Picking a trade school? (Cosmetology)

[Dmmetler]

Specifically, Cosmetology school. BK is considering that route now that her medical issues have made the path she was considering (EMT, which she could do at the local CC tuition free) not a good option. She is very artistic, loves playing with makeup and hair, and is the kind of person who can talk to anyone and is extremely social, so I could see it being a good choice for her. Given the tuition at cosmetology school, I want to make sure she lands somewhere good!

[Lori D.]

While homeschool parent-awarded diplomas are routinely accepted by the US military and virtually all universities and community colleges, most trade schools (and cosmetology schools/beauty colleges) are way behind the times and require an ACCREDITED high school diploma or a GED, and require the student to be at least 16 years old. Also, you must be a high school graduate (or GED holder) -- current high school students are not accepted into these schools.

Expect to pay $10,000-25,000 to a cosmetology school, depending on the school and the program that the student goes through. In addition to hair cutting/styling, many schools also offer courses for aesthetician (skin care), nail technician, and make-up artist. On average, it takes 9-15 months to complete a cosmetology program. Also, be sure it is a state-approved school and program, as you must have a state license to operate as a haircutter/stylist.

See if your local CC has a cosmetology program that she could do for FREE -- our CC offers these type of vo-tech courses for free to high school students, and it sounds like yours does, too. It would be WAY worth driving across town if the program is only offered an hour away to avoid the hassle of having to figure out how to get DD an accredited diploma, or study for/take the GED -- which, in some states, cannot be taken until the student is 18yo or older.

One last thought -- I don't know what her health issues are, but hairdressers very often develop back and foot issues from standing at a slightly bent posture for hours a day, and carpel tunnel issues in the hands/wrists, or pinched nerves in neck/shoulder area. Also, finger nail issues and non-healing cracked/bleeding finger tips from washing/drying hair all day. My beloved hairdresser has had ALL of these issues from working in the field for close to 40 years now -- most recently, she had vertebra surgery last fall to deal with a horribly pinched nerve high up in her neck. These would likely NOT be issues for your DD if she's just working in cosmetology for a few years to help pay for a college degree, or if wanting it as an occasional part time "back-up" or "fall-back" job.

A good friend of DS#1, who loves acting and is incredible with make-up, chose to go the route of aesthetician. It was expensive training, and she even lived out of town to attend two 3-month training courses in skin laser treatments. She had trouble finding work at a salon, and did work briefly as an aesthetician at a massage studio that also offered make-up/skin-care treatment, but ended up drifting out of the field after a few months, and in the 3-4 years since then, she has not worked in that field at all. Not entirely sure why, but I got the impression that it was hard to make a sustainable wage due to low volume of clientele using those services, and difficulty and expense in setting up a station to work at a beauty salon.

Edited January 15, 2019 by Lori D.

[Guest]

BK graduated last year through a cover program, and is 20. She has global LD issues and needed extra time. She’s done one semester of community college classes. I know her diploma is accepted for state licensure. Unfortunately, the CC doesn’t have a cosmetology program. I wish it did, since our state has free CC tuition. I don’t know if any of the other schools in state do-it might be cheaper to pay for her to go to a CC program and live there over private tuition. 

[Lori D.]

4 minutes ago, dmmetler said:

BK graduated last year through a cover program, and is 20. She has global LD issues and needed extra time. She’s done one semester of community college classes. I know her diploma is accepted for state licensure. Unfortunately, the CC doesn’t have a cosmetology program. I wish it did, since our state has free CC tuition. I don’t know if any of the other schools in state do-it might be cheaper to pay for her to go to a CC program and live there over private tuition. 

So sorry! I thought this was for your 14yo. 🙂

In addition to making sure the school is state-approved, I would look at reviews of the cosmetology schools in your area, as well as visit them, to help you decide which would be a good fit. BEST of luck to BK! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[daijobu]

Yes, I am a Debbie Downer, but I want to pass on this recent NY Times article about cosmetology schools in case it helps avoid some pitfalls.  

