How to Select a Beauty College near Homer Illinois
Since you have made a decision to train as a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Homer IL, the process begins to find and enroll in the right school. It’s essential that the school you pick not only provides the appropriate training for the specialty you have chosen, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your initial search, you might be rather unclear 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 further concerning that in the upcoming segment. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Homer residence. Tuition will likewise be a critical aspect when reviewing possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it’s not automatically the best option. There are many other considerations that you should weigh when analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask concerning the cosmetology schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let’s talk a bit about what cosmetology is, and what types of courses are offered.
What is Cosmetology
Cosmetology is a profession that is all about making the human anatomy look more beautiful through the use of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that numerous cosmetology schools are referred to as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but basically a cosmetic may be almost anything that improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, the majority of states mandate that you undergo some form of specialized training and then be licensed. Once licensed, the work environments include not only Homer IL beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses 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 seeing customers either in their own residences or will travel to the client’s house, or both. Cosmetology college graduates are known by many professional names 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 earlier mentioned, in most states working cosmetologists must be licensed. In a few states there is an exception. Only those performing more skilled services, such as hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people working in cosmetology and less skilled, such as shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.
Cosmetology Degrees and Certificates
There are essentially two pathways offered to obtain 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 usually take 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 all of the major areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are available if you prefer to focus on just one area, for instance hair coloring. A degree program will also probably feature management and marketing training so that graduates are better prepared to run a salon or other Homer IL business. Higher degrees are not prevalent, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such specialties as salon or spa management. Whichever type of program you choose, it’s imperative to make sure that it’s certified by the Illinois Board of Cosmetology. Numerous states only certify schools that are accredited by certain respected agencies, such as the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will review the benefits of accreditation for the school you select in the upcoming section.
Online Cosmetologist Training
Online cosmetology programs are convenient for Homer IL students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed through a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional beauty programs are frequently fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as brief as six or eight 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 are not spending numerous hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it’s imperative that the training program you select can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also get the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s difficult to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So don’t forget if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.
Questions to Ask Beauty Degree Programs
Below is a list of questions that you will want to look into for any beauty training school you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Homer IL residence, in addition to the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish 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 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 several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final determination.
Is the Program Accredited? It’s necessary to make sure that the cosmetology training program you pick 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for getting student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered in 61849 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a prerequisite for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Homer IL businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Every beauty college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating companies for reviews as well as the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Homer IL 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 may even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And finally, contact the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? Many beauty schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s essential that you choose a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your goal 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 desire is to open a hair salon in Homer IL, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you need.
Is Enough Live Training Provided? Practicing and mastering cosmetology techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty academy provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that offer this kind of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from a cosmetology school, it’s essential that he or she receives assistance in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance develope relationships with Homer IL employers that are seeking trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? Almost all beauty schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and learn 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 accessible to students also. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an option before you determine what financial help may be offered.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Homer IL?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Homer IL area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
Homer, Illinois
Homer grew from a settlement named Union, which was on the Fort Clark or State Road running between Danville and Urbana, nearly three miles north of the present town. Union was little more than several cabins built in 1829-30, but it served as a post office and meeting place in what was Vermilion County prior to the creation of Champaign County in 1833. Moses Thomas, a native of Pennsylvania, built a mill on the Salt Fork creek southeast of Union in 1834 and began to mill grain. A young merchant traveling from Indiana, Michael Doctor Coffeen, built a store adjacent to the mill, and with Thomas created the village of Homer on January 26, 1837. The post office was moved to Homer with M. D. Coffeen as postmaster in 1841.
Homer grew to 120 people in 1850, and the coming of the Great Western Railroad to the south of the town prompted the village to move to its present location. In February 1855, the town's 32 buildings were dragged 1.5 miles south by 18 teams of oxen. The village became a stop on the railway, later named the Wabash Railroad, becoming the center of agriculture in eastern Champaign County.
In 1905, the town became the location for Homer Park, an amusement park on the Illinois Traction System interurban line. Homer Park, north of the village on the Salt Fork creek, offered swimming, food, baseball, movies and even a small zoo. The park closed in 1937 after flooding and poor management.
Enroll in the Right Cosmetology School near Homer IL
Selecting and enrolling in the ideal cosmetologist college is important to receive the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel certain about your decision. Make certain to collect all of the information you get from the beauty 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 procedure is to make sure that the college and program you select are accredited and have impressive reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and address the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to start your new career as a professional cosmetologist in Homer IL.
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