How to Enroll In the Best Esthetician Classes Near Santa Ana California

Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Santa Ana CA, the task begins to search for and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the school you select not only furnishes the appropriate education for the specialty you have decided on, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your preliminary search, you may be somewhat confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Santa Ana home. Tuition will likewise be a critical consideration when assessing possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not always the ideal option. There are a number of other considerations that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what kinds of training 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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Santa Ana 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 Schools

Online esthetician programs are advantageous for Santa Ana CA students who are working full time and have family commitments that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs available that can be attended via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology programs are frequently fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you're not spending numerous hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's vital that the school you select can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors so that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetician Programs

Following is a list of questions that you should investigate for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Santa Ana home, together with the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you wish 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 additional factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled some of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician school you select is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized 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 important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Santa Ana CA employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably 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 exceptional reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Santa Ana CA salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the trade, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And finally, contact the California school licensing authority to see 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, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you pick a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your desire is to open a Santa Ana CA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you need.

Is Any Live Training Provided?  Studying and refining esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty program furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but rather relies predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the best option for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for other schools that furnish this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  When a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's important that he or she gets aid in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish help develop relationships with Santa Ana CA employers that are looking for trained graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Almost all esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and identify 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 accessible to students also. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not discard it as an option until you determine what financial assistance may be available.

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Enroll in the Right Santa Ana Esthetician Training

Picking and enrolling in the right esthetician program is important to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel certain about your decision. Make sure 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 information to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the institution and program you choose 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 filter your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Santa Ana California.

 

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