How to Choose the Best Aesthetician Course Near Gaithersburg Maryland

Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Gaithersburg MD, the process starts to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It's imperative that the school you select not only furnishes the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you may be a little bit puzzled about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Gaithersburg home. Tuition will likewise be an important factor when assessing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not always the best option. There are many other considerations 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 talk a little bit about what kinds of training programs are available.

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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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Gaithersburg Maryland 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 Training

Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Gaithersburg MD students who are employed full time and have family obligations that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs available that can be accessed via a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are often fast paced because many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not devoting many hours away from your home or commuting to and from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the training program you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

What to Ask Esthetician Trade Schools

Below is a list of questions that you should investigate for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Gaithersburg residence, in addition to the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have put together several of those supplemental questions that you should ask every school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician college you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for obtaining 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, a number of Gaithersburg MD businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Each esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Gaithersburg MD salon owners or managers, or any person working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not thought of. Finally, check with the Maryland school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you enroll in a school that specializes in 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 desire is to start a Gaithersburg MD 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 poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you need.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Practicing and refining esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty program offers limited or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on using mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for developing your skills. So try to find other schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  When a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's important that he or she gets aid in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with Gaithersburg MD businesses that are searching for qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available?  The majority of esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Speak 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 accessible to students too. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not omit it as an option before you learn what financial aid may be provided.

Learn How to Become an Esthetician in Gaithersburg

Enroll in the Best Gaithersburg Esthetician Training

Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is essential to obtain the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Make certain to collect all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the college and program you pick are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you start with that base, 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 ideal selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are ready to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Gaithersburg Maryland.

 

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