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In this post, part of our series covering states, we look at barber schools in Illinois. We initially present a perspective of the state’s personal care services industry and then look at the licensure requirements for barbers in the state. Against this background, in the last section, we look at the barber schools in Illinois.

Introduction

Illinois, part of the Midwest region, is the fifth most populous state in the United States. As of the 2010 census Illinois had a population of 12,830,632 making it the most populous state in the Midwest Region. In racial terms 65.0% were White American, 15.0% African American, 14.9% Latino American, 4.3% Asian American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Natives, and 0.1% Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander. Majority (almost two-thirds) of the population lives in the Chicago metropolitan area (comprising just 8% of the state’s land area) and this leaves the rest of the state largely rural-agrarian in character. Illinois has long been reputed as a bellwether in social, cultural and political terms and is often referred to as a microcosm of the entire United States.

Illinois has a large number of beauty clinics, salons and spas, rendering services to a large clientele of varied tastes and exacting demands. Sure enough, most of these are in the Chicago area. The May 2010 Occupational and Employment Statistics published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics put the number of employed barbers, hairdressers and cosmetologists in Illinois at 15860. Additionally there were 2310 nail technicians, 1500 shampooers and 1700 estheticians. This should give the reader an idea of the size of the personal care services market of Illinois in general and Chicago in particular. It is also projected that the industry will continue to grow in the state in line with the growth in its economy. A career as barber in Chicago is, by all indications, worth serious consideration for those who enjoy working in the personal care services industry.

Barber license in Illinois

As in most states, barber trade is regulated by licensing in Illinois too. The agency vested with the responsibility of issuing barber licenses is the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. An applicant for barber license should be at least sixteen years of age, have an education of eighth grade school or equivalent and completed 1500 hours of training in one of the approved barber schools in Illinois state. The licensure examination comprises both practical and written test which together assesses the candidate’s knowledge of the subjects and suitability for the occupation. Licensing by endorsement and reciprocity do exist and these details can be had from:

Illinois Department of Professional Regulation
320W. Washington St., 3rd Fl.
Springfield, IL 62786
217-782-8556

Barber schools in Illinois

As already mentioned there are several schools offering barber training in Illinois. For a list of schools in Chicago, you can see our post on Barber Schools in Chicago. However, students intent on doing a course in barbering should always ensure that they enroll in a state-licensed school. The below list gives all accredited (licensed) barber schools in Illinois as of writing this article. As licensing falls due for renewal every year, the licensure status of a particular school can change between years. So students are advised to check with the Department of Professional Regulation as to the license status of the schools they wish to consider.

Students can also search for barber schools in Illinois as well as in other states in our extensive database which gives the most updated data on beauty and personal care schools. They can also get contacted by multiple schools by filling out their contact details online. The search-box on this page can be used for this purpose. Hundreds of students use this database annually to locate their schools and get trained for rewarding careers in the personal care services industry.