How to Enroll In the Right Aesthetician Program Near Oildale California
Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Oildale CA, the task starts to locate and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the program you pick not only provides the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have decided on, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be a little bit confused about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Oildale home. Tuition will additionally be a critical aspect when assessing 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 factors that you should weigh when analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what types 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 Oildale 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 Classes
Online esthetician schools are accommodating for Oildale CA students who are working full time and have family obligations that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based beauty school programs available that can be attended through a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are frequently fast paced since many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same amount of material, but you're not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. However, it's vital that the program you select can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also get the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to acquire the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.
Questions to Ask Aesthetician Schools
Following is a list of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Oildale home, together with the price of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you would like to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have narrowed 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 additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician School 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 acknowledged local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for securing student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Oildale 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? Any esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly regarded. Check rating companies for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Oildale CA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the industry, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. And last, check with the California school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? Many esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all areas 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 essential that you enroll in a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your desire is to open a Oildale 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 ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you require.
Is Any Hands-On Training Provided? Learning and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty program furnishes little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies mainly on using mannequins, it might not be the best option for acquiring your skills. So search for alternate schools that offer this type of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? When 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 integral part of that process. Schools that offer aid maintain relationships with Oildale CA employers that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and inquire which salons and businesses they refer students to. Also, 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? Almost all esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you might qualify 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 with the exception of cost, do not omit it as an option before you learn what financial assistance may be offered.
Learn How to Become an Aesthetician in Oildale
Enroll in the Best Oildale Esthetician Program
Finding and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is essential to obtain the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Make sure to collect all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that information to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the school and program you select are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you begin with that foundation, and answer the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are qualified to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Oildale California.