How to Choose the Best Esthetician College Near Carol Stream Illinois
Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Carol Stream IL, the process begins to find and enroll in the best program. It's essential that the program you pick not only provides the necessary instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be a little bit confused about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Carol Stream home. Tuition will additionally be an important factor when reviewing potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not always the ideal option. There are many other considerations that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what kinds of programs are available.
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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 Carol Stream 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 Courses
Online esthetician classes are advantageous for Carol Stream IL students who are employed full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs offered that can be attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty programs 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 online programs, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not spending numerous hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's vital that the program you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to gain the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is provided in your area.
Questions to Ask Esthetician Degree Programs
Below is a list of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Carol Stream home, as well as the expense of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final decision.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make certain that the esthetician training program you choose 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 ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for getting student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Carol Stream IL employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Great Reputation? Any esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to exceptional reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews together with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Carol Stream IL salon owners or managers, or any person working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to propose others that you had not looked into. And finally, contact the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? Many esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often 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 dream is to launch a Carol Stream IL beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.
Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided? Learning and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty school offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies heavily on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for cultivating your skills. So search for alternate schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's crucial that she or he gets support in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer aid develop relationships with Carol Stream IL employers that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students too. If a school meets all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not discard it as an alternative before you determine what financial assistance may be offered.
Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Carol Stream
Enroll in the Right Carol Stream Esthetician Course
Finding and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is imperative to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel positive about your decision. Don't forget to organize all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to compare schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the academy and program you decide on are accredited and have excellent reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the proper choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to start your career as a professional esthetician in Carol Stream Illinois.
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