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How to Enroll In the Right Aesthetician Training Near Chicago Illinois

Chicago Illinois aesthetician giving facial with machineOnce you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Chicago IL, the task starts to find and enroll in the right program. It's important that the school you pick not only furnishes the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you might be somewhat puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Chicago residence. Tuition will additionally be a critical factor when assessing potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the right choice. There are many other qualifications that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of training programs are available.

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Esthetician Training Programs

Chicago Illinois esthetician giving wax hair removal treatmentEsthetics 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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Chicago Illinois spas and salons as well as resorts and medical facilities to provide a variety of treatments for their clients. Some of the typical duties of an esthetician include performing deep skin cleansing and treatments, hair removal, and massages. Estheticians also recommend skincare treatments, products, and regimens to their clients. Many estheticians are self-employed, which allows them to set their schedules and work where they wish. However, these professionals still often need to work evenings and weekends. These skin care specialists also spend much of their time standing and may be exposed to harmful chemicals. Certified estheticians have excellent customer service and communication skills. They're adept at time management, observation and monitoring and are competent in understanding and using the tools necessary for facial procedures and extractions. Certified estheticians are familiar with medical, spreadsheets, and word processing software. They present a professional appearance and have the physical fitness to stand for prolonged periods of time. A career in esthetics generally requires working evening and weekend hours.

Online Esthetics Classes

Chicago Illinois woman taking esthetician training onlineOnline esthetician schools are accommodating for Chicago IL students who are working full-time and have family commitments that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based beauty school programs available that can be attended through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are often fast paced given that many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a significant amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not spending many hours outside of your home or driving to and from classes. However, it's important that the school you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Programs

Following is a list of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Chicago residence, in addition to the price of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have compiled some of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician college 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 essential for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Chicago IL employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Each esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Check rating services for reviews together with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Chicago IL salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not considered. And finally, consult the Illinois school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Some 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, such as 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 sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your aspiration is to launch a Chicago IL beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Practicing and refining esthetician techniques and abilities requires lots of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on using mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for developing your skills. So try to find alternate schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  When a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's imperative that she or he receives help in finding that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide aid develop relationships with Chicago IL employers that are searching for qualified graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Most esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you might qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students too. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not discard it as an alternative until you find out what financial assistance may be offered.

More Info on How to Become an Esthetician in Chicago

Enroll in the Right Chicago Esthetician Course

Finding and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is imperative to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Don't forget to consolidate all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the academy and program you pick are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you begin with that foundation, and answer the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Chicago Illinois.



 

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