How to Find the Right Aesthetician College Near Silver Spring Maryland

Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Silver Spring MD, the process begins to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It's essential that the program you select not only provides the proper training for the specialty you have decided on, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your initial search, you might be rather confused about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Silver Spring residence. Tuition will also be an important aspect when evaluating potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not necessarily the right choice. There are several other qualifications that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what types of 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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Silver Spring 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 Training

Online esthetician classes are advantageous for Silver Spring MD students who are employed full time and have family obligations that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are many web-based beauty school programs available that can be attended by means of a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are frequently fast paced since many courses 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 amount of material, but you're not devoting many hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. However, it's vital that the training program you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors so that you also get the hands-on training required for a comprehensive 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 don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetician Training Classes

Below is a list of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Silver Spring residence, together with the cost of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you wish 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 even more factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have put together some of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make certain that the esthetician college you pick 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many Silver Spring MD employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Any esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly sought after. Check rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Silver Spring MD salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the business, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to propose others that you had not looked into. And finally, consult the Maryland school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating 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 often expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you pick a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your aspiration is to open a Silver Spring MD beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Learning and perfecting esthetician techniques and abilities involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing talents on volunteers. If a beauty academy offers little or no scheduled live training, but rather relies predominantly on using mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's imperative that she or he receives help in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish help develop relationships with Silver Spring MD employers that are looking for skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and businesses they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have wide 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. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students as well. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not eliminate it as an option until you find out what financial aid may be available.

Learn How to Become an Aesthetician in Silver Spring

Enroll in the Best Silver Spring Esthetician Course

Locating and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program 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 certain 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 use that data to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence process is to make certain that the institution and program you choose are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you begin 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. Once you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are ready to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Silver Spring Maryland.

 

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