How to Choose the Right Esthetician Course Near Maywood Illinois
Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Maywood IL, the task starts to locate and enroll in the best program. It's important that the school you select not only furnishes the necessary training for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you might be rather confused about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Maywood home. Tuition will also be a critical consideration when reviewing possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not always the right option. There are many other qualifications that you should weigh when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what types of programs are available.
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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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Maywood 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 classes are convenient for Maywood IL students who are working full time and have family obligations that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based beauty school programs offered that can be attended by means of a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are typically fast paced since many courses 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 covering the same amount of material, but you are not spending many hours outside of your home or driving 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 to ensure that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to obtain the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.
What to Ask Esthetician Schools
Below is a list of questions that you need to look into for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Maywood residence, as well as the cost of tuition, will most likely be your primary qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt 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 must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have compiled several of those supplemental 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 school you select is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many Maywood 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 school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Maywood IL salon owners or managers, or someone working in the business, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not looked into. Finally, consult the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in total compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? Many esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering 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 enroll in a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your intention 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 dream is to open a Maywood 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 poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.
Is Any Hands-On Training Provided? Studying and mastering esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their developing talents on real people. If a beauty program provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on using mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. So look for other schools that provide this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? Once a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's imperative that she or he receives assistance in finding that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance develop relationships with Maywood IL businesses that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and inquire which salons and businesses they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Most esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are considering 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 offered to students also. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an option before you find out what financial aid may be provided.
Learn How to Become an Aesthetician in Maywood
Enroll in the Best Maywood Esthetician Program
Choosing and enrolling in the right esthetician college is essential to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel confident about your decision. Make certain to collect all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to contrast schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence process is to make certain that the school and program you decide on are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you start 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 right selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to start your career as a professional esthetician in Maywood Illinois.