How to Select the Right Esthetician Program Near Albany California

Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Albany CA, the process starts to locate and enroll in the ideal program. It's imperative that the program you select not only furnishes the necessary education for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you may be rather unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Albany home. Tuition will likewise be a critical consideration when assessing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the right choice. There are many other factors that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, such as 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 little bit about what types of courses 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 Albany California 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 Schools

Online esthetician programs are advantageous for Albany CA students who are working full time and have family obligations that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs offered that can be attended by means of a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are often fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. However, it's imperative that the school you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to obtain the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Programs

Below is a list of questions that you will want to research for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Albany residence, together with the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably 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. Below we have put together several of those supplemental questions that you should ask every school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make certain that the esthetician school you select is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for obtaining 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 concluding benefit, many Albany CA 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 Good Reputation?  Any esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating companies for reviews together with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Albany CA salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not considered. And last, contact the California school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  A number of 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, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you enroll in a school that specializes in 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 vision is to start a Albany CA beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Studying and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities involves plenty of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty program provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather depends heavily on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. So search for alternate schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's important that she or he receives help in finding that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance develop relationships with Albany CA businesses that are searching for qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available?  Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and identify 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 accessible to students as well. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications except for expense, do not discard it as an alternative until you find out what financial assistance may be available.

More Info on How to Become an Esthetician in Albany

Enroll in the Right Albany Esthetician Training

Locating and enrolling in the right esthetician school is essential to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel confident about your decision. Be sure to consolidate all of the information you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to compare schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the college and program you choose are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you start with that base, 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 proper choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Albany California.

 

Albany Esthetician Courses Online | Albany Esthetician Classes