How to Choose the Best Esthetician College Near Saint Petersburg Florida
Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Saint Petersburg FL, the process begins to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It's important that the program you pick not only furnishes the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you might be a little bit puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Saint Petersburg home. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when evaluating potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the ideal choice. There are several other factors that you should weigh when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a little 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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Saint Petersburg Florida 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 Training
Online esthetician schools are accommodating for Saint Petersburg FL students who are employed full time and have family commitments that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed via a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty programs are frequently fast paced given that many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 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 away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's imperative that the training program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.
Questions to Ask Esthetician Programs
Following is a series of questions that you need to look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school relative to your Saint Petersburg home, in addition to the expense of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have put together several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make certain that the esthetician training program you select 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 measure up to their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which often are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many Saint Petersburg FL employers 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 college that you are seriously considering should have a good to exceptional reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly demanded. Check rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Saint Petersburg FL salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to propose others that you had not looked into. Finally, consult the Florida school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in full 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, providing training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you pick a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your objective is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your aspiration is to open a Saint Petersburg FL beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you require.
Is Enough Live Training Provided? Learning and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow 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 may not be the best option for cultivating your skills. So search for alternate schools that furnish this type of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's crucial that he or she gets assistance in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with Saint Petersburg FL employers that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, 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 regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? Many esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. 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 too. If a school meets all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not eliminate it as an option before you determine what financial help may be offered.
Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Saint Petersburg
Enroll in the Right Saint Petersburg Esthetician Program
Selecting and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is important to obtain the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the responses you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that data to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the institution and program you pick are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions provided in this article, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Saint Petersburg Florida.
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