How to Select a Cosmetology School near Blackstone Illinois
Since you have made a decision to train as a cosmetologist and attend a beauty school near Blackstone IL, the task starts to search for and enroll in the ideal school. It’s important that the school you choose not only provides the appropriate education 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 difference 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. We’ll talk a bit further concerning that in the upcoming section. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Blackstone home. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when reviewing potential schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it’s not always the ideal choice. There are various other considerations that you should weigh when analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask about the cosmetology schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let’s talk a bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of courses are offered.
Defining Cosmetology
Cosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human body look more attractive with the application of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that many cosmetology schools are regarded as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but actually a cosmetic may be anything that enhances the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, almost all states mandate that you go through some form of specialized training and then be licensed. Once licensed, the work environments include not only Blackstone IL beauty salons and barber shops, but also such venues as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, once they have gotten experience and a clientele, open their own shops or salons. Others will start servicing customers either in their own homes or will travel to the client’s residence, or both. Cosmetology college graduates have many professional names and are employed in a wide variety of specialties including:
- Hairdressers
- Hairstylists
- Beauticians
- Barbers
- Manicurists
- Nail Technicians
- Makeup Artists
- Hair Coloring Specialists
- Estheticians
- Electrolysis Technicians
As previously mentioned, in the majority of states working cosmetologists have to be licensed. In certain states there is an exemption. Only those conducting more skilled services, such as hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people employed in cosmetology and less skilled, which include shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.
Cosmetology Certificates and Degrees
There are primarily two options available to obtain cosmetology 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 usually call for 12 to 18 months to finish, while an Associate’s degree commonly takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be trained in all of the main areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are available if you want to focus on just one area, for example hair coloring. A degree program will also most likely include management and marketing training in order that graduates are better prepared to run a parlor or other Blackstone IL business. Higher degrees are not prevalent, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are offered in such areas as salon or spa management. Whichever type of training program you opt for, it’s imperative to make sure that it’s certified by the Illinois Board of Cosmetology. Many states only recognize schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded agencies, for example the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will discuss the benefits of accreditation for the school you decide on in the next segment.
Online Cosmetologist Courses
Online cosmetology programs are convenient for Blackstone IL students who are employed 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 attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are often fast paced given that many courses are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it’s vital that the training program you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors to ensure that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s impossible to acquire the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So don’t forget if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.
Questions to Ask Beauty Training Programs
Following is a list of questions that you will want to investigate for any cosmetology training school you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Blackstone IL home, in addition to the price of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you want 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 preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have put together some of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.
Is the School Accredited? It’s important to make certain that the cosmetology school you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national organization, 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 superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered in 61313 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a requirement for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Blackstone IL businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have a Great Reputation? Any cosmetology institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews in addition to the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Blackstone IL salon owners or managers, or someone working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And last, contact the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? A number of beauty schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s important that you pick a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your ambition is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your vision is to start a hair salon in Blackstone IL, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator. Choosing a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you require.
Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Studying and mastering cosmetology skills and techniques requires plenty of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty school provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead depends heavily on using mannequins, it may not be the best option for acquiring your skills. Therefore look for alternate schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from a beauty school, it’s important that he or she receives help in finding that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance develope relationships with Blackstone IL businesses that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Many beauty schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Talk to 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 as well. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications except for expense, do not drop it as an option until you learn what financial aid may be available.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Blackstone IL?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Blackstone IL area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
The Blackstone Hotel
The Blackstone Hotel is a historic 290-foot (88 m) 21-story hotel located on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Balbo Drive in the Michigan Boulevard Historic District in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. The Blackstone is famous for hosting celebrity guests, including numerous U.S. presidents, for which it was known as the "Hotel of Presidents" for much of the 20th century,[2] and for contributing the term "smoke-filled room" to political parlance.[3]
The hotel and the adjacent Blackstone Theatre were built on the site of Timothy Blackstone's mansion by John and Tracy Drake, sons of Blackstone's former business partner, the hotel magnate John Drake. John and Tracy Drake also developed the Drake Hotel. Their father had been a director of Blackstone's Chicago and Alton Railroad.[4] At the time of the opening, the hotel and theatre were located at the southern edge of the Chicago Theatre District at Michigan Avenue and Hubbard Court (which was first renamed 7th Street and later Balbo Drive).[5]
The hotel was named for Timothy Blackstone, a notable Chicago business executive and politician, who served as the founding president of the Union Stock Yards, president of the Chicago and Alton Railroad, and mayor of La Salle, Illinois. It was built from 1908 to 1910 and designed by Marshall and Fox.[6] The original construction was capitalized at $1.5 million ($27.2 million today), including a $600,000 to $750,000 bond issue by the Drake Hotel Company.[7] In the 1920s, the Drake Hotel Company undertook some financing arrangements which included extending their debt to construct the Drake Hotel. They used the Blackstone Hotel as collateral for one loan in 1927.[8] The Wall Street Crash of 1929 rippled into the hotel industry, leaving the Chicago Title and Trust Company with 30 Chicago hotels in receivership and causing the Drakes to default in 1932.[8] The hotel ended up belonging to Metropolitan Life, which held the mortgage. MetLife leased the Blackstone to hotelier Arnold Kirkeby in 1936, and Kirkeby bought the hotel outright in 1941.[9] Kirkeby sold the hotel to Sheraton Hotels in 1954 and it was renamed the Sheraton-Blackstone Hotel. The hotel endured troubles in the late 1960s, as the neighborhood surrounding it declined,[10] and Sheraton finally sold the property to local hotelier Mark Friedman on September 12, 1973, for $5 million[11] and the hotel became the Blackstone Hotel again. In 1995, the Blackstone was sold to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.[12]
Choose the Right Cosmetologist College near Blackstone IL
Finding and enrolling in the ideal beauty college is essential to receive the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to compile all of the information you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to compare schools. A good start in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the school and program you decide on are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions provided in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are qualified to launch your career as a professional cosmetologist in Blackstone IL.
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