How to Select a Beauty College near Pembroke Virginia
Once you have made a decision to train as a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Pembroke VA, the process begins to find and enroll in the best school. It’s important that the school you choose not only furnishes the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have decided on, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be rather puzzled about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. We’ll speak a bit more regarding that in the next section. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Pembroke residence. Tuition will likewise be a critical aspect when assessing potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it’s not always the ideal choice. There are a number of other considerations that you should evaluate when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask regarding the cosmetology schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a bit about what cosmetology is, and what types of training programs are offered.
Definition of Cosmetology
Cosmetology is a profession that is all about making the human anatomy look more attractive with the application of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that many cosmetology schools are regarded as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the term cosmetics, but actually a cosmetic can be almost anything that improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, the majority of states mandate that you undergo some kind of specialized training and then be licensed. Once licensed, the work settings include not only Pembroke VA beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have gained experience and a customer base, launch their own shops or salons. Others will start servicing customers either in their own residences or will travel to the client’s home, or both. Cosmetology college graduates are known by many titles and work in a wide range of specialties including:
- Hairdressers
- Hairstylists
- Beauticians
- Barbers
- Manicurists
- Nail Technicians
- Makeup Artists
- Hair Coloring Specialists
- Estheticians
- Electrolysis Technicians
As formerly stated, in the majority of states practicing cosmetologists must be licensed. In some states there is an exemption. Only those performing more skilled services, such as hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Others employed in cosmetology and less skilled, including shampooers, are not required to become licensed in those states.
Cosmetology Certificates and Degrees
There are essentially two pathways offered to receive cosmetology training and a credential after completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) course, or you can pursue an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs generally call for 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 main areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are offered if you want to focus on just one area, such as hair coloring. A degree program will also most likely incorporate management and marketing training to ensure that graduates are better prepared to manage a salon or other Pembroke VA business. More advanced degrees are not prevalent, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are offered in such specializations as salon or spa management. Whichever type of program you decide on, it’s imperative to make sure that it’s recognized by the Virginia Board of Cosmetology. Many states only approve schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded organizations, such as the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will review the advantages of accreditation for the school you decide on in the next section.
Online Cosmetologist Classes
Online beauty schools are convenient for Pembroke VA students who are working full time and have family commitments that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous online beauty school programs offered that can be accessed via a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional beauty schools are frequently fast paced given that many programs are as short as six or eight months. This means that a large amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you’re not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it’s vital that the program you pick can provide internship training in local salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it’s impossible to acquire the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So don’t forget 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
Following is a list of questions that you should look into for any beauty training program you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Pembroke VA home, in addition to the expense of tuition, will most likely be your primary 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 choices based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have collected some of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final selection.
Is the Program Accredited? It’s necessary to make certain that the cosmetology 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not offered in 24136 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a criteria for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Pembroke VA businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Any cosmetology college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews together with the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Pembroke VA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the industry, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. Finally, consult the Virginia school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? A number of beauty schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you enroll in a school that focuses on your area of interest. If your intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your dream is to launch a hair salon in Pembroke VA, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly regarded school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you need.
Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided? Learning and refining cosmetology skills and techniques requires lots of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing talents on volunteers. If a beauty school offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies mainly on using mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that provide this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from a beauty academy, it’s essential that he or she gets assistance in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance maintain relationships with Pembroke VA employers that are searching for skilled 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. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Almost all beauty schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might 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 expense, do not omit it as an alternative before you find out what financial assistance may be provided.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Pembroke VA?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Pembroke VA area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
Pembroke, Virginia
Pembroke ( /ˈpɪmbrʊk/ PIM-bruuk) is a town in Giles County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,128 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Blacksburg–Christiansburg–Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,134 people, 491 households, and 317 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,027.6 people per square mile (398.0/km²). There were 520 housing units at an average density of 471.2 per square mile (182.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.59% White, 6.79% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population.
There were 491 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.89.
Pick the Right Beauty Vocational School near Pembroke VA
Picking and enrolling in the right beauty college is essential to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Make 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 responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to contrast schools. A good start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the college and program you pick are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you begin with that foundation, and answer the additional questions supplied in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to begin your career as a professional cosmetologist in Pembroke VA.
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