How to Pick a Cosmetology College near North Haven Maine
Since you have decided to train as a cosmetologist and attend a beauty school near North Haven ME, the process starts to locate and enroll in the ideal school. It’s important that the school you select not only provides the necessary instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your preliminary search, you may be a little bit puzzled 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 kind of school. We’ll talk a little bit further regarding that in the next section. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your North Haven home. Tuition will also be a critical consideration when reviewing possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it’s not automatically the right option. There are various other qualifications that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about 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 kinds of programs are offered.
Definition of Cosmetology
Cosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human body look more attractive with the application of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that many cosmetology schools are described as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the term cosmetics, but basically a cosmetic may be anything that enhances the appearance of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, the majority of states mandate that you take some kind of specialized training and then become licensed. Once licensed, the work settings include not only North Haven ME beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, once they have acquired experience and a clientele, establish their own shops or salons. Others will begin seeing customers either in their own homes or will go to the client’s residence, 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 already mentioned, in the majority of states working cosmetologists have to be licensed. In certain states there is an exception. Only those performing more skilled services, such as hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people employed in cosmetology and less skilled, such as shampooers, are not required to become licensed in those states.
Cosmetology Degrees
There are primarily two avenues offered to get cosmetology training and a credential upon completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) program, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs typically call for 12 to 18 months to finish, while an Associate’s degree usually takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be trained in all of the main areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are available if you wish 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 North Haven ME business. More advanced degrees are not typical, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such specializations as salon or spa management. Whichever type of course you choose, it’s essential to make sure that it’s recognized by the Maine Board of Cosmetology. A number of states only recognize schools that are accredited by certain respected organizations, for example the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will review the advantages of accreditation for the school you decide on in the following section.
Online Beauty Programs
Online cosmetology schools are convenient for North Haven ME students who are employed full time and have family obligations that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional beauty schools are frequently fast paced since many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a significant amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you’re not spending numerous hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. However, it’s important that the program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also receive the hands-on training necessary 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 profession. So don’t forget if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Cosmetologist Schools
Below is a list of questions that you should investigate for any cosmetologist training program you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your North Haven ME residence, as well as the price of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and take into consideration 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 determination.
Is the School Accredited? It’s essential to make certain that the cosmetology school you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which typically are not offered in 04853 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a requirement for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of North Haven ME employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Great Reputation? Any cosmetology institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the field. 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, showing that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews together with the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with North Haven ME salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. And finally, check with the Maine 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 Specialty? A number of beauty schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s essential that you pick a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your objective 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 vision is to start a hair salon in North Haven ME, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you require.
Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided? Learning and perfecting cosmetology techniques and abilities involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty academy offers limited or no scheduled live training, but instead depends predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for developing your skills. So try to find other schools that offer this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from a cosmetology school, it’s essential that he or she receives assistance in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide help maintain relationships with North Haven ME employers that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are considering 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 confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Almost all 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 identify 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 too. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not drop it as an alternative before you find out what financial help may be offered.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near North Haven ME?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater North Haven ME area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
North Haven, Maine
North Haven is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States, in Penobscot Bay. The town is both a year-round island community and a prominent summer colony. The population was 355 at the 2010 census. North Haven is accessed by three-times daily ferry service from Rockland, or by air taxi from Knox County Regional Airport.
As early as 3300 BC, the island was visited by the Red Paint People. Later it became part of the territory of the Penobscot Abenaki Indians, who hunted and fished in canoes along the coast. Captain Martin Pring, the explorer from Bristol, England, "discovered" North Haven and Vinalhaven in 1603. He called them the Fox Islands, a name which survives on the Fox Islands Thoroughfare, a strait separating the towns which provides passage for boats crossing Penobscot Bay.[4]
Settled in the 1760s, North Haven was originally the North Island of Vinalhaven, from which it was set off and incorporated on June 30, 1846 as Fox Isle. It was changed to North Haven on July 13, 1847. An act was passed by the state legislature in 1850 which gave the majority of island inhabitants "the right to have such roads as they deemed fit." The majority thereupon decided to have no roads at all, or else roads obstructed with gates or bars at the discretion of landowners. Not surprisingly, the minority of inhabitants petitioned to amend the act.[5]
Choose the Right Cosmetologist Vocational School near North Haven ME
Choosing and enrolling in the right cosmetologist school is imperative to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to consolidate all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence process is to make certain that the academy and program you pick are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to begin your new career as a professional cosmetologist in North Haven ME.
Other Beautiful Locations in Maine
Business Results 1 - 10 of 2
1 Reviews 
2 Reviews 