, and then when I am 17 I get my certificate and start.
BD. And when did you come to this country?
2000.
BD. And could you speak English before you came?
No. I learned some in the college like ‘How are you? How old are you? what’s your name?. Nothing else.
BD. Why did you chose to be a barber?
Because when I am young in my area there are two barber shop and those people are very popular in my area. I see those people and I go talk to my family and say ‘I don’t want to go to school I want to be a barber’ and my father say ‘if you want, go work in there’. So I do school and barber together. Half day school, half day barber.
BD. But your farther wasn’t a barber?
No. My father is like a decorator.
BD. So when you started being a barber did you regret it?
No, I love my job.
BD. So you were working in turkey until you were 20 or something?
Yes.
BD. And when you came here was it hard to get started?
So hard because language is a big problem, you know. You are professional but if you can’t speak English a lot of customers don’t trust you, you know what I mean? Because if you want to do something you do it wrong because he wants this style and you do it a different style. You’ve got to understand. But after one and a half years or maybe two years after that I am learning some words.
BD. So were you working for a Turkish barber in this country?
No. first time I work in this place.
BD. What, this shop here?
I work part time first, like two days a week. But for the last two month I am working full time.
BD. So how many people work here?
Just me and another guy. The other guy works part time. Just weekends.
BD. Is this your business now?
Yes, this is my business.
BD. So you’re doing well then.
Mmm, alright.
BD. Well, in that you came to this country and couldn’t speak any English…
Anyway, I want to start night-time college. I want to do best, because I can’t be solicitor or doctor at this stage. I want to be best in my career.
BD. So you’re going to go to night collage and do exams?
Yes.
BD. But nothing to do with being a barber.
I trust my career but I don’t trust my language if you know what I mean.
BD. So you want to catch up with the fact that you left school at twelve.
No, I left school at 17, but I want to be best in my career, like Tony & Guy or something.
BD. Oh, you want to have a whole chain.
I think I can do because I’m young, you know what I mean.
BD. Well you must be pretty determined, to come over here at the age of 20, get your own business going, without being able to speak English.
That’s why I say I can do it.
BD. What percentage of your customers are Turkish?
50/50. 50 percent Turkish, 50 percent other people, like English, Ireland, eastern European, Asian.
BD. And do you know what the difference between what you do and what an English barber would do?
I tell you something, I know this, the Turkish barber is clean. Cleaner than the English.
BD. And do you know English barbers now hardly ever do shaves these days.
English barber don’t do extra thing like eyebrows, clean the ear. If you want haircut they just cut your hair and say ‘bye bye’. A Turkish barber will cut your hair, clean your neck, put something and say ‘thank you very much, bye bye’. If a customer comes here one time he don’t go to another place again.
BD. So do you speak Kurdish and Turkish?
I speak Kurdish and Turkish. My Kurdish is not properly until I come in this country because in Turkey you cannot speak Kurdish. You can speak it in the home but when you go outside the home you need to talk Turkish. But in London when I go to my uncles house everyone speaks Kurdish.
BD. So you learnt more Kurdish when you were in this country?
Yeah, yeah.
BD. Did you have trouble getting into this country?
No. if you don’t do trouble, you don’t get trouble. I finish my work, go to my house and play with my son and that’s it. The day is finished. But if you want trouble you can do it 20 times a day.
BD. No I didn’t mean that sort of trouble. Trouble as in it’s hard for Kurdish people getting into this country.
This country? No. before I come to this country a lot of people say it’s racist. Five and a half years I have been in this country, but I didn’t see racist.
BD. Before when you cut my hair last week you burnt the hair in my ears. Why did you burn it?
Because it looks dirty.
BD. Why not just cut it? Why burn it?
If you cut it it grows back more. When you burn it, no more. If you shave all the time you have strong beard. Same thing.
BD. So if you got another shop would it be somewhere else in London or are you quite happy round here?
I want to be big like Tony & Guy, you know so maybe one day open more shops in London.
BD. So who cuts your hair?
My friends. The other guy that works here.