How to Choose the Right Aesthetician College Near West Covina California
Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near West Covina CA, the process starts to find and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the school you choose not only furnishes the necessary training for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be a little bit unclear 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 need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your West Covina home. Tuition will additionally be a critical consideration when reviewing prospective schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not always the best option. There are many other qualifications that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what kinds of courses are available.
It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Esthetician Career Below!
Esthetics 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 West Covina 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 Courses
Online esthetician programs are convenient for West Covina CA students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs offered that can be attended through a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are often fast paced due to the fact that many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you're not devoting many hours away from your home or commuting to and from classes. However, it's imperative that the training program you pick can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.
What to Ask Esthetics Schools
Below is a list 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 West Covina residence, as well as the price of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue 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 must research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled some of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential to make sure that the esthetician college you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for getting student loans or financial aid, which often are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many West Covina CA businesses 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 school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly demanded. Check rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with West Covina CA salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the business, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They may 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 grievances filed or if the schools are in total compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you decide on 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 dream is to open a West Covina 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 seeking will not deliver the training you need.
Is Any Hands-On Training Provided? Practicing and perfecting esthetician techniques and abilities requires lots of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty academy provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's crucial that she or he gets help in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide help develop relationships with West Covina CA businesses that are looking for skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are contemplating 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 verify that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students as well. If a school meets all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not omit it as an option until you determine what financial aid may be available.
More Info on How to Become an Aesthetician in West Covina
Enroll in the Best West Covina Esthetician Course
Locating and enrolling in the right esthetician school is imperative to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Make sure to organize all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to compare schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the college and program you choose are accredited and have impressive reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and address the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in West Covina California.
West Covina Esthetician Classes | West Covina Medical Esthetician Schools