How to Select the Best Barber Academy Near Bartlesville Oklahoma

Now that you have decided to attend a barber school near Bartlesville OK, the process begins to locate and enroll in the ideal school. It's imperative that the school you pick not only furnishes the proper instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your initial search, you may be rather unclear about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools, which both may offer barbering programs. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. We'll talk a little 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 Bartlesville home. Tuition will also be an important aspect when evaluating prospective barber schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not automatically the right choice. There are a number of other considerations that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the barber colleges you are looking at 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 Choose Barbering?

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

Below is a series of questions that you will want to investigate for any barber school you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Bartlesville OK home, together with the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial 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 options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a barber school. Following we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Barber College Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the barber college you select is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for getting student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not available in Bartlesville OK 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 businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Every barber school that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Bartlesville OK barber shop owners or managers, or someone 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 thought of. Finally, consult the Oklahoma school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Some beauty schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for example barbering. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden 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 intention is to be trained as a barber, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your aspiration is to open a barber shop in Bartlesville OK, 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 poor program in barbering will not deliver the training you require.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Practicing and refining barbering skills and techniques requires lots of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the barber courses you will be attending. Some schools have shops on site that allow students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a Bartlesville OK barber college furnishes little or no scheduled live training, but rather depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for developing your skills. So look for alternate schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  When a student graduates from a barber school, it's essential that he or she gets aid in finding that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish aid maintain relationships with area employers that are looking for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which Bartlesville OK area shops and businesses they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Offered?  Most barber schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students as well. If a school meets each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not discard it as an alternative before you determine what financial aid may be offered in Bartlesville OK.

How to Train in Barbering in Bartlesville

Enroll in the Best Bartlesville Barber School

Selecting and enrolling in the ideal barber training program is important to get the proper training to become a licensed practitioner. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel confident about your decision. Make sure to collect all of the responses you receive from the barber school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to compare schools. A good start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the school and program you decide on are accredited and have excellent 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 proper selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to start your new career as a professional barber in Bartlesville Oklahoma.

Bartlesville Schools For Barbering | Bartlesville Barber Schools