Become a Cosmetologist | Cosmetology Schools Upper Darby PA

How to Select a Cosmetology College near Upper Darby Pennsylvania

nail technicians training at Upper Darby PA beauty school Since you have decided to become a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Upper Darby PA, the process starts to find and enroll in the best school. It’s essential that the school you pick not only provides the proper training for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your initial search, you may be rather unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. We’ll talk a bit more about that in the following segment. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Upper Darby home. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when assessing potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it’s not necessarily the ideal choice. There are many other considerations that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the cosmetology schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let’s talk a bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of training programs are available.

What is Cosmetology

Upper Darby PA makeup ar4tist applying makeup Cosmetology is an occupation that is all about making the human body look more attractive through the application of cosmetics. So naturally 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 can be almost anything that improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, almost all states mandate that you take some kind of specialized training and then be licensed. Once you are licensed, the work settings include not only Upper Darby PA beauty salons and barber shops, but also such places as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, once they have gotten experience and a customer base, launch their own shops or salons. Others will start servicing clients either in their own residences or will go to the client’s home, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many titles and are employed in a wide range of specialties including:

Hairdressers
Hairstylists
Beauticians
Barbers
Manicurists
Nail Technicians
Makeup Artists
Hair Coloring Specialists
Estheticians
Electrolysis Technicians

As earlier stated, in most states practicing cosmetologists must be licensed. In some states there is an exception. Only those performing more skilled services, for example hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Others employed in cosmetology and less skilled, which include shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.

Cosmetologist Degrees

Upper Darby PA hairdresser cutting hair There are essentially two avenues available to get cosmetology training and a credential after completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) course, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs generally take 12 to 18 months to finish, while an Associate’s degree ordinarily takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be instructed in each of the major areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are available if you wish to specialize in just one area, such as hair coloring. A degree program will also most likely include management and marketing training in order that graduates are better prepared to operate a salon or other Upper Darby PA business. Higher degrees are not typical, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are offered in such specialties as salon or spa management. Whichever type of course you choose, it’s essential to make sure that it’s recognized by the Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology. Many states only recognize schools that are accredited by certain reputable organizations, for instance the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will discuss the benefits of accreditation for the school you select in the next segment.

Online Cosmetology Schools

student attending cosmetology school online in Upper Darby PA Online beauty programs are accommodating for Upper Darby PA students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online cosmetology school programs available that can be attended by means of a desktop computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are frequently fast paced because many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large 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 outside of your home or commuting to and from classes. On the other hand, it’s imperative that the program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it’s impossible to gain the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Cosmetology Training Courses

Questions to ask Upper Darby PA beauty schools Below is a series of questions that you will want to investigate for any cosmetologist training program you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Upper Darby PA residence, together with the expense of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want 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 preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have put together some of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final selection.

Is the School Accredited? It’s necessary to make certain that the cosmetology training program 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for getting student loans or financial aid, which often are not obtainable in 19082 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a criteria for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Upper Darby PA employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation? Any cosmetology college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the industry. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews along with the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Upper Darby PA salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not considered. Finally, check with the Pennsylvania school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus? A number of cosmetology schools offer programs that are broad 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 typically broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s important that you enroll in a school that focuses on your area of interest. If 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 aspiration is to start a hair salon in Upper Darby PA, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided? Learning and mastering cosmetology techniques and abilities demands 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 real people. If a beauty academy provides limited or no scheduled live training, but rather relies mainly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for developing your skills. Therefore look for other schools that offer this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from a beauty academy, it’s imperative that he or she gets assistance in finding that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with Upper Darby PA businesses that are seeking skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and businesses they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available? Almost all cosmetology schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and identify 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 offered to students as well. If a school meets all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not discard it as an alternative before you find out what financial help may be available.

Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Upper Darby PA?

If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Upper Darby PA area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.

Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Upper Darby Township (often shortened to simply Upper Darby) is a home rule township[3] bordering Philadelphia in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upper Darby is home to the Tower Theater, a historic music venue on 69th Street built in the 1920s. Upper Darby's population is diverse, representing over 100 ethnic cultures. The township hosts a range of housing types including densely populated rowhouse sections similar to houses in neighboring West Philadelphia, tree-lined neighborhoods of turn-of-the-century single-family houses and mid-century developments. It is Pennsylvania's sixth most populous municipality.

Upper Darby is 65% residential, 25% commercial, and 8% other. As of the 2010 census, the township had a total population of 82,795.[4] Because of a home-rule charter adopted in 1974 and effective in 1976,[3] Upper Darby utilizes a mayor-council form of management, unlike communities that are still under the Pennsylvania Township Code. ("First Class" townships in Pennsylvania have a board of commissioners divided into wards, and "Second Class" townships having a board of supervisors, which are usually elected "at-large".)

In 1650, the area that eventually became Upper Darby had been inhabited by the Lenape tribe of Native Americans for hundreds of years, but war with the Susquehannock to the west along with devastating smallpox and measles epidemics had significantly reduced their numbers. The first permanent Europeans settlers arrived in late 1653 with a group from New Sweden. Soon after, in 1655, New Sweden was taken over by the Dutch, and then came under English rule in October 1664 as part England's overall conquest of New Amsterdam. The region was controlled as a possession of the English king until it was included in a large land grant to William Penn in 1681.

Enroll in the Right Beauty Vocational School near Upper Darby PA

Upper Darby PA barber blow drying client's hair Selecting and enrolling in the ideal cosmetologist program is essential to obtain the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel certain about your decision. Make sure to organize 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 sensible beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the college and program you decide on are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and address the additional questions supplied in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to launch your career as a professional cosmetologist in Upper Darby PA.