How to Choose the Right Esthetician Program Near Tucson Arizona
Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Tucson AZ, the process begins to find and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the program you choose not only provides the proper instruction for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you might be somewhat puzzled about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Tucson residence. Tuition will additionally be an important factor when reviewing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not always the ideal option. There are many other considerations that you should weigh when analyzing 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 in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what kinds of training 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 Tucson Arizona 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 Courses
Online esthetician classes are convenient for Tucson AZ students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous online beauty school programs available that can be accessed via a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are often fast paced since many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a considerable portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you are not devoting many hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the training program you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to acquire the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.
Questions to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs
Below is a list of questions that you will want to investigate for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Tucson residence, together with the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected some of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician college you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Tucson AZ employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Any esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the industry. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Tucson AZ salon owners or managers, or any person working in the industry, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And last, contact the Arizona school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted 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 facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you choose a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your objective is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your vision is to open a Tucson AZ 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 pursuing will not provide the training you need.
Is Enough Live Training Provided? Practicing and refining esthetician skills and techniques demands plenty of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty program furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on the use of mannequins, it might not be the best option for cultivating your skills. So search for alternate schools that provide this type of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's important that she or he gets support in finding that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish aid develop relationships with Tucson AZ employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and organizations they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? Almost all esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Speak with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students too. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications except for cost, do not omit it as an option before you determine what financial assistance may be available.
Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Tucson
Enroll in the Best Tucson Esthetician Training
Locating and enrolling in the right esthetician school is essential to obtain the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel confident about your decision. Make sure to compile all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the school and program you select are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are prepared to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Tucson Arizona.