How to Select the Right Esthetician Training Near Merrillville Indiana

Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Merrillville IN, the task begins to find and enroll in the ideal program. It's important that the program you pick not only provides the proper training for the specialty you have decided on, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be somewhat puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both pertain 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 Merrillville home. Tuition will additionally be a critical consideration when reviewing possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the best option. There are a number of other factors that you should weigh when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of courses are available.

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Esthetician 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 Merrillville Indiana 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 Training

Online esthetician classes are convenient for Merrillville IN students who are working full-time and have family commitments that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based beauty school programs offered that can be accessed by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology programs are typically fast paced because many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a considerable portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same amount 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 imperative that the program you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also get the hands-on training needed 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 industry. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetician Training Classes

Following is a series of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Merrillville residence, as well as the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly 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 reduced your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected some of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician Program 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 recognized local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which often are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Merrillville IN businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Any esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to exceptional reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Merrillville IN salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the industry, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. And finally, check with the Indiana 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?  A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you enroll in a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your ambition 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 launch a Merrillville IN beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you require.

Is Any Live Training Provided?  Learning and refining esthetician skills and techniques demands lots of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty program provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies heavily on the use of mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for developing your skills. Therefore look for other schools that offer this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that he or she receives aid in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide help develop relationships with Merrillville IN employers that are searching for qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and find out which salons and businesses they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might qualify 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 expense, do not discard it as an alternative until you determine what financial help may be provided.

More Info on How to Become an Esthetician in Merrillville

Enroll in the Right Merrillville Esthetician Program

Choosing and enrolling in the right esthetician school is essential to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the responses 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 school and program you pick are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are ready to start your career as a professional esthetician in Merrillville Indiana.

 

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