How to Find the Right Cosmetology School near Westfield North Carolina
Since you have made a decision to become a cosmetologist and attend a beauty school near Westfield NC, the process starts to find and enroll in the best school. It’s imperative that the program you pick not only provides the proper instruction for the specialty you have decided on, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you might be a little bit puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. We’ll speak a little bit more about that in the upcoming section. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Westfield home. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when reviewing possible schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it’s not automatically the ideal option. There are a number of other qualifications that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask concerning the cosmetology schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a little bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of training programs are offered.
Defining Cosmetology
Cosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human anatomy look more beautiful through the use of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that many cosmetology schools are regarded as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the term cosmetics, but really a cosmetic can be almost anything that improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, most states require that you take some kind of specialized training and then become licensed. Once licensed, the work environments include not only Westfield NC beauty salons and barber shops, but also such venues as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have acquired experience and a clientele, open their own shops or salons. Others will start servicing customers either in their own homes or will go to the client’s house, or both. Cosmetology college graduates have many names and are employed in a wide variety of specialties including:
- Hairdressers
- Hairstylists
- Beauticians
- Barbers
- Manicurists
- Nail Technicians
- Makeup Artists
- Hair Coloring Specialists
- Estheticians
- Electrolysis Technicians
As formerly mentioned, in most states practicing cosmetologists have to be licensed. In some states there is an exemption. Only those performing 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
There are basically two avenues available to obtain 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 usually require 12 to 18 months to complete, while an Associate’s degree ordinarily takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be trained in all of the major areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are offered if you want to focus on just one area, for example hair coloring. A degree program will also probably incorporate management and marketing training to ensure that graduates are better prepared to run a salon or other Westfield NC business. More advanced degrees are not typical, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such specializations as salon or spa management. Whatever type of training program you decide on, it’s imperative to make sure that it’s recognized by the North Carolina Board of Cosmetology. A number of states only approve schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded agencies, including the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will cover the benefits of accreditation for the school you select in the next segment.
Online Cosmetology Classes
Online beauty programs are advantageous for Westfield NC students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online cosmetology school programs available that can be attended via a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional beauty schools are frequently fast paced because many programs are as short as six or eight months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you’re not spending many hours away from your home or commuting to and from classes. On the other hand, it’s imperative that the school you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s impossible to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.
Questions to Ask Beauty Degree Programs
Following is a list of questions that you need to look into for any cosmetology training school you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Westfield NC home, together with the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have put together some of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.
Is the Program Accredited? It’s essential to make sure that the cosmetology school you select 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for getting student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable in 27053 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a requirement for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Westfield NC businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Any cosmetology institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Check rating companies for reviews along with the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Westfield NC salon owners or managers, or any person working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And finally, contact the North Carolina 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? Many beauty schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you decide on a school that focuses on 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 respected for that program. If your aspiration is to start a hair salon in Westfield NC, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Choosing a highly regarded school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.
Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Learning and refining cosmetology skills and techniques requires plenty of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing talents on volunteers. If a beauty academy offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends heavily on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the best option for acquiring your skills. So search for alternate schools that offer this kind of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? Once a student graduates from a cosmetology program, it’s essential that she or he gets aid in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer aid develope relationships with Westfield NC employers that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and inquire which salons and businesses they refer students to. Additionally, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Aid Offered? Most beauty 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 find out 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 offered to students as well. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not eliminate it as an option before you determine what financial aid may be offered.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Westfield NC?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Westfield NC area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
Westfield High School (Virginia)
It is a part of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), serving students from the communities including Chantilly and Centreville as well as areas with Herndon addresses in grades 9–12. Opened in 2000, it is the head of the Westfield High School Pyramid in Cluster VIII. Westfield's main building has the same layout as South County High School (Fairfax County, Virginia). At 3,260 students, it is one of the largest four-year high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia.[3]
The school was listed as the 46th best high school in the United States by Newsweek magazine in 2002[4] and 27th in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area by The Washington Post in 2006[5] due to a high percentage of students enrolled in Westfield's Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Westfield shares a business partnership with Northrop Grumman's business IT group that entails sharing of buildings, as well as financial donations and gifts of supplies.[6] It also shares an education partnership with Centreville Presbyterian Church to improve student achievement.[7]
Westfield was first conceived to help deal with the extensive overcrowding at adjacent schools, primarily Centreville and Chantilly high schools. Plans for Westfield High school originated in 1995 when it was conceived as West County High School.[8] Westfield's colors and mascot were chosen by community members in the months before its grand opening in 2000.[9][10][11] By 2005, Westfield had grown so large that it had become one of the largest four-year high schools in Virginia.[3] An additional wing was planned to help deal with the overcrowding,[12] and was completed in summer of 2006.
Enroll in the Right Cosmetologist School near Westfield NC
Locating and enrolling in the right cosmetology school is important to obtain the proper 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. Make certain to organize all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use 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 exceptional 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 exam, you will be confident that you are prepared to launch your new career as a professional cosmetologist in Westfield NC.
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