How to Choose the Best Esthetician Training Near Los Altos California

Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Los Altos CA, the process starts to locate and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the school you select not only furnishes the proper education for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your preliminary search, you might be a little bit puzzled about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both pertain 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 Los Altos home. Tuition will likewise be a critical factor when reviewing potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the best option. There are several other qualifications that you should weigh when reviewing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of programs are available.

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Esthetics Training Programs

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 Los Altos 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 Courses

Online esthetician programs are accommodating for Los Altos CA students who are employed full-time and have family commitments that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs available that can be attended by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are often fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not spending many hours away from your home or commuting to and from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the program you pick can provide internship training in local salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. 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 Degree Programs

Below is a series of questions that you will want to research for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Los Altos home, in addition to the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you would like to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably 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 put together some of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make certain that the esthetician school you pick 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 ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for getting student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many Los Altos CA businesses 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 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. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating companies for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Los Altos CA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. And last, contact the California school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you select 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 respected for that program. If your aspiration is to launch a Los Altos CA 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 ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques demands lots of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their developing talents on volunteers. If a beauty school offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on the use of mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for cultivating your skills. So search for alternate schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  When a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's essential that she or he receives support in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with Los Altos CA businesses that are looking for trained 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. Additionally, 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 Assistance Available?  The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and find out 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 fulfills each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not omit it as an option before you find out what financial help may be provided.

Find Out How to Become an Esthetician in Los Altos

Enroll in the Best Los Altos Esthetician Program

Selecting and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is imperative to obtain the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to compile all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the school and program you choose are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are qualified to start your career as a professional esthetician in Los Altos California.

 

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