Choosing a Career or Vocational School
Whether you're new to the job
market or looking to enhance your skills, a private
vocational or correspondence school can be an excellent
starting point for furthering your career. These schools
train students for a variety of skilled jobs, including
automotive technician, medical assistant, hair stylist,
interior designer, electronics technician, paralegal
and truck driver. Some schools also help students identify
prospective employers and apply for jobs.
While many private vocational and
correspondence schools are reputable and teach the skills
necessary to get a good job, others may not be as trustworthy.
Their main objective may be to increase profits by increasing
enrollment. They do this by promising more than they
can deliver.
For example, they may mislead prospective
students about the salary potential of certain jobs
or the availability of jobs in certain fields. They
also may overstate the extent of their job training
programs, the qualifications of their teachers, the
nature of their facilities and equipment, and their
connections to certain businesses and industries.
It's not always easy to spot the false
claims that some schools may make, but there are steps
consumers can take to make sure that the school they
enroll in is reputable and trustworthy.
Do Some Homework
Before enrolling in a vocational
or correspondence school, do some homework. Here's how:
- Consider whether you need additional training or
education to get the job you want. It's possible that
the skills you'll need can be learned "on the
job." Look at employment ads for positions that
you're interested in and call the employer to learn
what kind of experience is important for those positions.
- Investigate training alternatives, like community
colleges. The tuition may be less than at private
schools. Also, some businesses offer education programs
through apprenticeships or on-the-job training.
- Compare programs. Study the information from various
schools to learn what is required to graduate. Ask
what you'll get when you graduate — a certificate
in your chosen field or eligibility for a clinical
or other externship? Are licensing credits you earn
at the school transferable? If you decide to pursue
additional training and education, find out whether
two- or four-year colleges accept credits from any
vocational or correspondence school you're considering.
If reputable schools and colleges say they don't,
it may be a sign that the vocational school is not
well regarded.
- Find out as much as you can about the school's facilities.
Ask about the types of equipment — computers
and tools, for example — that students use for
training and supplies and tools that you, as a student,
must provide. Visit the school; ask to see the classrooms
and workshops.
- Ask about the instructors' qualifications and the
size of classes. Sit in on a class. Are the students
engaged? Is the teacher interesting?
- Get some idea of the program's success rate. Ask
what percentage of students complete the program.
A high dropout rate could mean that students don't
like the program. How many graduates find jobs in
their chosen field? What is the average starting salary?
- Ask for a list of recent graduates. Ask some about
their experiences with the school.
- Find out how much the program is going to cost.
Are books, equipment, uniforms and lab fees included
in the overall fee or are they extra?
- If you need financial assistance, find out whether
the school provides it, and if so, what it offers.
The U.S. Department of Education administers several
major student aid programs in the forms of grants,
loans and work-study programs. About two-thirds of
all student financial aid comes from these programs.
Call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at
1-800-4 FED AID (1-800-433-3243) for a free copy of
The Student Guide. It's also available at
www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide.
- Ask for the names and phone numbers of the school's
licensing and accrediting organizations. Check with
these organizations to learn whether the school is
up-to-date on its license and accreditation. Licensing
is handled by state agencies. In many states, private
vocational schools are licensed through the state
Department of Education. Truck driver training schools,
on the other hand, may be licensed by the state transportation
department. Ask the school which state agency handles
its licensing. Accreditation is usually through a
private education agency or association, which has
evaluated the school and verified that it meets certain
requirements. Accreditation can be an important clue
to a school's ability to provide appropriate training
and education — if the accrediting body is reputable.
Your high-school guidance counselor, principal or
teachers can tell you which accrediting bodies have
worthy standards.
- Check with the Attorney General's office and the
Better Business Bureau in the state where you live
and in the state where the school is based, and with
your county or state consumer protection agency to
see whether complaints have been filed against the
school. A record of complaints may indicate questionable
practices, but a lack of complaints doesn't necessarily
mean that the school is without problems. Unscrupulous
businesses or business people often change names and
locations to hide complaint histories.
Taking Care
of Business
Once you decide on a school, review
the materials the school gives you, including the contract.
Avoid signing up until you've read the documents carefully.
Check the contract to see whether you can cancel within
a few days of signing up and if so, how to go about
it. If the school refuses to give you documents to review
beforehand, take your business to another school. Its
refusal may be a sign that the school isn't trustworthy.
If a school official tells you something other than
what is in their documents, ask the school to put it
in writing. If the promises aren't in writing, the school
can deny ever having made them.
To finance your vocational training
program, you may apply for financial aid through the
school's financial aid program. If you take out a loan,
be sure you read the agreement and understand the terms
of repayment before you sign. Know when repayment begins
and how much each payment will be.
Also realize that you're responsible
for paying off the loan whether or not you complete
the training program. If you don't pay off the loan,
you may run into some serious problems. For example:
- You may not be able to get credit later on to buy
a house or car, or to receive a credit card.
- If you decide to go to another school, you may not
be able to get a loan or grant.
- Your employer may deduct payments from your paycheck
automatically to repay the loan.
- The IRS can confiscate your federal tax refunds.
- You could be sued for the money you owe.
Filing a
Complaint
If you are not satisfied with the
quality of the instruction or training you receive from
a vocational or correspondence school, talk to faculty
members or the school administration. If your dissatisfaction
relates to your contract with the school, try to resolve
your dispute with the school. If that doesn't work,
report the problem to your local Better Business Bureau,
your local or state consumer protection office, your
state Attorney General's office and the Federal Trade
Commission. You can file a complaint with the FTC by
calling toll-free 1-877-FTC HELP (1-877-382-4357) or
logging on to www.ftc.gov.
Click on "complaint form."
You also may file a complaint with
the:
- school's accrediting organizations;
- state licensing agency, state board of education
and the state's education department. Check the blue
pages of the telephone book under "State Government."
- U.S. Department of Education, if you are receiving
federal financial aid to pay for the school training.
To file a complaint, call toll-free 1-800-MIS-USED
(1-800-647-8733). In the Washington, DC, area, call
202-205-5770.
For More Information
U.S. Department of Education
Thinking
About Going to a Career College or Technical School?
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