How to Select the Best Esthetician School Near Maywood Illinois
Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Maywood IL, the task starts to search for and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the program you pick not only furnishes the appropriate education for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be rather confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Maywood home. Tuition will likewise be a critical aspect when reviewing potential schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not always the right option. There are various other considerations that you should weigh when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds 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 Maywood 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 Programs
Online esthetician classes are advantageous for Maywood IL students who are working full-time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty schools are typically fast paced due to the fact that many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not spending many hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's essential that the school you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.
What to Ask Aesthetician Trade Schools
Below is a series of questions that you should look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Maywood residence, in addition to the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you want 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 program. Following we have put together several of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final decision.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential 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 agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for securing student loans or financial aid, which often 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 concluding benefit, numerous Maywood IL employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Each esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews together with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Maywood IL salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. And last, consult 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 Focus? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating 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 typically broaden 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 launch a Maywood 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 regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.
Is Any Hands-On Training Provided? Practicing and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty program furnishes minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that offer 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 gets support in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance develop relationships with Maywood IL businesses that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Almost all esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students as well. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not omit it as an option until you determine what financial aid may be offered.
More Info on How to Become an Esthetician in Maywood
Enroll in the Right Maywood Esthetician Training
Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician college is imperative to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel confident about your decision. Make sure to consolidate all of the information you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the academy and program you pick are accredited and have excellent reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Maywood Illinois.