How to Pick the Right Aesthetician Program Near Tucson Arizona
Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Tucson AZ, the process begins to find and enroll in the best program. It's important that the program you choose not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you might be a little bit unclear about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Tucson home. Tuition will additionally be a critical factor when assessing potential schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not always the ideal choice. There are a number of other considerations that you should weigh when reviewing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what types of programs are offered.
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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 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 Esthetician Classes
Online esthetician programs are convenient for Tucson AZ students who are employed full-time and have family commitments that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed by means of a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are often fast paced because many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not spending numerous hours away from your home or driving to and from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the school you pick can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to acquire the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.
What to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs
Below is a list of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Tucson home, as well as the price of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have compiled some of those supplemental questions that you should ask every school before making a final decision.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician school you choose 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which often are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Tucson AZ employers will not recruit 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 institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements 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. Check rating companies for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Tucson AZ salon owners or managers, or any person working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. And finally, check with the Arizona school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you pick a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your ambition is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your desire 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 ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.
Is Any Live Training Provided? Practicing and refining esthetician techniques and abilities involves plenty of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that allow 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 may not be the best alternative for developing your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's important that he or she gets assistance in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance develop relationships with Tucson AZ employers that are looking for skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and businesses they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Many esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students too. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not discard it as an alternative before you determine what financial assistance may be available.
Learn How to Become an Esthetician in Tucson
Enroll in the Best Tucson Esthetician Training
Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is imperative to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel positive about your decision. Make certain to compile all of the information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the school and program you select are accredited and have impressive reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the proper choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Tucson Arizona.