How to Pick the Right Aesthetician College Near Grayslake Illinois
Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Grayslake IL, the task begins to locate and enroll in the best program. It's important that the school you select not only provides the proper instruction for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin 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 pretty much interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Grayslake home. Tuition will also be a critical factor when assessing prospective schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not automatically the ideal choice. There are many other qualifications that you should weigh when analyzing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what kinds of training programs are available.
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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 Grayslake 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 accommodating for Grayslake IL students who are employed full time and have family commitments that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are typically fast paced because many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours away from your home or commuting to and from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training necessary 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 profession. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.
Questions to Ask Aesthetician Programs
Following is a list of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Grayslake home, as well as the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have collected several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final determination.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician school you pick is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which typically are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Grayslake IL businesses 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 institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent 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, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Check rating companies for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Grayslake IL salon owners or managers, or any person working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not looked into. And finally, contact 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? A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing 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 frequently expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you choose a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your desire is to open a Grayslake IL beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.
Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided? Studying and refining esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty program provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies heavily on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that offer this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that she or he gets help in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide aid maintain relationships with Grayslake IL businesses that are looking for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and businesses they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? The majority of esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Speak 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 offered to students as well. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not drop it as an alternative before you find out what financial assistance may be offered.
Learn How to Become an Esthetician in Grayslake
Enroll in the Best Grayslake Esthetician Training
Choosing and enrolling in the right esthetician college is important to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel certain about your decision. Don't forget to consolidate all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to compare schools. A good start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the institution and program you choose are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you begin with that foundation, and answer the additional questions supplied in this article, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are ready to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Grayslake Illinois.
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