How to Select the Best Barbering College Near Park Forest Illinois
Since you have decided to attend a barber school near Park Forest IL, the process begins to search for and enroll in the best school. It's essential that the school you pick not only furnishes the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have decided on, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your initial search, you may be rather confused about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools, which both may offer barbering programs. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. We'll discuss a bit more about that in the next section. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Park Forest home. Tuition will also be a critical factor when assessing possible barber schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not always the ideal option. There are many other considerations that you should weigh when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask about the barber colleges you are considering later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what barbering is and why you may want to become a barber.
Why Become a Barber?
Barbershops have always been a place for men to get their hair cut, socialize, and gab about everything from sports to stock tips. Although today some women visit barbershops and some men visit stylists and salons, the barbershop and its iconic red, white, and blue striped pole is still a cornerstone of male culture. If you’ve got an eye for style, a creative flair, and an appreciation for America’s unique barbershop culture, a career as a barber could be your calling. As a barber, you’ll cut, style, shape, and treat men’s hair, and sometimes women’s and children’s hair, too. You’ll give shaves and trim facial hair and sometimes perform neck and scalp massages. Like all specialists in the field of cosmetology, you’ll make a ritual out of maintaining your tools, station, and clients to the highest standards of hygiene and sanitization.
What to Ask Barbering Schools
Following is a series of questions that you will want to research for any barber college you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Park Forest IL home, as well as the cost of tuition, will most likely be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a barber college. Following we have collected several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.
Is the Barber College Accredited? It's essential to make certain that the barber school you enroll in 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 comply with their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for getting student loans or financial aid, which typically are not available in Park Forest IL 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 businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Great Reputation? Any barber college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly sought after. Check rating services for reviews together with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Park Forest IL barber shop owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not looked into. And last, check with the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? A number of beauty schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, such as barbering. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you decide on a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your ambition is to be trained as a barber, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your vision is to start a barber shop in Park Forest IL, 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 poor program in barbering will not deliver the training you need.
Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Learning and perfecting barbering techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the barber classes you will be attending. A number of schools have shops on campus that allow students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a Park Forest IL barber college furnishes minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead depends heavily on the use of mannequins, it may not be the best option for developing your skills. So look for other schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? Once a student graduates from a barber school, it's important that she or he gets assistance in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance maintain relationships with local employers that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and ask which Park Forest IL area shops and businesses they refer students to. Additionally, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Offered? Almost all barber schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might get approved 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 except for expense, do not drop it as an alternative until you find out what financial assistance may be offered in Park Forest IL.
How to Train in Barbering in Park Forest
Enroll in the Best Park Forest Barber College
Finding and enrolling in the right barber school is imperative to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel certain about your decision. Make sure to consolidate all of the responses you get from the barber school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then use that information to compare schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the school and program you select are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to narrow down 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 ready to start your new career as a professional barber in Park Forest Illinois.
Park Forest Barbering Training | Park Forest College Of Barbering