Don’t let the name fool you. Any beauty, cosmetology, or styling school can post sophisticated titles such as academy or institute on its front door, but only a top-rated school, with an earned reputation for guaranteed job placement will land you the job you deserve.
Look for a school that integrates the science of cutting, styling, coloring, skin care, and nail technology with the artistry of esthetics and make-up. The best beauty schoolwill produce a portfolio of students who have landed great jobs in reputable salons, as well as visibly demonstrate a cutting-edge approach to today’s styling and cosmetology applications.
Most importantly, make a personal visit to every school on your list. And let your intuition guide you. How friendly is the staff? Do the students look engaged and productive? Are they working on mannequins or live models? Is the environment professional, creative, upbeat, and especially clean?
Make time to sit down with an enrollment counselor with pertinent, well-thought out questions, such as:
Where did last year’s students find jobs and in what professions? Does your school guarantee job placement, provide internships/apprenticeships, or both?
What type of federally funded financial aid, grants for beauty school, or loans does the school provide? (Be sure to understand the loan’s interest rates before signing on the bottom line.)
Do you provide a broad curriculum that expands my opportunities for employment in a variety of fields? What would my school day look like?
What changes do you foresee coming in this field and how can I most prepare myself to embrace these changes?
What types of continuing education will I need beyond this program and how can you help?
Will you provide contact information for former students who can serve as a reference for the school?
In response, the enrollment counselor should demonstrate a unique interest in your creative abilities, helping to identify your particular talents and how the best beauty school can best meet your needs.
Beauty School Never Ends
It’s safe to say that beauty school never ends. No, you don’t actually spend your entire life in a classroom; you do graduate at some point. However, that doesn’t mean you will ever stop learning. All of the best beauty school students begin learning the second they enter their desired beauty school on the first day, and they never stop learning until the day they retire from the beauty industry.
The beauty industry is cutthroat. Especially in times like these, where we’re facing a recession, the beauty industry is one that will never die. Regardless of the economy, people always want to look people. That’s where the top beauty school students and graduates come in. These beauty-seeking customers want you to make them beautiful, and you will learn to do that in beauty school. However, you don’t learn everything before graduation. You will always be learning new techniques, new styles and new ways of doing things. Whether you learn it from the new hair stylist that started yesterday or the 80 year old woman sitting in your chair while you style her hair. Just as technology is always changing, the beauty industry is as well. There are always new techniques, new products and new ways of making the customer happy.
You may graduate from the best beauty school, but don’t think that means you’re done learning. There is no shortage of knowledge to gain, and it’s not the kind of knowledge you gain from lectures, homework and tests; it’s the kind of knowledge you get from experience.
