How to Enroll In the Right Aesthetician School Near Westbrook Maine

Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Westbrook ME, the process starts to find and enroll in the best program. It's essential that the school you select not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be rather puzzled about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Westbrook residence. Tuition will also be an important factor when assessing possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not always the ideal choice. There are various other qualifications that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what types of programs are offered.

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 Westbrook 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 Esthetician Programs

Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Westbrook ME students who are working full time and have family commitments that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based beauty school programs available that can be attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty programs are typically fast paced given that many courses are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a substantial portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same amount of material, but you're not devoting many hours outside of your home or driving to and from classes. On the other hand, it's vital that the training program you select can provide internship training in local salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Aesthetician Training Courses

Following is a list of questions that you will want to investigate for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Westbrook residence, as well as the price 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 preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have collected several of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential to make certain that the esthetician college you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which often are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Westbrook ME employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Any esthetician institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Check rating companies for reviews together with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Westbrook ME salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. And finally, contact the Maine school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential 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 start a Westbrook ME beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly regarded school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.

Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided?  Studying and refining esthetician skills and techniques demands plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing talents on volunteers. If a beauty program provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies heavily on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. Therefore look for other schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's crucial that he or she gets aid in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish aid maintain relationships with Westbrook ME businesses that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Offered?  The majority of esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and learn 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 accessible to students also. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not drop it as an option before you find out what financial aid may be offered.

More Info on How to Become an Aesthetician in Westbrook

Enroll in the Right Westbrook Esthetician Training

Picking and enrolling in the right esthetician school is imperative to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Don't forget to collect all of the information you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence process is to make certain that the school and program you decide on are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are prepared to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Westbrook Maine.

 

Westbrook Esthetician Programs Near Me | Westbrook Esthetician Courses