20 Questions to Ask a Cosmetology School- How to Interview the School
What are the top 20 questions to ask a cosmetology school?
The most common questions are-
- How much does beauty school cost?
- How long are the programs?
- Can I apply for financial aid?
- Do you help with job placement?
- When do classes start?
Since these 5 questions are the most common, this is where we will begin. But there are an additional 15 that, in my professional and personal opinion and experience think are also as important as the top five.
Here are The Top 20 Questions to Ask a Cosmetology School. But we’ll dive into why some of these questions are important later on.
- How much does Beauty School cost?
- Are there scholarships or financial aid options I can apply for?
- How long are your programs?
- Does the school help with students’ job placements? What’s their placement rate?
- When do classes start?
- What programs does the school offer?
- Is the school accredited?
- Is there a salon floor where students practice on real clients?
- What is included in the kit? Do I need to buy or bring any of my own tools?
- What are the Instructor’s credentials?
- Who can help me if I’m struggling with parts of the program?
- How many students are in attendance at once?
- What is the school’s strongest program?
- Is there very high turnover for instructors?
- What is the school’s graduation rate?
- Are the students satisfied with what they are learning? Is there anything they will the school would elaborate or focus more on?
- Do they feel that they are truly being prepared to work in a salon, or spa, or barbershop, once they’ve graduated, not just being taught how to pass the state board exam?
- What do they wish the school would do differently if anything?
- What do they wish they had known about the school before attending?
With all of that being said, let’s move on to why these questions are important when interviewing a cosmetology school.
The First 5 Questions to Ask a Cosmetology School
- How much does beauty school cost?
This is one of the great questions to ask a cosmetology school. The price of cosmetology school varies state to state, and even school to school.
Generally the price ranges from $600-$27,000.
Some high schools or even colleges offer cosmetology programs for a lower set price. Though usually it is about the same price as a year of college.
The thing to keep in mind about the price though is that you get what you pay for. Some schools that are less expensive are not accredited or will give you a minimal education.
For some more tips on red flags to look out for when seeking out the best beauty school for you please see the article below.
Should I go to Beauty School? How to Choose the Right Beauty School
One other thing to keep in mind is that the kit might not be included in the initial price that the school gives you.
The kit is all of the tools that you need for your education courses. Blow-dryer, shears, combs, mannequins etc.
But we’ll get to that below in a few questions.
- Are there any scholarships I can apply for? Is there financial aid?
Often there are several scholarships that you can apply for, not guaranteeing that you will receive any of them, but the financial aid office usually has a list that you might be eligible for.
Keep in mind that if you are a graduating high school student, or a veteran there tend to be more scholarships and you are more likely to receive a scholarship if you fall in these categories.
Every cosmetology school will have a financial aid office and will offer financial aid. Be sure to have this same list of questions with your own added questions ready when you tour the school so that you will be prepared when you sit down with the financial office.
- How long are your programs?
Generally 12 – 18 months from beginning to end.
It depends on the class schedules, if it is full-time or part-time classes. And whenever the student will finish their required hours of attendance.
Each state has their own requirements for the amount of hours required to qualify for the state board licensing exam.
For me, I was required 1800 hours but later the state changed its requirement for cosmetology to only be 1500. Which means that the duration of the schooling is shorter for those who are pursuing cosmetology today. But since I completed 1800, if there are other states that require that amount of time and I move and need to transfer my license, I can!
For tips on how to transfer a professional license or on how many hours your state requires please see How to Transfer a Cosmetology License
Not all programs require the same amount of hours. For example, barbering, hairdressing, and esthetics do not require the same amount of completed hours to apply for those licensing exams.
Whats the difference between Barbering and Cosmetology?
- Does the school help with job placement? What is their placement rate?
Some schools help place their students in salons after graduation and others just teach their students how to interview and look for the salons or barbershops that they would like to work in after cosmetology school.
Some offer classes with practice interviews with the business instructors and encourage you to go out and explore the different salons in the area to see what kind of an environment you might like to work in once graduated.
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A placement program rate is the statistic at which their students maintain and stay at the jobs that they receive through the placement program.
If the school offers a placement program and their placement rate is low, that is a red flag. Either the salons the graduates are placed in are bad environments and are unable learn at that salon, or the student’s education was not enough to stay at the salon where they were placed.
- When do classes start?
Each school has a different class schedule.
When I attended Cosmetology School there was a new class every 8 weeks. In Barber School they would cycle through the curriculum and new students could begin any Monday and pick up on whatever module they were studying that week until they cycled through the entire course.
In my personal opinion it is more professional and less confusing when schools begin new classes on set dates, but again, each school is different and it is up to you to decide which school is best for you.
7 Additional Questions
- What programs does the school offer?
Such an important question to ask a cosmetology school! Not all cosmetology schools offer the same classes or electives.
Some cosmetology schools only offer cosmetology, which is hair, skin, and nail classes that qualify you for the state board licensing exam but nothing further.
Other cosmetology schools offer esthetician, nail technician, and barbering courses as well as electives.
We will get to questions about elective classes below in the next section of extra questions to ask a cosmetology school.
If you decide that you aren’t really that into hair but would rather opt for another course- let’s say an esthetician course, that specializes in skin care and makeup, it’s important to have this information when touring the school before applying for the courses.
- Is the school accredited?
Ask if the school is accredited.
An accredited cosmetology school means that their program meets all of the states requirements for the licensing state board exam and the state acknowledges the schools credentials.
