How to Find the Best Aesthetician Program Near Melrose Park Illinois

Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Melrose Park IL, the task begins to find and enroll in the ideal program. It's essential that the program you select not only furnishes the proper instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your initial search, you may be somewhat puzzled about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Melrose Park residence. Tuition will also be a critical aspect when evaluating prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the ideal option. There are several other qualifications that you should evaluate when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of training 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 Melrose 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 Programs

Online esthetician programs are accommodating for Melrose Park IL students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online cosmetology school programs available that can be attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology programs are frequently fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a significant portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not spending many hours outside of your home or driving to and from classes. However, it's vital that the training program you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors so that you also receive the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Aesthetician Degree Programs

Below is a list of questions that you should investigate for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Melrose Park residence, in addition to the cost of tuition, will most likely 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 preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled several of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential to make certain that the esthetician college you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Melrose Park IL employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Each esthetician institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly regarded. Check rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Melrose Park IL salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not considered. And last, consult the Illinois school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Many esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you choose a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your objective is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your aspiration is to start a Melrose 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 regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.

Is Enough Live Training Provided?  Studying and refining esthetician techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty program furnishes minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for developing your skills. So look for alternate schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's imperative that she or he receives support in finding that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish help maintain relationships with Melrose Park IL businesses that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and inquire which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered?  The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might get approved 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 each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an option until you learn what financial help may be provided.

More Info on How to Become an Aesthetician in Melrose Park

Enroll in the Best Melrose Park Esthetician Training

Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician school is imperative to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel confident about your decision. Make certain to collect all of the information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that data to compare schools. A good start in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the academy and program you pick are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Melrose Park Illinois.

 

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