How to Choose the Best Esthetician College Near Bethesda Maryland

Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Bethesda MD, the process begins to search for and enroll in the best program. It's essential that the school you choose not only provides the appropriate training for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you might 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 kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Bethesda home. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when evaluating potential schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not automatically the right choice. There are many other qualifications that you should weigh when analyzing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of training programs are offered.

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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 Bethesda Maryland 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 Schools

Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Bethesda MD students who are employed full-time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of online cosmetology school programs available that can be attended through a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are often fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as short as six or eight months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not spending numerous hours outside of your home or travelling to and from classes. On the other hand, it's essential that the training program you pick can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also get 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 area of the cosmetology field. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Trade Schools

Below is a list of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Bethesda residence, as well as the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have collected several of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's necessary to make certain that the esthetician college you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified 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 assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Bethesda MD employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Any esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the industry. 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 as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Bethesda MD salon owners or managers, or any person working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And finally, check with the Maryland school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you decide on 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 launch a Bethesda MD beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.

Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and refining esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty school offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. So look for alternate schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  When a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's essential that he or she gets aid in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with Bethesda MD employers that are looking for skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments they refer students to. Also, find out 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 Aid Offered?  Many esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and identify 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 accessible to students as well. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications except for cost, do not drop it as an alternative before you learn what financial help may be available.

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Enroll in the Right Bethesda Esthetician Course

Choosing and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is important to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel confident about your decision. Make certain 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 college and program you pick 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 reduce your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to start your career as a professional esthetician in Bethesda Maryland.

 

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