How to Enroll In the Best Esthetician School Near Addison Illinois
Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Addison IL, the task begins to find and enroll in the best program. It's imperative that the program you choose not only furnishes the proper training for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be somewhat unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Addison residence. Tuition will likewise be an important aspect when assessing possible schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the right option. There are a number of other qualifications that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are considering later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what types of training programs are offered.
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Esthetician Training Requirements
Esthetics school is an investment of time, energy, and money. Requirements vary from state to state, but the majority of states require that you complete at least 600 hours of training. Full-time school can take an average of six months to complete, and part-time school can take anywhere from 9-12 months. The primary purpose of esthetics school is to get you ready to pass the state licensing exam. They also teach basic skills that you will need to perfect through experience and sometimes additional classes, such as giving facials, body treatments, and performing waxing. More advanced training includes learning to work with machines, such as IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) and Lasers used to rejuvenate the skin and permanently remove hair.
Esthetician Job Description
Estheticians provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Addison Illinois clients look and feel better. This includes improving the quality of the skin (including the treatment of skin disorders), hair removal, permanent makeup application, and facial massage. Some types of estheticians, like medical estheticians, provide highly specialized procedures that require detailed training in order for it to be done safely and effectively. Medical estheticians can help individuals suffering from serious skin disorders, burns, and other trauma, and to help with pre and post-operative surgery affecting the health of their skin. Estheticians work closely with their clients in a friendly and positive manner, so an enthusiastic attitude and desire to help people is an excellent attribute for an aspiring esthetician to possess. Some of the basic duties an esthetician may perform will include such tasks as:
- Assessing a patient’s needs
- Chemical peels
- Laser treatments
- Waxing
- Facials
- Massage of the head and neck
- Microdermabrasion
Online Esthetician Schools
Online esthetician classes are accommodating for Addison IL students who are working full time and have family commitments that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are many online beauty school programs available that can be attended by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty schools are often fast paced because many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you're not spending numerous hours away from your home or driving back and forth from classes. However, it's essential that the program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to obtain the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs
Below is a list of questions that you will want to look into for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Addison residence, together with the price of tuition, will probably be your first qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have put together some of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final determination.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make certain that the esthetician training program you select is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for getting student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Addison IL employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Great Reputation? Every esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Addison IL salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not considered. Finally, check with the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you pick a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your ambition is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your aspiration is to start a Addison IL beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly regarded school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you require.
Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Studying and mastering esthetician skills and techniques requires plenty of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their developing talents on volunteers. If a beauty school offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for developing your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that furnish this type of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? Once a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's essential that she or he receives aid in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance maintain relationships with Addison IL employers that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and inquire which salons and businesses they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students as well. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not drop it as an alternative until you learn what financial aid may be provided.
More Info on How to Become an Esthetician in Addison
Enroll in the Right Addison Esthetician Program
Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is essential to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel positive about your decision. Make sure to consolidate all of the responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the college and program you pick are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Addison Illinois.