How to Find the Best Esthetician School Near Collinsville Illinois
Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Collinsville IL, the task begins to locate and enroll in the best program. It's important that the school you choose not only provides the proper instruction for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be somewhat unclear about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Collinsville residence. Tuition will also be an important aspect when assessing possible schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the ideal option. There are various other factors that you should weigh when analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what kinds of courses are offered.
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Esthetics 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 Collinsville 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 Esthetics Courses
Online esthetician classes are accommodating for Collinsville IL students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed via a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are typically fast paced because many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you're not devoting many hours away from your home or commuting to and from classes. On the other hand, it's vital that the training program you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors so that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to obtain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Esthetics Schools
Following is a series of questions that you will want to investigate for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school relative to your Collinsville residence, in addition to the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make certain that the esthetician college you pick 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards ensuring a quality 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 requirement for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Collinsville IL employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Any esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Collinsville IL salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And last, check with the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you choose a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your vision is to open a Collinsville IL beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you need.
Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided? Practicing and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities involves lots of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty program provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for developing your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that furnish this kind of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's essential that she or he receives help in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish help maintain relationships with Collinsville IL businesses that are looking for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Offered? Many esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students as well. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not omit it as an alternative until you determine what financial aid may be offered.
Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Collinsville
Enroll in the Right Collinsville Esthetician Course
Locating and enrolling in the right esthetician school is important to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Make sure to compile all of the information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then use that data to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the college and program you pick are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Collinsville Illinois.
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