How to Enroll In the Right Esthetician School Near Opelika Alabama

Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Opelika AL, the task starts to find and enroll in the ideal program. It's imperative that the school you select not only provides the proper training for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be rather puzzled about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Opelika home. Tuition will likewise be an important aspect when assessing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not always the right choice. There are a number of other considerations that you should weigh when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of training programs are available.

It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Esthetician Career Below!

Esthetician 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 Opelika 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 classes are accommodating for Opelika AL students who are employed full time and have family obligations that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based beauty school programs available that can be attended by means of a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are frequently fast paced due to the fact that 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 programs, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not spending numerous hours outside of your home or travelling to and from classes. However, it's important that the program you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.

What to Ask Esthetician Programs

Below is a list of questions that you should investigate for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Opelika residence, in addition to the expense of tuition, will most likely be your primary qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed 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. Below we have collected some of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician training program you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national agency, 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 essential for securing student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Opelika AL employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Every esthetician college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly demanded. Check rating services for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Opelika AL salon owners or managers, or someone working in the industry, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. And finally, contact the Alabama school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in total 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, providing training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you select a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your aspiration is to launch a Opelika AL beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Practicing and mastering esthetician skills and techniques demands lots of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty academy offers little or no scheduled live training, but rather depends predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that provide this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's essential that he or she receives aid in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer help develop relationships with Opelika AL employers that are seeking trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and ask which salons and businesses they refer students to. Additionally, 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 respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  The majority of esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and identify 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 all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not discard it as an option until you determine what financial aid may be provided.

More Info on How to Become an Esthetician in Opelika

Enroll in the Right Opelika Esthetician Course

Locating and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is imperative to get the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel positive about your decision. Make certain to organize all of the responses you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to contrast schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the academy and program you decide on are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and address the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are ready to start your career as a professional esthetician in Opelika Alabama.

 

Opelika Esthetician Schools | Opelika Esthetician Schools Online