How to Choose the Best Aesthetician Training Near Lewiston Maine

Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Lewiston ME, the process starts to locate and enroll in the best program. It's important that the school you choose not only provides the appropriate training for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be somewhat unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Lewiston residence. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when assessing prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the best choice. There are many other considerations that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of programs are available.

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Esthetician 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 Lewiston Maine 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 classes are advantageous for Lewiston ME students who are working full-time and have family commitments that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many online cosmetology school programs available that can be attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools 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 dealing with the same amount of material, but you're not devoting numerous hours away from your home or travelling to and from classes. On the other hand, it's vital that the training program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

What to Ask Aesthetician Training Programs

Below is a list of questions that you need to look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Lewiston home, together with the expense of tuition, will most likely be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you need to 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 pick 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for acquiring 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 concluding benefit, many Lewiston ME employers 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?  Each esthetician institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good starting point. 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, indicating that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Lewiston ME salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to propose others that you had not considered. And last, check with the Maine school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Many 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 example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you pick a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your vision is to start a Lewiston ME beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.

Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided?  Practicing and refining esthetician skills and techniques requires lots of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty school provides little or no scheduled live training, but rather relies mainly on the use of mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for developing your skills. Therefore look for other schools that provide this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's important that he or she receives help in finding that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance maintain relationships with Lewiston ME businesses that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Assistance Offered?  Almost all esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students also. If a school meets all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an alternative before you determine what financial assistance may be provided.

Find Out How to Become an Esthetician in Lewiston

Enroll in the Best Lewiston Esthetician Course

Picking and enrolling in the right esthetician school is imperative to obtain the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Make certain to collect all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the institution and program you select are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you begin with that foundation, and address the additional questions provided 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 start your new career as a professional esthetician in Lewiston Maine.

 

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