How to Select the Best Aesthetician Course Near Urbandale Iowa

Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Urbandale IA, the task begins to locate and enroll in the best program. It's imperative that the program you choose not only furnishes the proper education for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your initial search, you may be a little bit confused about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Urbandale residence. Tuition will additionally be a critical consideration when evaluating possible schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not always the right choice. There are various other factors that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of training programs are available.

It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Esthetician Career Below!

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 Urbandale Iowa 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 Classes

Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Urbandale IA students who are working full-time and have family commitments that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous online beauty 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 since many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a significant amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or commuting to and from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to obtain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics 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 covered, the location of the school in relation to your Urbandale home, as well as the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have put together some of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician training program you select 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for getting student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Urbandale IA businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably 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 excellent reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly demanded. Check rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Urbandale IA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not thought of. Finally, check with the Iowa school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances 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 areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you enroll in 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 respected for that program. If your vision is to start a Urbandale IA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach 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 need.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Studying and mastering esthetician skills and techniques requires lots of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty academy provides little or no scheduled live training, but rather relies heavily on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. Therefore search for other schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's essential that she or he gets help in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer aid develop relationships with Urbandale IA 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. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered?  The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and identify 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 available to students too. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not omit it as an option before you learn what financial aid may be offered.

Find Out How to Become an Esthetician in Urbandale

Enroll in the Best Urbandale Esthetician Course

Choosing and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is essential to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel certain about your decision. Make certain to consolidate all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that information to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the academy and program you pick are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are qualified to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Urbandale Iowa.

 

Urbandale How To Become An Esthetician | Urbandale Esthetician Courses Online