How to Select the Right Esthetician Course Near Oxon Hill Maryland

Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Oxon Hill MD, the process starts to find and enroll in the ideal program. It's important that the school you pick not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you might be a little bit puzzled about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Oxon Hill home. Tuition will additionally be a critical consideration when reviewing prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the best option. There are many other factors that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask about 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 offered.

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Esthetics 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 Oxon Hill 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 Classes

Online esthetician schools are accommodating for Oxon Hill MD students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed through a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty programs are typically fast paced since many programs are as short as six or eight months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. However, it's imperative that the program you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors so that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to obtain the skills required to work in any facet 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.

Questions to Ask Aesthetician Degree Programs

Following is a list of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Oxon Hill home, together with the expense of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have collected several of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician training program you choose 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 ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for getting student loans or financial aid, which often are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many Oxon Hill 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 Good Reputation?  Each esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to exceptional reputation within the field. 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, showing that their students are highly sought after. Check rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Oxon Hill MD 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 recommend others that you had not thought of. And last, check with the Maryland school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Many esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, focusing on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you select a school that focuses on 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 Oxon Hill MD beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Practicing and refining esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty academy furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but rather depends heavily on using mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for cultivating your skills. Therefore search 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 crucial that he or she receives aid in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish help develop relationships with Oxon Hill MD employers that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and ask which salons and businesses they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  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 find out 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 offered to students also. If a school meets all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not omit it as an alternative before you determine what financial help may be provided.

Learn How to Become an Esthetician in Oxon Hill

Enroll in the Right Oxon Hill Esthetician Program

Picking and enrolling in the right esthetician school is essential to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Don't forget to compile all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that data to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the college and program you decide on are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you start 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 selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are qualified to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Oxon Hill Maryland.

 

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