Training also is multiracial, with students learning to cut, color and dress various hair types. The basic cosmetology course comprises 1,500 clock hours with theory demonstrated through hands-on exercises. New students, Drace said, tend to think studies will be easier than they really are. Bacteriology and sterilization are among topics covered. A typical student needs about 15 months to complete instruction before taking a one-day state licensing examination.
Most students have high school diplomas.
Newly licensed cosmetologists spend their first year working under the supervision of an experienced person, Drace said. Job openings outpace numbers of students. Virginia Farrell, one of several schools in the area, gets numerous calls from salons looking for additional employees. Some salons, like JCPenney and John Anthony salons, hire cosmetologists and nail technicians to work for them. In other cases, cosmetologists may rent space and work for themselves in a salon owned by someone else.