Become a Cosmetologist | Cosmetology Schools Perkiomenville PA

How to Select a Cosmetologist School near Perkiomenville Pennsylvania

nail technicians training at Perkiomenville PA beauty school Now that you have decided to become a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Perkiomenville PA, the process starts to find and enroll in the best school. It’s essential that the program you select not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have decided on, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be somewhat puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. We’ll discuss a bit more about that in the following segment. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Perkiomenville residence. Tuition will likewise be a critical consideration when assessing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it’s not always the right option. There are several other considerations that you should weigh when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask regarding the cosmetology schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let’s talk a little bit about what cosmetology is, and what types of courses are available.

Definition of Cosmetology

Perkiomenville PA makeup ar4tist applying makeup Cosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human body look more beautiful through the use of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that a number of cosmetology schools are described as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the term cosmetics, but basically a cosmetic may be 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 undergo some form of specialized training and then become licensed. Once you are licensed, the work environments include not only Perkiomenville PA beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have gained experience and a clientele, establish their own shops or salons. Others will start seeing customers either in their own residences or will travel to the client’s residence, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many titles and work in a wide variety of specialties including:

Hairdressers
Hairstylists
Beauticians
Barbers
Manicurists
Nail Technicians
Makeup Artists
Hair Coloring Specialists
Estheticians
Electrolysis Technicians

As previously stated, in most states working cosmetologists have to be licensed. In some states there is an exception. Only those conducting more skilled services, such as hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Others employed in cosmetology and less skilled, such as shampooers, are not required to get licensed in those states.

Cosmetology Degrees

Perkiomenville PA hairdresser cutting hair There are basically two pathways available to get cosmetology training and a credential upon completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) course, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs usually 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 trained in all of the main areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are offered if you wish to concentrate on just one area, for example hair coloring. A degree program will also most likely incorporate management and marketing training to ensure that graduates are better prepared to run a parlor or other Perkiomenville PA business. More advanced degrees are not prevalent, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such areas as salon or spa management. Whatever type of training program you choose, it’s important to make certain that it’s certified by the Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology. A number of states only approve schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded agencies, for instance the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will review the benefits of accreditation for the school you decide on in the following segment.

Online Cosmetology Courses

student attending cosmetology school online in Perkiomenville PA Online cosmetology schools are advantageous for Perkiomenville PA students who are working full time and have family obligations that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed via a personal computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional beauty programs are typically fast paced due to the fact that many courses are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a significant portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not spending many hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. However, it’s essential that the program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure 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 needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So don’t forget if you choose to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Beauty Trade Schools

Questions to ask Perkiomenville PA beauty schools Below is a series of questions that you need to investigate for any beauty training school you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Perkiomenville PA home, in addition to the expense of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably 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 need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have compiled several of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final selection.

Is the Program Accredited? It’s essential to make certain that the cosmetology training program you choose 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 meet their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered in 18074 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Perkiomenville PA employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation? Every beauty college that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the industry. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews together with the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Perkiomenville PA salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. Finally, contact the Pennsylvania school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty? Many beauty schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s essential that you decide on a school that focuses on your area of interest. If your intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your vision is to start a hair salon in Perkiomenville PA, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly regarded school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you need.

Is Any Live Training Provided? Practicing and perfecting cosmetology skills and techniques demands lots of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their developing talents on real people. If a beauty program offers little or no scheduled live training, but rather relies predominantly on using mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for cultivating your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that furnish this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program? Once a student graduates from a beauty school, it’s important that he or she gets aid in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish aid develope relationships with Perkiomenville PA businesses that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and businesses they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered? Most beauty schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Talk to 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 offered to students too. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not omit it as an option before you determine what financial aid may be provided.

Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Perkiomenville PA?

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

Dubuque Fighting Saints

The Dubuque Fighting Saints are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and are based in the city of Dubuque, Iowa, on the banks of the Mississippi River at the border intersects of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Home games are played at the Mystique Community Ice Center (capacity: 3,079). Home and away games are broadcast live on KIYX, with Jack Milewski handling play-by-play with select games televised locally each season on KCRG-TV channel 9.2.

The original Dubuque Fighting Saints played at the multi-purpose Dubuque Five Flags Center arena situated in downtown Dubuque from 1980 to 2001. In the early years of the franchise the Saints enjoyed much success with a number of championship seasons. In later years, the team struggled on the ice and crowds in the stands decreased putting the team into some financial trouble. During the 2000–01 season, team owner/GM/coach Brain Gallagher announced plans to relocate the team following the season to Tulsa, Oklahoma to play as the Tulsa Crude. In their first and only season in Tulsa, Gallagher's team would finish last in the league (12-43-6) and failed to generate the necessary fan support, and the franchise ceased operations.

To replace the hockey void in Dubuque, the Fighting Saints were replaced in the 2001–02 season by the Dubuque Thunderbirds in the Tier III Minnesota Junior Hockey League and later the Central States Hockey League. The Thunderbirds would prove to be a success and would win league championships in 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009 while setting league attendance records along the way.

Select the Right Cosmetology School near Perkiomenville PA

Perkiomenville PA barber blow drying client's hair Selecting and enrolling in the ideal cosmetologist program is imperative to obtain the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to compare schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the academy and program you select are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional cosmetologist in Perkiomenville PA.