How to Select a Beauty College near Aredale Iowa
Once you have decided to train as a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Aredale IA, the process starts to search for and enroll in the ideal school. It’s important that the school you choose not only provides the proper instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be somewhat unclear about the contrast 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 talk a bit more about that in the following section. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Aredale home. Tuition will additionally be a critical consideration when assessing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it’s not always the right option. There are several other qualifications that you should weigh when analyzing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask concerning 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 types of courses are available.
Defining Cosmetology
Cosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human body look more attractive with the use of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that numerous 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 improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, most states mandate that you take some kind of specialized training and then become licensed. Once licensed, the work environments include not only Aredale IA 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 seeing clients either in their own residences or will travel to the client’s residence, or both. Cosmetology college graduates are known by many names and are employed in a wide range of specializations including:
- Hairdressers
- Hairstylists
- Beauticians
- Barbers
- Manicurists
- Nail Technicians
- Makeup Artists
- Hair Coloring Specialists
- Estheticians
- Electrolysis Technicians
As formerly mentioned, in the majority of states working cosmetologists have to be licensed. In a few states there is an exemption. Only those conducting more skilled services, for instance hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people employed in cosmetology and less skilled, including shampooers, are not required to get licensed in those states.
Cosmetologist Degrees
There are essentially two options 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 generally take 12 to 18 months to complete, while an Associate’s degree commonly takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be trained in each of the major 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 include management and marketing training so that graduates are better prepared to manage a salon or other Aredale IA business. More advanced degrees are not common, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are offered in such specialties as salon or spa management. Whatever type of program you choose, it’s essential to make certain that it’s approved by the Iowa Board of Cosmetology. Numerous states only certify schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded agencies, such as the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will discuss the advantages of accreditation for the school you choose in the next segment.
Online Cosmetologist Courses
Online beauty schools are convenient for Aredale IA students who are employed full time and have family obligations that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be attended via a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are typically fast paced since many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you’re not spending many hours away from your home or travelling to and from classes. However, it’s vital that the training program you pick can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s impossible to gain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Cosmetology Schools
Below is a list of questions that you should look into for any cosmetology training program you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Aredale IA home, together with the price of tuition, will most likely 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 options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have put together some of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final selection.
Is the Program Accredited? It’s necessary to make sure 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 assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not available in 50605 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Aredale IA employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Any cosmetologist institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to exceptional reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good starting point. 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, signifying that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating companies for reviews together with the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Aredale IA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the trade, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not thought of. And finally, consult the Iowa 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 Specialty? Many beauty schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you select a school that specializes in 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 dream is to start a hair salon in Aredale IA, 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 seeking will not deliver the training you require.
Is Enough Live Training Provided? Practicing and perfecting cosmetology techniques and abilities involves 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 site that make it possible for students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty academy provides limited or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for acquiring your skills. So search for alternate schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? When a student graduates from a beauty academy, it’s imperative that she or he gets help in finding that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance develope relationships with Aredale IA employers that are seeking trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? The majority of beauty schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students too. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not eliminate it as an alternative until you learn what financial aid may be provided.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Aredale IA?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Aredale IA area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
Aredale, Iowa
The town of Aredale owes its conception to cheese. The area surrounding the town had seen increasing settlement since the 1860s, and in 1890, the local dairy farmers pooled their resources to create a cheese making factory, which eventually helped the town develop enough to warrant the community its own post office and thus township rights.
The name Aredale is derived from a variation on the Pennsylvania town of Airville from which several Aredale residents had emigrated. The plat was recorded on June 28, 1900 by the Iowa and Minnesota Town Site Company. June 28 later was observed as Field Day by residents, and featured a town celebration and a baseball game visited by hundreds of people from nearby towns.
Soon the town featured a number of competing lumberyards and stockyards, and the Aredale Savings and Loan was constructed in 1901. That same year, the First Methodist Church was organized, and purchased the Coldwater Methodist Church building, which was then moved in town. It was destroyed by fire in 1923 and replaced by a new building.
Select the Right Cosmetology School near Aredale IA
Picking and enrolling in the right cosmetology college is important to receive the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to collect all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on 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 certain that the institution and program you select are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are qualified to start your career as a professional cosmetologist in Aredale IA.
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