How to Choose the Best Esthetician School Near Norwood Park Illinois
Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Norwood Park IL, the process starts to find and enroll in the right program. It's important that the school you select not only furnishes the proper training for the specialty you have decided on, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be a little bit unclear about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Norwood Park home. Tuition will likewise be a critical consideration when reviewing potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not automatically the best option. There are several other factors that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what types of programs are offered.
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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 Norwood Park 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 Classes
Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Norwood Park IL students who are working full-time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based beauty school programs available that can be accessed by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are often fast paced since many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you are not spending numerous hours outside of your home or commuting back and forth from classes. However, it's important that the program you select 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 part of the training, it's impossible to obtain the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Esthetics Programs
Following is a series of questions that you should investigate for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Norwood Park residence, together with the cost of tuition, will most likely be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have put together several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask every school before making a final decision.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's necessary 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 assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Norwood Park IL businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Any esthetician institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to exceptional 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, signifying that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Norwood Park IL salon owners or managers, or someone working in the industry, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. And finally, check with the Illinois school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, focusing on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you choose a school that specializes in 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 vision is to start a Norwood Park IL beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.
Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided? Learning and mastering esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty program provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on the use of mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for cultivating your skills. So search for alternate schools that furnish this type of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's crucial that she or he gets aid in finding that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance develop relationships with Norwood Park IL businesses that are seeking skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Offered? Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you may 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 satisfies each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not omit it as an alternative until you learn what financial assistance may be offered.
Learn How to Become an Esthetician in Norwood Park
Enroll in the Best Norwood Park Esthetician Course
Finding and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is imperative to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Make 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 responses you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then use that information to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the academy and program you pick are accredited and have excellent reputations within the profession. If you begin with that foundation, and address the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to begin your new career as a professional esthetician in Norwood Park Illinois.
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