How to Select the Best Esthetician Training Near Birmingham Alabama

Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Birmingham AL, the task begins to locate and enroll in the ideal program. It's essential that the program you select not only furnishes the necessary training for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be a little bit confused about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Birmingham residence. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when evaluating possible schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it's not automatically the ideal choice. There are a number of other qualifications that you should weigh when reviewing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of training programs are offered.

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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 Birmingham 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 Esthetician Classes

Online esthetician programs are accommodating for Birmingham AL students who are working full-time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are many online beauty school programs available that can be attended through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are often fast paced since many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not spending many hours outside of your home or commuting to and from classes. However, it's important that the program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to acquire the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Aesthetician Programs

Following is a series of questions that you should research for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Birmingham residence, in addition to the price of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you would like to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected several of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician college you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which typically are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many Birmingham AL businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Every esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Birmingham AL salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the trade, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not considered. Finally, contact the Alabama school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you decide on a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your dream is to open a Birmingham AL beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Studying and refining esthetician techniques and abilities involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on the use of mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. So try to find other schools that offer this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  When a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's crucial that she or he gets aid in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer assistance develop relationships with Birmingham AL businesses that are seeking trained graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and find out which salons and businesses they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Speak with a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students also. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not eliminate it as an alternative until you find out what financial assistance may be provided.

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Enroll in the Right Birmingham Esthetician Course

Choosing and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is essential to obtain the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel confident about your decision. Make certain to consolidate all of the responses you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the school and program you select are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Birmingham Alabama.

 

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