How to Select the Best Esthetician Classes Near Menlo Park California

Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Menlo Park CA, the task starts to locate and enroll in the right program. It's important that the program you select not only furnishes the proper instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be a little bit confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Menlo Park home. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when assessing possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the ideal choice. There are various other considerations that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of courses are available.

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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 Menlo Park 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 convenient for Menlo Park CA students who are employed full-time and have family obligations that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many online cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed through a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are frequently fast paced due to the fact that many courses are as short as six or eight months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or commuting to and from classes. However, it's vital that the school you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills required 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 available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Programs

Following is a list of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Menlo Park home, together with the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue 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 even more factors that you should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician training program you pick is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for securing 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 Menlo Park CA employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great 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 testimonials 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 regarded. Check rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Menlo Park CA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the business, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And finally, contact the California school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically 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 goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your dream is to open a Menlo Park 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 regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you need.

Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques demands lots of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty school provides limited or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for developing your skills. Therefore search for other schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that he or she gets support in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer aid maintain relationships with Menlo Park CA employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and inquire which salons and businesses they refer students to. Additionally, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered?  The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students too. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not omit it as an alternative before you find out what financial aid may be available.

Learn How to Become an Aesthetician in Menlo Park

Enroll in the Best Menlo Park Esthetician Course

Picking and enrolling in the right esthetician program is essential to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to consolidate all of the responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to contrast schools. A good start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the school and program you select are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. 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 right selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are ready to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Menlo Park California.

 

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