How to Find the Best Aesthetician College Near West Lafayette Indiana

Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near West Lafayette IN, the task begins to locate and enroll in the ideal program. It's imperative that the school you pick not only furnishes the proper education for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be a little bit unclear about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both refer 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 West Lafayette residence. Tuition will also be a critical consideration when assessing prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not automatically the ideal choice. There are several other considerations that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types 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 West Lafayette Indiana 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 Courses

Online esthetician programs are convenient for West Lafayette IN students who are employed 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 available that can be attended by means of a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty schools are often fast paced given that many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a substantial portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you're not spending many hours away from your home or driving to and from classes. However, it's important that the program you select can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors in order that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetician Training Programs

Following is a list of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your West Lafayette residence, together with the cost of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to pursue 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 need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have compiled some of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician college you pick 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 getting student loans or financial aid, which frequently 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, numerous West Lafayette IN businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Every esthetician institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the industry. Being accredited is an excellent 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, signifying that their students are highly regarded. Check rating services for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with West Lafayette IN salon owners or managers, or someone 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 thought of. Finally, check with the Indiana school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints 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, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you decide on a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your goal 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 vision is to launch a West Lafayette IN beauty salon, then you need 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 weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you need.

Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided?  Studying and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques requires lots of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty program provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends predominantly on the use of mannequins, it may not be the best option for acquiring your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  When a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's essential that he or she receives help in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with West Lafayette IN businesses that are seeking qualified graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and ask which salons and businesses they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available?  Many esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. 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 available to students also. If a school meets all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not eliminate it as an option until you learn what financial aid may be offered.

Learn How to Become an Esthetician in West Lafayette

Enroll in the Best West Lafayette Esthetician Training

Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is imperative to get the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Don't forget to consolidate all of the information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to contrast schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the institution and program you choose are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are qualified to begin your career as a professional esthetician in West Lafayette Indiana.

 

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