How to Select the Right Aesthetician School Near Orland Park Illinois
Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Orland Park IL, the task begins to find and enroll in the best program. It's essential that the school you select not only furnishes the necessary education for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be a little bit puzzled about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Orland Park home. Tuition will also be an important factor when evaluating possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not necessarily the right choice. There are various other qualifications that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what kinds of programs are offered.
It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Esthetician Career Below!
Esthetician Degrees
There are essentially two pathways offered to receive esthetician training and a credential upon completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) course, or you can work toward an Associate's degree. Certificate programs typically take 12 to 18 months to complete, while an Associate's degree commonly takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be trained in each of the major areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are available if you want to specialize in just one area, for example esthetics. A degree program will also probably include management and marketing training to ensure that graduates are better prepared to operate a salon or other Orland Park IL business. More advanced degrees are not prevalent, but Bachelor and Master's degree programs are available in such specialties as salon or spa management. Whatever type of course you go with, it's imperative to make sure that it's approved by the Illinois Board of Cosmetology. Numerous states only recognize schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded organizations, including the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will discuss the benefits of accreditation for the school you select in the upcoming segment.
Online Esthetics Courses
Online esthetician schools are accommodating for Orland Park IL students who are employed full-time and have family commitments that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs offered that can be accessed by means of a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are frequently fast paced because many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you're not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or driving to and from classes. On the other hand, it's vital that the program you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Aesthetician Programs
Below is a series of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Orland Park home, together with the price of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably 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 need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled some of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make certain that the esthetician college you select 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which typically are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Orland Park 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 a Good Reputation? Any esthetician institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the industry. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for references 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 sought after. Check rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Orland Park IL salon owners or managers, or any person working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not looked into. Finally, check with 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 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 important that you pick a school that focuses on 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 desire is to open a Orland Park IL beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.
Is Enough Live Training Provided? Learning and mastering esthetician skills and techniques requires lots of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing talents on volunteers. If a beauty school offers limited or no scheduled live training, but instead depends predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. So try to find other schools that furnish this kind of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that he or she receives aid in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance develop relationships with Orland Park IL employers that are seeking skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Offered? The majority of esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students also. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not drop it as an option until you learn what financial aid may be available.
Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Orland Park
Enroll in the Right Orland Park Esthetician Course
Choosing and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is important to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to collect all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then use that information to compare schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the school and program you decide on are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you begin with that foundation, and address the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are ready to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Orland Park Illinois.
Orland Park How To Become An Esthetician | Orland Park Esthetician Courses Online