How to Pick the Right Esthetician School Near Oak Park Illinois

Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Oak Park IL, the task starts to find and enroll in the ideal program. It's important that the school you select not only provides the proper training for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you might be rather unclear about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Oak Park residence. Tuition will likewise be a critical factor when reviewing possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not always the ideal option. There are many other considerations that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what kinds of programs are offered.

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Esthetics 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 Oak 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 Training

Online esthetician schools are convenient for Oak Park IL students who are employed full time and have family obligations that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many web-based beauty school programs offered that can be accessed through a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are frequently fast paced given that many courses are as short as six or eight 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're not devoting many hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. However, it's essential that the program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also get the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. 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 Aesthetician Degree Programs

Following is a series of questions that you should look into for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Oak Park home, as well as the expense of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected some of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician college you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged 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 guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Oak Park IL employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Any esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly demanded. Check rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Oak Park IL salon owners or managers, or any person working in the business, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to propose others that you had not considered. Finally, consult the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you pick a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your ambition is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your vision is to launch a Oak Park IL beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you require.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Learning and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their developing talents on real people. If a beauty school offers limited or no scheduled live training, but rather depends heavily on using mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for cultivating your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that furnish this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's essential that she or he receives aid in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish aid develop relationships with Oak Park IL employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Many esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department. Speak with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students too. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications except for expense, do not eliminate it as an option until you determine what financial aid may be provided.

Learn How to Become an Aesthetician in Oak Park

Enroll in the Best Oak Park Esthetician Course

Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician program is important to obtain the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to contrast schools. A good start in your due diligence process is to make certain that the institution and program you select are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this article, 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 exam, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Oak Park Illinois.

 

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