How to Enroll In the Best Esthetician School Near Oakland California

Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Oakland CA, the task begins to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It's important that the program you select not only provides the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you may be rather puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Oakland home. Tuition will likewise be an important consideration when evaluating prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not automatically the right choice. There are several other qualifications that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of programs 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 Oakland 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 Programs

Online esthetician classes are convenient for Oakland CA students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs available that can be attended via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology programs are typically fast paced since many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a considerable portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online 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 vital that the program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also get the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.

What to Ask Aesthetician Trade Schools

Following is a series of questions that you will want to look into for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Oakland residence, in addition to the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have put together several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician school you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged 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 guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for securing student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Oakland 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 an Excellent Reputation?  Each esthetician college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the industry. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating companies for reviews together with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Oakland CA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. And last, contact the California school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you choose a school that focuses on 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 dream is to start a Oakland CA 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 rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you require.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Practicing and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their growing talents on volunteers. If a beauty academy offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends predominantly on the use of mannequins, it might not be the best option for cultivating your skills. Therefore look for alternate schools that offer this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's essential that she or he gets assistance in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance maintain relationships with Oakland CA employers that are seeking qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Many 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 may qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students too. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not eliminate it as an option until you find out what financial assistance may be offered.

More Info on How to Become an Aesthetician in Oakland

Enroll in the Right Oakland Esthetician Course

Finding and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is essential to get the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel certain about your decision. Make certain to consolidate all of the information you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to contrast schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the institution and program you decide on are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are qualified to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Oakland California.

 

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