[Roadrunner]

20 minutes ago, daijobu said:

Yes, I am a Debbie Downer, but I want to pass on this recent NY Times article about cosmetology schools in case it helps avoid some pitfalls.  

 

I know somebody in this situation. She racked up so much debt and ended up not working on the field due to very low wages. 

[Guest]

That's what worries me. She's had a tough year, where she's seen all her plans kind of fall apart. She had planned, as of last Spring, to go to the State U and train as a PE teacher or coach if she got on the cheer team, or to stay at the Community college and get her EMT license. Then, she collapsed on campus, in what was termed a stroke-like event, and they discovered that she had already had one dissected blood vessel and brain bleed-although it probably didn't trigger this event. No diving, so no lifeguarding, nothing that puts her at risk of head trauma, so no cheer team, and not a good idea to be an EMT or school PE teacher. So, she's grabbing this as another skill she has. If she can do it without having to go into debt, like through a CC that takes the state scholarship, I could see it as a good option for now, just to get her doing SOMETHING and working on skills and building up her confidence.

DD14 is a completely different set of concerns. The two girls are at completely different extremes.

[Ravin]

My DD wants to go for cosmetology. She's hoping to do it through a co-op vocational education program that starts junior year of high school, but I've looked around at other options because that program won't do any kind of SPED accommodations, and found that the next best choice in terms of affordability is probably a local community college program.

Edited because I saw above that your CC doesn't have one. What about other CC's in your region? Near a relative she could stay with, or near a friend she could co-house with?

Edited January 15, 2019 by Ravin

[Ravin]

Some other possibilities: she could train to be an emergency dispatcher (related to her previous goal of EMT). It sounds like she really wanted a more physically active career and that's foreclosed now? 

As far as researching private cosmetology schools in your area, I would start with researching the local industry. Have her work up an inquiry interview for managers of local salons and barber shops, discount, mid-range, and high-end, as well as a few niche-market possibilities such as retirement homes, resorts, and hospitals that may have in-house cosmetologists for patients/residents. She should ask what starting pay is at their establishment, what experience they look for in new hires, whether they hire straight out of cosmetology school, and if so, if there are any in the area they prefer hiring graduates from,  where they were trained themselves, and any they particularly would recommend avoiding based on what they have seen in their own and their employees' experiences, and if there are any particular certifications they look for (ex: in my state, barber licenses are much less common than cosmetology licenses, and a fully-trained barber who can do straight razor shaves can command a higher salary, but there is also extra training involved). 

 

[almondbutterandjelly]

Being artistic and good at talking to people opens a lot of possibilities.  Can she not look at the list of Associates offered by the community college and try something else?  Interior Design, Hospitality, Occupational Therapy Assistant (since she seemed interested in medical), Media Technology?  She doesn't have to decide her whole life now, but it would be good to aim for a field that is employable and pays decently.

[Roadrunner]

What about a radiology tech? CCs have two year programs for it.

[teachermom2834]

Kind of related- I had a young woman in my life that was interested in beauty school. We had an acquaintance that did makeup for tv, movies, commercials and she recommended a 2 year degree in film production or something like that which was offered at our CC. She said that she always needed assistants and she was always in need of people who understood the production aspect. 

We are in TN so we have the free CC deal. This woman recommended going that route at the CC before getting into beauty school. I wish I could remember more details but I wanted to throw this out there as an idea. If having her moving forward doing something is the goal something like this might be interesting. 

[teachermom2834]

Oh and I think you are in TN. I assume you looked into your local TCAT campuses for cosmetology. Our local ones have it and students can use the TN Promise there as far as I understand. People around here tend to just think about CC and forget about the TCAT schools. 

[Guest]

There’s a new TCAT campus being built pretty near my house, which might work well. 

[Lanny]

I suggest that before enrolling in any privately owned Trade School that one checks with places that might consider them for employment after they graduate. Would the potential employer hire graduates of that school? Has the potential employer hired graduates of that school in the past? How well prepared are the graduates?