How to Choose the Right Esthetician School Near Evergreen Park Illinois
Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Evergreen Park IL, the process begins to locate and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the program you pick not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you may 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 intend on commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Evergreen Park residence. Tuition will additionally be a critical consideration when evaluating potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not automatically the right option. There are various other factors that you should weigh when analyzing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of training programs are offered.
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Esthetician Training Programs
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 Evergreen Park 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 Schools
Online esthetician programs are advantageous for Evergreen Park IL students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous online beauty school programs offered that can be attended by means of a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology programs are typically fast paced because many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you're not spending many hours away from your home or commuting to and from classes. However, it's essential that the training program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Aesthetician Training Courses
Following is a series of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Evergreen Park residence, together with the price of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have put together some of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final decision.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician college you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for getting student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Evergreen Park IL employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Every esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to exceptional reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements 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 demanded. Visit rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Evergreen Park IL salon owners or managers, or someone working in the industry, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. Finally, contact the Illinois school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in full 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 particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you choose a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your desire is to start a Evergreen Park IL beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct 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 deliver the training you require.
Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided? Studying and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out 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 academy furnishes little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on using mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for cultivating your skills. So look for other schools that furnish this kind of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's essential that she or he gets assistance in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with Evergreen Park IL businesses that are seeking trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and businesses they refer students to. Also, find out 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 Aid Available? The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students also. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not discard it as an alternative until you learn what financial assistance may be offered.
Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Evergreen Park
Enroll in the Right Evergreen Park Esthetician Training
Finding and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is imperative to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel positive about your decision. Make certain to collect all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then use that information to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the institution and program you pick are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Evergreen Park Illinois.
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