Become a Cosmetologist | Cosmetology Schools Penn Laird VA

How to Select a Beauty College near Penn Laird Virginia

nail technicians training at Penn Laird VA beauty school Once you have decided to become a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Penn Laird VA, the task begins to locate and enroll in the right school. It’s important that the program you select not only provides the appropriate training for the specialty you have decided on, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your initial search, you may be a little bit unclear about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. We’ll speak a bit further concerning that in the next section. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Penn Laird home. Tuition will also be a critical factor when evaluating prospective schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it’s not necessarily the best choice. There are various other qualifications that you should weigh 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

Penn Laird VA makeup ar4tist applying makeup Cosmetology is a profession that is all about making the human body look more beautiful through the application of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that numerous cosmetology schools are referred to as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the term cosmetics, but really a cosmetic can be almost anything that enhances the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, the majority of states require that you take some kind of specialized training and then be licensed. Once you are licensed, the work settings include not only Penn Laird 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 begin servicing customers either in their own homes or will go 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 mentioned, in the majority of states practicing cosmetologists have to be licensed. In certain states there is an exemption. Only those offering more skilled services, for example hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Others working in cosmetology and less skilled, which include shampooers, are not required to get licensed in those states.

Cosmetologist Degrees and Certificates

Penn Laird VA hairdresser cutting hair There are essentially two avenues offered to obtain cosmetology training and a credential upon completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) course, or you can pursue an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs normally call for 12 to 18 months to complete, while an Associate’s degree usually takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be instructed in each of the major areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are offered if you prefer to specialize in just one area, for example hair coloring. A degree program will also probably include management and marketing training so that graduates are better prepared to run a parlor or other Penn Laird VA business. More advanced degrees are not prevalent, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such specialties as salon or spa management. Whichever type of training program you choose, it’s important to make certain that it’s certified by the Virginia Board of Cosmetology. Many states only approve schools that are accredited by certain respected organizations, including the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will discuss the benefits of accreditation for the school you choose in the following segment.

Online Beauty Schools

student attending cosmetology school online in Penn Laird VA Online beauty classes are convenient for Penn Laird VA students who are employed full time and have family commitments that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed via a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional beauty programs are frequently fast paced due to the fact that many courses are as short as six or eight months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not spending numerous hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it’s important that the school you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s difficult to obtain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. 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 Beauty Degree Programs

Questions to ask Penn Laird VA beauty schools Following is a series of questions that you should research for any cosmetologist training school you are contemplating. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Penn Laird VA residence, as well as the expense of tuition, will probably be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly 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 need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask every school before making a final determination.

Is the School Accredited? It’s necessary to make sure that the cosmetology college 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 meet their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for securing student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not obtainable in 22846 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 Penn Laird VA employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation? Each beauty college 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 placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating services for reviews as well as the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Penn Laird VA salon owners or managers, or any person 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, contact the Virginia school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus? Some beauty schools offer programs that are expansive 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 commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you choose a school that focuses on your area of interest. If your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your dream is to open a hair salon in Penn Laird VA, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.

Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided? Learning and perfecting cosmetology skills and techniques demands lots of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty school provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on using mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that furnish this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance? Once a student graduates from a beauty academy, it’s important that she or he receives assistance in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish help maintain relationships with Penn Laird VA employers that are looking for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available? The majority of cosmetology schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students as well. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not omit it as an option before you determine what financial assistance may be available.

Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Penn Laird VA?

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

Washington and Lee Swing

"Washington and Lee Swing" is the official fight song of Washington & Lee University. Before it morphed into a swing, Dixieland and bluegrass standard, "The Washington and Lee Swing" was one of the most well known — and widely borrowed — football marches ever written, according to Robert Lissauer's Encyclopedia of Popular Music in America. Schools and colleges from Tulane to Slippery Rock to Gonzaga to Iowa State copied it (sometimes with attribution). It was written in 1910 by Mark W. Sheafe, class of 1906, Clarence A. (Tod) Robbins, class of 1911, and Thornton W. Allen, class of 1913. It has been recorded by virtually every important swing musician, including Glenn Miller (with Tex Beneke on vocals), Louis Armstrong, Kay Kyser, Hal Kemp and the Dukes of Dixieland. "The Swing" was a trademark of the New Orleans showman Pete Fountain. The trumpeter Red Nichols played it (and Danny Kaye pretended to play it) in the 1959 movie The Five Pennies.[1] (There is an audio excerpt from a 1944 recording by Jan Garber, a prominent dance-band leader of the era. School song from D & D's Music Hall.)

The "Swing" was parodied in "The Dummy Song" by Lew Brown and Ray Henderson.[2] "Dummy" was recorded by NRBQ, Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima and Glenn Miller's vocal jazz group, The Modernaires, among many others, and was used in the movie You've Got Mail. It is also the tune used as the CIT song in the 1979 movie, "Meatballs."

In the early part of the 20th century Mississippi State University, then known as Mississippi A&M College, used a specially adapted version of the "Washington and Lee Swing" with words suitable for a college song.[4]

Pick the Right Beauty College near Penn Laird VA

Penn Laird VA barber blow drying client's hair Finding and enrolling in the ideal cosmetologist school is essential to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel positive about your decision. Don’t forget to compile all of the responses you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the school and program you choose are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are ready to start your new career as a professional cosmetologist in Penn Laird VA.