How to Find the Right Esthetician Training Near Pleasant Hill California

Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Pleasant Hill CA, the process begins to search for and enroll in the best program. It's essential that the program you pick not only furnishes the necessary education for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your initial search, you may be somewhat puzzled about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Pleasant Hill residence. Tuition will likewise be an important consideration when assessing potential schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not necessarily the best option. There are many other qualifications that you should evaluate when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over 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 courses are offered.

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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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Pleasant Hill California spas and salons as well as resorts and medical facilities to provide a variety of treatments for their clients. Some of the typical duties of an esthetician include performing deep skin cleansing and treatments, hair removal, and massages. Estheticians also recommend skincare treatments, products, and regimens to their clients. Many estheticians are self-employed, which allows them to set their schedules and work where they wish. However, these professionals still often need to work evenings and weekends. These skin care specialists also spend much of their time standing and may be exposed to harmful chemicals. Certified estheticians have excellent customer service and communication skills. They're adept at time management, observation and monitoring and are competent in understanding and using the tools necessary for facial procedures and extractions. Certified estheticians are familiar with medical, spreadsheets, and word processing software. They present a professional appearance and have the physical fitness to stand for prolonged periods of time. A career in esthetics generally requires working evening and weekend hours.

Online Esthetics Courses

Online esthetician schools are accommodating for Pleasant Hill CA students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are many online beauty school programs offered that can be accessed via a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are often fast paced given that 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 courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not devoting many hours outside of your home or travelling to and from classes. However, it's vital that the program you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Aesthetician Trade Schools

Following is a series of questions that you will want to investigate for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Pleasant Hill residence, in addition to the expense of tuition, will probably be your initial 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 choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have collected some of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician school you choose 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 comply with their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which typically are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Pleasant Hill CA businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Every esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good beginning. 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, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Check rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Pleasant Hill CA salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, 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 looked into. Finally, check with the California school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Many esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you decide on a school that specializes in 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 launch a Pleasant Hill CA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you require.

Is Enough Live Training Provided?  Studying and refining esthetician techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty program provides little or no scheduled live training, but rather relies mainly on the use of mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for acquiring your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that furnish this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's crucial that he or she receives assistance in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide assistance develop relationships with Pleasant Hill CA employers that are looking for trained graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Almost all esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students as well. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not eliminate it as an alternative before you determine what financial aid may be available.

Learn How to Become an Aesthetician in Pleasant Hill

Enroll in the Right Pleasant Hill Esthetician Training

Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician college is imperative to obtain the appropriate 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. Don't forget to organize all of the information you get from the cosmetology 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 process is to make sure that the college and program you select are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are ready to begin your new career as a professional esthetician in Pleasant Hill California.

 

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