How to Choose the Best Aesthetician College Near Fair Oaks California
Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Fair Oaks CA, the process begins to find and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the program you pick not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be rather unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Fair Oaks residence. Tuition will likewise be an important consideration when evaluating potential schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the right choice. There are many other considerations that you should weigh when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of 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 Fair Oaks 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 Esthetics Schools
Online esthetician programs are accommodating for Fair Oaks CA students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs available that can be attended via a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty programs are frequently fast paced given that many courses are as short as six or eight months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not devoting many hours outside of your home or driving to and from classes. However, it's imperative that the training program you select can provide internship training in local salons and parlors so 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 required to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.
Questions to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs
Below is a series of questions that you should look into for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Fair Oaks residence, together with the cost of tuition, will probably be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's essential to make sure that the esthetician school you pick 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Fair Oaks CA employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have a Great Reputation? Any esthetician school 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 employers where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly demanded. Check rating services for reviews together with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Fair Oaks CA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And last, check with the California school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often 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 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 vision is to open a Fair Oaks CA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you require.
Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Practicing and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty school provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on the use of mannequins, it may not be the best option for developing your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's important that he or she gets aid in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer aid develop relationships with Fair Oaks CA businesses that are seeking skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Aid Offered? The majority of esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students as well. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not drop it as an alternative until you find out what financial assistance may be offered.
Learn How to Become an Aesthetician in Fair Oaks
Enroll in the Right Fair Oaks Esthetician Program
Choosing and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is essential to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to compile all of the responses you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to compare schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the college and program you pick are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you begin with that foundation, and address the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the ideal 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 Fair Oaks California.
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