West Virginia Archives - Train to Become a Barber

How to Choose a Barber College near Weirton West Virginia

Weirton WV barber blow drying hair Now that you have decided to enroll in a barber school near Weirton WV, the process begins to find and enroll in the right school. It’s imperative that the program you select not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have decided on, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you may be a little bit confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools, which both may offer barbering programs. Well don’t be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. We’ll discuss a bit more about that in the following segment. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Weirton home. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when evaluating prospective barber schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it’s not always the ideal choice. There are several other qualifications that you should weigh when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask concerning the barber colleges you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a little bit about what cosmetology is, and what types of courses are available.

What is Cosmetology

Weirton WV barber razor cutting hair Cosmetology is an occupation that is everything about making the human body look more beautiful with the application of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that many cosmetology schools are referred to as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but basically a cosmetic may be almost anything that improves the appearance of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a barber and a cosmetologist, most states mandate that you go through some form of specialized training and then be licensed. Once you are licensed, the work settings include not only Weirton WV beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, once they have gotten experience and a client base, launch their own shops or salons. Others will start servicing customers either in their own homes or will go to the client’s house, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many names and are employed in a wide variety of specialties including:

• Hairstylists
• Beauticians
• Barbers
• Manicurists
• Nail Technicians
• Makeup Artists
• Hair Coloring Specialists
• Estheticians
• Electrolysis Technicians

As formerly mentioned, in the majority of states practicing cosmetologists have to be licensed. In a few states there is an exception. Only those offering more skilled services, for example barbers or hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Others working in cosmetology and less skilled, which include shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.

Barber Schools Online

Online barber colleges are accommodating for students who are working full-time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online barbering programs available that can be accessed through a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional barber programs are frequently fast paced since many courses are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a significant amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you’re not devoting numerous hours away from your Weirton WV home or commuting to and from classes. However, it’s vital that the program you pick can provide internship training in nearby Weirton WV shops or salons so that you also receive the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s impossible to obtain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online barber program to verify that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Barbering Colleges

Weirton WV barber trimming beard Below is a series of questions that you need to investigate for any barber college you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Weirton WV home, as well as the expense of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably 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 compiled some of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Barber School Accredited? It’s important to make sure that the barber school you choose 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not offered in Weirton WV for non- accredited schools. It’s also a requirement for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation? Every barber school that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly demanded. Check rating companies for reviews together with the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Weirton WV barber shop owners or managers, or someone working in the business, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to propose others that you had not looked into. And last, consult the West Virginia school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty? A number of cosmetology schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for example barbering. Schools that offer degree programs frequently expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s important that you enroll in 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 vision is to launch a barber shop in Weirton WV, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Choosing a highly rated school with a poor program in barbering will not deliver the training you need.

Is Any Live Training Provided? Learning and refining barbering techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the barber courses you will be attending. Some schools have shops on campus that enable students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a Weirton WV barber school offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. Therefore look for other schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program? When a student graduates from a barber school, it’s crucial that he or she receives support in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer aid maintain relationships with local businesses that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which Weirton WV area shops and establishments they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available? Most barber schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students as well. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not discard it as an option before you determine what financial assistance may be available in Weirton WV.

Considering Barber School near Weirton WV?

Weirton, West Virginia

Weirton (pron. WEER-ton) is a city in Brooke and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located primarily in Hancock County, the city lies in the northern portions of the state's Northern Panhandle region. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 19,746. It is a principal city within the Weirton-Steubenville Metropolitan Area, which had a population of 124,454 residents, and by extension part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area.

The small village called Holliday's Cove lanes — which is now most of downtown Weirton — was founded in 1793. (It eventually lost the apostrophe.) In 1909, Ernest T. Weir arrived from neighboring Pittsburgh and built a steel mill later known as Weirton Steel Corporation just north of Holliday's Cove.[5] An unincorporated settlement called Weirton grew up around the mill that, by 1940, was said to be the largest unincorporated city in the United States. By then Hollidays Cove and two other outlying areas, Weirton Heights and Marland Heights, which as their names suggest were on hilltops or ridges surrounding the "Weir–Cove" area, had also incorporated.

Hollidays Cove Fort was a Revolutionary War fortification constructed in 1774 by soldiers from Ft. Pitt. It was located in what is now downtown Weirton, along Harmons Creek (named for Harmon Greathouse), about three miles from its mouth on the Ohio River. It was commanded by Colonel Andrew Van Swearingen (1741–1793) and later by his son-in-law, Captain Samuel Brady (1756–1795), the famous leader of Brady's Rangers. In 1779, over 28 militia were garrisoned at Hollidays Cove. Two years earlier, Colonel Van Swearingen led a dozen soldiers by longboat down the Ohio to help rescue the inhabitants of Ft. Henry in Wheeling in a siege by the British and Indian tribes in 1777. That mission was memorialized in a WPA-era mural painted on the wall of the Cove Post Office by Charles S. Chapman (1879–1962). The mural features Col. John Bilderback, who later gained infamy as the leader of the massacre of the Moravian Indians in Gnadenhutten in 1782.[6]

On July 1, 1947, all of these areas — Hollidays Cove, Marland Heights, Weirton Heights, and unincorporated Weirton — merged and formed the city of Weirton as it currently exists. Thomas E. Millsop, the head of the Weirton Steel division of the other Ernest T. Weir company, National Steel Corporation, was elected as the city's first mayor. The city charter was approved by voters in 1950.

The location could not be found.

Choose the Right Barber School near Weirton WV

Picking and enrolling in the ideal barber school is imperative to obtain the appropriate training to become a licensed specialist. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel positive about your decision. Make sure to compile all of the information you receive from the barber school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the institution and program you select are accredited and have excellent reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and address the additional questions supplied in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are qualified to begin your new career as a professional barber in Weirton WV.