How to Choose the Right Esthetician Training Near Springfield Illinois

Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Springfield IL, the process starts to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It's important that the program you pick not only provides the proper training for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be a little bit puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Springfield home. Tuition will also be a critical consideration when assessing potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not automatically the ideal choice. There are various other factors that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of programs are offered.

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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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Springfield 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 Esthetics Classes

Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Springfield IL students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are many web-based beauty school programs available that can be accessed by means of a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty schools are frequently fast paced since many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a substantial portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you're not spending many hours outside of your home or commuting to and from classes. However, it's essential that the training program you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Schools

Below is a series of questions that you need to look into for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Springfield residence, as well as the expense of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have collected some of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make certain that the esthetician training program you pick is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for getting student loans or financial aid, which often are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Springfield IL businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Any esthetician college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. 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, showing that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Springfield IL salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. 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 complaints filed or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you decide on 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 well regarded for that program. If your dream is to launch a Springfield 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 poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you require.

Is Any Live Training Provided?  Practicing and perfecting esthetician techniques and abilities requires lots of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty program offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead depends heavily on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. So search for other schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  When a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's crucial that she or he receives help in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish help develop relationships with Springfield IL employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered?  Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at 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 cost, do not discard it as an option until you determine what financial assistance may be offered.

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Enroll in the Right Springfield Esthetician Program

Selecting and enrolling in the right esthetician college is essential to obtain the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Be sure 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 information to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the school and program you select are accredited and have impressive reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are prepared to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Springfield Illinois.

 

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