How to Select the Best Aesthetician College Near Auburn Alabama
Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Auburn AL, the task starts to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It's essential that the school you select not only provides the necessary education for the specialty you have decided on, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you might be a little bit confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Auburn home. Tuition will also be a critical factor when assessing possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not automatically the ideal option. There are several other considerations that you should weigh when comparing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of programs are available.
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Esthetics Training Requirements
Esthetics school is an investment of time, energy, and money. Requirements vary from state to state, but the majority of states require that you complete at least 600 hours of training. Full-time school can take an average of six months to complete, and part-time school can take anywhere from 9-12 months. The primary purpose of esthetics school is to get you ready to pass the state licensing exam. They also teach basic skills that you will need to perfect through experience and sometimes additional classes, such as giving facials, body treatments, and performing waxing. More advanced training includes learning to work with machines, such as IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) and Lasers used to rejuvenate the skin and permanently remove hair.
Esthetician Job Description
Estheticians provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Auburn Alabama clients look and feel better. This includes improving the quality of the skin (including the treatment of skin disorders), hair removal, permanent makeup application, and facial massage. Some types of estheticians, like medical estheticians, provide highly specialized procedures that require detailed training in order for it to be done safely and effectively. Medical estheticians can help individuals suffering from serious skin disorders, burns, and other trauma, and to help with pre and post-operative surgery affecting the health of their skin. Estheticians work closely with their clients in a friendly and positive manner, so an enthusiastic attitude and desire to help people is an excellent attribute for an aspiring esthetician to possess. Some of the basic duties an esthetician may perform will include such tasks as:
- Assessing a patient’s needs
- Chemical peels
- Laser treatments
- Waxing
- Facials
- Massage of the head and neck
- Microdermabrasion
Online Esthetics Classes
Online esthetician schools are convenient for Auburn AL students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based beauty school programs offered that can be attended via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are typically fast paced given that many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a significant amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you're not spending many hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the training program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to obtain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.
What to Ask Esthetician Training Programs
Below is a series of questions that you need to look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school relative to your Auburn home, as well as the expense of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have put together some of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's necessary to make certain that the esthetician college you select is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which often are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Auburn AL businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have a Great Reputation? Each esthetician institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly demanded. Check rating companies for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Auburn AL salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the industry, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And finally, consult the Alabama school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you pick a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your ambition is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your vision is to open a Auburn AL beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.
Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Practicing and refining esthetician skills and techniques demands lots of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty school provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends predominantly on the use of mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for cultivating your skills. Therefore search for other schools that offer this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's important that she or he gets help in finding that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide assistance maintain relationships with Auburn AL businesses that are seeking qualified graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Most esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students as well. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not omit it as an alternative before you determine what financial assistance may be provided.
More Info on How to Become an Aesthetician in Auburn
Enroll in the Best Auburn Esthetician Program
Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is important to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then use that data to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the college and program you select are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are ready to begin your new career as a professional esthetician in Auburn Alabama.
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