Making a choice about beauty school can be a difficult decision for some people, especially when parents want their children to make the best decision. As with any trade school, there are questions about career opportunities, cost, and more that come to mind. This guide can help parents think about the top five questions they should be asking when they tour any beauty school so they feel prepared before they set foot in the door.

What Careers Can You Have as a Beauty School Graduate?

Beauty school graduates can explore many career options after they’ve graduated their program. The exact opportunities depend mostly on what program they graduate from. Inspire Greatness Aveda Institutes offers programs in cosmetology, esthiology, massage therapy, and more. Depending on which program is selected, our graduates may have the opportunity to pursue a variety of careers including:

  • Hairstylist
  • Esthetician
  • Hair colorist
  • Massage therapist
  • Nail artist
  • Salon/spa manager or owner
  • Beauty product specialist
  • Barber
  • Makeup artist
  • And so much more!

You can take control of your career when you graduate from beauty school because you get out of it what you put into it. Some of our students even have the opportunity to go to London or New York Fashion Week to style hair or do makeup! These kinds of opportunities are what our students get excited about and can help them become outstanding professionals after graduation.

Some parents are concerned about the career opportunities their children have after graduation because they are unfamiliar with the options out there. Our graduates have the opportunity to be brought into the Aveda network when they graduate, so they stay a part of this huge family of beauty professionals that can work together on ambitious projects and businesses throughout their lives. Career placement and success is incredibly important to us!

How Do I Know This Beauty School is The Best Choice?

When you or someone in your family is considering beauty school for the first time, it’s important to look at all the options available. Beauty schools are all remarkably different from one another, so it’s important to break each of them down and find why it may or may not be the best fit. Here’s a few additional important things you can ask beauty schools about:

Educational Support

The quality of education at a beauty school is important because each of the students are expected to sit for the state licensing exam after graduation. This can be intimidating for many students because traditional test-taking isn’t suited for them. You should ask schools you visit about how they prepare students to sit for the licensing exam and what additional support is offered to help students succeed.

Other topics you can ask about include classroom size, test preparation, and supplemental educational opportunities. Ask questions at schools you visit so you know exactly what it will be like for students at the school. A good school should have an invested interest in helping their students to excel, so they may have answers to these questions on-hand.

Practical Experience

Beauty school may prepare students to sit for the state licensing exam, but that’s not all that a good school should care about. A good beauty school wants their graduates to become more than just licensed cosmetologists, estheticians, massage therapists, or nail technicians, they want students to become model beauty professionals that excel and make an impact in the industry. Ask the schools you visit about how they give students the opportunity to learn skills that can make them talented professionals, such as the basics for opening a business, managing clientele, and how to work with other people. Find out what they are doing specifically to help their students prepare for life after their state licensing exam. School shouldn’t just be about passing tests, it should also teach students how to be amazing beauty pros.

Extracurricular Activities

We mentioned above that beauty school gives you back what you put into it, and that’s why we strive to provide extracurricular activities for our students. At Inspire Greatness Aveda Institutes, our students can prepare and apply for competitions and travel abroad opportunities that can broaden their horizons and expand their professional networks. We take select students to Fashion Week in New York and London, as well as other study abroad opportunities to places like India, Madrid, London, Berlin, or Japan. Selected students can also compete in the prestigious North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) each year. One of our students even came out on top at the competition this past year! These activities are important to us because it can help set our students up for professional success. Be sure to ask beauty schools what they are doing to go above and beyond for their students.

What Options Are There to Pay For School?

While beauty school may be substantially more inexpensive than attending a four-year university, it’s still important to ask about options for paying for school. Accredited beauty schools often have government financial available to those who qualify. Beyond that, some beauty schools have an admissions director or department that can assist with navigating financial options. Contact any of our locations in Denver, Tucson, Phoenix, or Provo to speak with an admissions representative about how you can fund your education!

Join Inspire Greatness Aveda

The Inspire Greatness Aveda Institutes are dedicated to giving a quality education that can help graduates become outstanding beauty professionals. Contact us to schedule a tour of one of our campuses so you can make a completely informed decision!