How to Choose the Right Aesthetician College Near Longmont Colorado
Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Longmont CO, the task starts to search for and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the program you pick not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your preliminary search, you may be rather puzzled about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically 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 Longmont residence. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when evaluating possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the ideal option. There are several other qualifications that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of training programs are offered.
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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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Longmont Colorado 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 Esthetician Programs
Online esthetician programs are convenient for Longmont CO students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed via a home 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 internet programs, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's essential that the school you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Esthetics Programs
Following is a list of questions that you need to look into for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Longmont residence, in addition to the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you would like to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably 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 should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have put together several of those supplemental questions that you should ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make certain that the esthetician training program you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified 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 assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for getting student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Longmont CO businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those 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 field. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews together with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Longmont CO salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And finally, contact the Colorado school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, focusing on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important 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 aspiration is to start a Longmont CO 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 regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.
Is Any Live Training Provided? Practicing and perfecting esthetician techniques and abilities demands lots of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing talents on real people. If a beauty program furnishes little or no scheduled live training, but rather relies predominantly on the use of mannequins, it may not be the best option for cultivating your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that furnish this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's crucial that he or she receives assistance in finding that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance maintain relationships with Longmont CO employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and businesses they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm 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 looking at have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students also. If a school meets all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not eliminate it as an option until you determine what financial aid may be provided.
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Enroll in the Right Longmont Esthetician Training
Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician college is important to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel certain about your decision. Make sure to compile all of the information you receive 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 pick are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are ready to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Longmont Colorado.
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