Finding a Microblading School is always a tough choice. New schools are opening every day with wild offers and gimmicks that confuse even the seasoned Permanent Makeup Artist (Me). Let me be your guide and I'll help you navigate through the top 5 things to look for when choosing a microblading school. And by the time you're done reading you'll be ready to easily research all the schools in your area. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Learning at a Hotel or School?
Seminar meeting area at a hotel
Maurice Angres
Ok so here's the deal. A lot of Microblading Schools are not really schools. Or at least they don't operate as schools but more like traveling seminars. Now before you say, well they're teaching the same thing as a regular school, there's a few things that you must know.
Traveling Microblading Courses aren't legally authorized to allow practice with live models in most settings, like hotels or meeting spaces. In fact a Permanent Makeup Facility must be inspected by the local Health Department and approved. With that said, a traveling Microblading School isn't always an illegal operation that violates health department regulations. As long as you or the instructor are not practicing on live models, the school is 100% legal. And as long as you are perfectly fine, not working on live models then you should be OK with taking a course from a traveling school. Many traveling schools offer a live video demonstration or practice with synthetic materials.
Other Issues to look out for with traveling schools.
Traveling Microblading Schools oftentimes change locations or dates due to low enrollment. When signing up at a traveling school, make sure that you are learning from a Health Department Inspected facility if your course includes practice with live models.
Number of Days and How Many Training Hours Do I Get
How Many Hours A Day of Training You Should Get
This one should be a no brainer but in 2022 and beyond, truth in advertising should be taken with a grain of salt. When searching for a microblading school I saw big differences in how many days of training that I would get. At one school, I was offered just 1 day of training. Most other schools including traveling schools had 2-3 day courses. Other schools offer hybrid courses which are online and in person. This is where things get tricky.
What is considered a day of training?
A single day of training is a total of 8 hours or more.
Why are the number of days/hours important?
Many schools have different ideas of what consists of a day's worth of training. Most reputable schools consider a single day of training to be 8 hours or more. Why is this important to note? It's due to the fact that many sales pitches will try and sell you 2 or 3 half days of training when in reality it only equals 1-2 days of training. Are you starting to see what's going on here? You won't be getting 2-3 days of training instead you're getting 1 to 1.5 days of training. This also includes online training. For example the Bloodborne Pathogens Certification is considered to be 2 hours of training however some schools will advertise it as a full day of training. This practice is deceptive and artificially inflates the value of a course.
Always clarify with your microblading school of choice on how many days of training that you'll get. Because getting the most hands on training for your money is important.
Practice With Live Models vs Shadowing an Instructor?
Student working on a live model at a Microblading School
What Does Practicing With Live Models Include?
Practice with live models at most schools includes the following tasks.
-Client Screening
-Client Intake forms
-Eyebrow Mapping
-Microblading or machine method practice on a model.
What Does Shadowing an Instructor Mean?
Shadowing an instructor is essentially what it describes. You will observe an Instructor work on a client from screening, intake forms, eyebrow mapping, and the microblading procedure. In my opinion, I would favor hands on practice with a live model over shadowing an instructor for a few reasons:
-You are paying to learn Microblading not to watch other people work
-Nothing compares to getting hands on experience. Remember, you're paying a lot of money for training. Make the most out of it!
-There's hundreds of videos of Microblading procedures online. It's basically the same thing as shadowing an instructor.
What should I choose?
You should choose a school that offers practice with live models. Reputable schools will offer this important part of Microblading training as a apart of the course tuition. Some schools will allow you to practice with additional models on separate dates from your course dates for a small fee. This is important because most microblading students are not ready to work on clients without supervision.
Hybrid Training vs Traditional Training Explained
What is Hybrid Microblading Training?
jagritparajuli99
Once upon a time before the Corona Virus pandemic most schools were held 100% in person. During the pandemic innovative schools realized that they could eliminate the student's need to attend the book study portion of permanent makeup training courses. This innovation has transformed the Top Microblading Schools in the United States. Now students can theoretically get a better education using their phone or computer. But that's just half the scoop of greatness. This huge change in training has allowed Microblading Schools to improve their courses and focus in class lessons to hands on only training. The result has been a huge success in the Microblading Industry! Students receive a higher quality education for their money's worth.
Should I Choose A School With Hybrid Training?
What Kind of Value Does The School Offer?
How to spot value in a Microblading Training Course?
Bru-nO
What is value? Simply put, value is getting the most for your money. Many people confuse cheap prices with value. Think of value as something like finding a diamond or precious metal for less than what's it's worth. So how do we measure value? Lets take a look.
How to Identify Value at a Microblading School
Most microblading and permanent makeup schools have identified standard items that are usually included in a Microblading Course. These items contribute to the value of a course. One of those items is a Microblading Kit. Many schools will grossly inflate the value of their Microblading kits to give the appearance of added value to the course. I've seen schools give $30-$100 dollar Microblading Kits an artificial value of $500 to $1000 dollars. So here's a breakdown of what's included in most Microblading Kits.
-Eyebrow Caliper (for eyebrow mapping)
-Pencil for mapping eyebrows
-Numbing Cream
-Microblades
-Microblade Pens
-Disposable Microblading Pens
-Pigments (Inks)
-Line Corrector
-Carry Case
-Misc Items
Other Value Added Services/Products
The very best microblading schools will offer you many different types of value added services or products. For example some schools provide an app for eyebrow mapping, other schools offer practice with live models. The list goes on. Below are some examples of outstanding value added to a Microblading or Permanent Makeup training program.
- Online Marketing Training
- Retake Online Course or Discounted Return Students
- Student Support (Limited or Lifetime Support)
- Mentorship (Shadowing Instructor)
- Practice with Live Models
- Practice with Additional Live Models After Graduation
- Eyebrow Mapping App
- Has a great Online Training Package (Hybrid Courses)
- Included Bloodborne Pathogens Certification
- Provides Health Department Guidance
Now That You Know What to Look For in a Microblading School...
It's time for you to begin you quest in finding the right Microblading and Permanent Makeup near you. Remember, it never hurts to ask for clarification when getting price quotes from different schools. Use this article in your research to help you ask the right questions.
References:
https://classroom.synonym.com/many-hours-day-study-college-classes-4165.html
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/best-microblading-school-usa
What is Hybrid Microblading Training?
https://foxmicrobladingacademy.com/faq/
Shadowing Definition
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/shadowing
Definition of Value Added
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/value-added
