How to Select the Right Esthetician College Near Evanston Illinois

Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Evanston IL, the process begins to search for and enroll in the right program. It's important that the program you choose not only furnishes the necessary training for the specialty you have chosen, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you might be a little bit confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Evanston home. Tuition will additionally be a critical aspect when reviewing possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not automatically the right option. There are several other considerations that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what kinds of 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 Evanston 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 schools are accommodating for Evanston IL students who are employed full-time and have family obligations that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many web-based beauty school programs offered that can be attended through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are typically fast paced because many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a significant portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you're not spending numerous hours away from your home or driving back and forth from classes. However, it's important that the training program you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors in order that you also get the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to gain the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Training Programs

Below is a list of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Evanston residence, together with the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt 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 take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have put together several of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential 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 agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which often are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many Evanston IL employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Any esthetician institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating companies for reviews together with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Evanston IL salon owners or managers, or someone working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to propose others that you had not considered. Finally, contact the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all areas 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 important that you enroll in a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your objective 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 launch a Evanston IL beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and refining esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing talents on volunteers. If a beauty academy furnishes minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather depends mainly on the use of mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. So look for other schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's essential that he or she receives aid in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide assistance maintain relationships with Evanston IL businesses that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and find out 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 offered to students too. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an alternative until you find out what financial assistance may be provided.

Find Out How to Become an Esthetician in Evanston

Enroll in the Right Evanston Esthetician Training

Choosing and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is imperative to obtain the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Be sure to consolidate all of the information you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the academy and program you decide on are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you start with that base, and address the additional questions presented in this article, 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 examination, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to begin your new career as a professional esthetician in Evanston Illinois.

 

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