How to Select the Right Aesthetician College Near North Bethesda Maryland

Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near North Bethesda MD, the task begins to locate and enroll in the best program. It's important that the school you choose not only provides the necessary training for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you might be somewhat confused about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your North Bethesda residence. Tuition will likewise be an important factor when reviewing prospective schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it's not necessarily the best option. There are several other considerations that you should weigh when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are considering later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of courses are offered.

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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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their North 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 Esthetician Classes

Online esthetician schools are advantageous for North Bethesda MD students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be attended by means of a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty schools are often fast paced given that many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you are not devoting many hours away from your home or commuting back and forth from classes. However, it's important that the school you pick 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 portion of the training, it's difficult to obtain the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs

Following is a series of questions that you will want to research for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your North Bethesda residence, in addition to the cost of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to 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 every school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician training program you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized 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 assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for getting student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous North Bethesda MD businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Every esthetician institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent 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, signifying that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with North Bethesda MD salon owners or managers, or someone working in the industry, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And finally, contact the Maryland school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing 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 imperative that you enroll in a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your vision is to start a North Bethesda MD 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 rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Studying and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty academy provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends predominantly on the use of mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for other schools that furnish this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's essential that he or she gets assistance in finding that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish help maintain relationships with North Bethesda MD businesses that are searching for qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are looking at 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 confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Offered?  Many esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department. Talk to 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 available to students also. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not discard it as an option before you find out what financial assistance may be offered.

More Info on How to Become an Aesthetician in North Bethesda

Enroll in the Best North Bethesda Esthetician Training

Picking and enrolling in the right esthetician school is essential to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the responses 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 good start in your due diligence process is to make certain that the academy and program you choose are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to begin your new career as a professional esthetician in North Bethesda Maryland.

 

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