An accredited school has met and continue to reach the standard of education at which the state requires. There are no missing pieces of the course or hours that you would need to acquire elsewhere before you can take the state board exam.
- Is there a salon floor in the school where students practice on real people?
The last thing you want to happen is to graduate cosmetology school and you haven’t practiced anything you have learned on real clients!
Working on mannequins is important at the beginning, and even more comfortable to start with, and can build your confidence in your skills. But it’s not the same as working on real hair. Clients with different growth patterns and hair textures.
You have to practice on real clients.
If the school doesn’t have a salon floor where students practice on walk-in clients, this is another red flag. Feel free to bring in your own clients (friends and family), but keep in mind that for some things that you are learning, it is easier to practice on strangers.
Also ask the school if they allow the students to keep the tips that the clients on the salon floor give after services. Now, don’t have high expectations, these are people who go to beauty school for their haircuts, they usually don’t tip more than a dollar or two. But if they are offering a tip to the one performing the service it should go to you!
- What is included in the kit? Do I need to buy and bring any of my own tools?
The Kit!
Like Christmas at cosmetology school! The kit is all of the tools of the trade that you receive at the beginning of school. Blow-dryer, hot tools, cutting tools, etc.
Ask what is included in the kit for your cosmetology program and if there is anything that you should purchase and bring of your own that the kit might be missing.
Once you receive your kit there might be some items that you would rather replace with your own favorite professional brands. Round brushes for example, they might be of cheap quality or not last for very long during your time at school. Then again, there might be nothing that you want to replace.
Another great question to add onto this one might be how much of the total the tuition price is the kit?
In Cosmetology school, I began with nothing and received everything I needed to start my career and most of the tools lasted the first several years.
But when I went back to school for Barbering, the kit was very highly priced and optional to purchase, I chose not to pay for the kit because I already had the tools that I had been using in the salon under my cosmetology license. The kit was unnecessary for me at that point.
Also ask if there are any student discounts that you might receive once enrolled at the professional supply stores. This is super cool and terribly handy when you need to upgrade any of your tools while you are attending cosmetology school.
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- Ask about the Instructor’s credentials
Sadly, some cosmetology schools turn right around and hire students that just graduated to teach the curriculum that they just learned. And for some schools, it works.
But in my professional experience and opinion, an instructor needs to have time spent in a salon away from the school to be able to teach the best techniques and practical situations from their own experience as well as the curriculum for the students to receive the best education possible.
Do they have instructors that specialize in certain areas? Or do the instructors cover every subject and item?
Would you rather learn from a specialist or someone that is capable of the service?
- What does the class structure look like?
Class structure is important to some and not to others.
To me, I liked having theory, bookwork first and then practical education, practicing on the mannequins or on each other afterward. That is how I learn the best.
Ask if the classes are separated, if they allow time for homework, or if not.
This is the best way for you to know if the classes teach in the way that you can absorb and retain the information best.
- Who can help me if I’m struggling?
Are the instructors willing to stay late to help you in areas where you are struggling? Or is there time on the salon floor where the instructors can help you strengthen your skills in the areas where you need more practice?
Or does the school expect for students to help each other?
Some schools want to help each student individually but are simply over saturated with too many students and the instructors are unable to help everyone with what they need.
4 More Questions to Ask the School
We’ve gone over the most common questions. Here are a few more to ask that aren’t as common but just as important.
- How many students are in attendance at once?
If the school is over saturated with students, this might compromise the quality of your education at that school.
Are there more students than the instructors can handle?
- What is the school’s strongest program?
For some it is cosmetology. But for others it could be their barbering or esthetics programs.
It depends on their instructors. How experienced are they and are they who you want to be learning from?
Why does the school encourage you to take that particular course and not another?
- Is there a very high turnover rate for instructors?
This is a great question to ask one of the students. If the school is constantly hiring and losing instructors, you will not receive a consistent education on certain subjects (color or styling for example, everyone has a different opinion on how it should be done).
If the school can’t retain their instructors or specialists, that is a red flag on the overall school’s structure.
- What is the school’s graduation rate?
We’ve all heard the famous song from Grease “Beauty School Drop Out”. It’s more common than you think.
But if the school has a higher success rate than others that you have visited, you know their program is quality and you don’t want to miss it.
4 Questions to Ask Students Already in Attendance
Another trick that might be helpful for you when touring a cosmetology school is to receive a service from one of the students and ask the same questions of the student. This way you get an inside, student-side view of the school to see if the education meets the standards that you are looking for.
- Are the students satisfied with what they are learning? Is there anything they will the school would elaborate or focus more on?
- Do they feel that they are truly being prepared to work in a salon, or spa, or barbershop, once they’ve graduated, not just being taught how to pass the state board exam?
- What do they wish the school would do differently if anything?
- What do they wish they had known about the school before attending?
Conclusion to Questions to Ask a Cosmetology School
Take this opportunity to note down the questions to ask a cosmetology school in this article but also to consider and think of some of your own.
Make a list and add your own questions. It might take a few days to come up with the questions that you want to ask for yourself. Or even while you are touring the school.
Not only add your own questions but ask yourself if cosmetology school is for you.
A few questions to perhaps consider for yourself-
- Do I like hair?
- Can I work with people?
- Am I creative?
- Can I make a mistake and not quit but try again?
- Do I know how I learn best so I can pick the school where they teach in the way I can learn, absorb, and retain the information best?
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