How to Enroll In the Best Aesthetician College Near Highland Park Illinois
Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Highland Park IL, the process starts to locate and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the school you choose not only furnishes the necessary instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you might be somewhat puzzled about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Highland Park home. Tuition will additionally be an important factor when reviewing prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not automatically the right choice. There are a number of other considerations that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what types of courses are offered.
It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Esthetician Career Below!
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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Highland Park 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 Training
Online esthetician programs are accommodating for Highland Park IL students who are employed full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are often fast paced given that many courses are as short as six or eight months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not devoting many hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's essential that the school you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to obtain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.
Questions to Ask Esthetician Training Classes
Following is a list of questions that you should research for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Highland Park residence, together with the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have reduced 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 school. Below we have put together several of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential to make sure that the esthetician training program 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which typically are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Highland Park IL employers will not employ 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 evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Highland Park IL salon owners or managers, or any person working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. And last, contact the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you decide on 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 dream is to start a Highland Park IL beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.
Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided? Practicing and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty school offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on using mannequins, it may not be the best option for cultivating your skills. So look for other schools that furnish this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's imperative that he or she receives assistance in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide aid develop relationships with Highland Park IL employers that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Aid Offered? Many esthetician schools offer 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 available to students also. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not eliminate it as an option before you determine what financial help may be available.
More Info on How to Become an Esthetician in Highland Park
Enroll in the Best Highland Park Esthetician Program
Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is imperative to obtain the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel confident about your decision. Make certain to consolidate all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to contrast schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the institution and program you pick are accredited and have excellent reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions provided 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 examination, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Highland Park Illinois.
Highland Park Esthetician Courses Online | Highland Park Esthetician Classes