How to Find the Right Esthetician Program Near South Laurel Maryland

Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near South Laurel MD, the process starts to locate and enroll in the ideal program. It's important that the school you choose not only furnishes the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be a little bit unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your South Laurel residence. Tuition will likewise be a critical aspect when assessing possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not automatically the right choice. There are several other considerations that you should evaluate when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what kinds of training programs are available.

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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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their South Laurel 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 South Laurel MD students who are working full-time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous online beauty school programs available that can be accessed through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are frequently fast paced given that many programs are as short as six or eight months. This means that a significant amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you are not devoting many hours outside of your home or travelling to and from classes. On the other hand, it's vital that the program you select can provide internship training in local salons and parlors so that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs

Following is a list of questions that you should research for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your South Laurel residence, as well as the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you would like to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected some of those supplemental 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 acknowledged local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of South Laurel MD businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Any esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the industry. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating companies for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with South Laurel MD salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to propose others that you had not considered. And finally, check with the Maryland school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Many esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, focusing on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand 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 sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your vision is to start a South Laurel 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 ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.

Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and refining esthetician skills and techniques demands plenty of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy furnishes minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on the use of mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. So try to find alternate schools that furnish this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that she or he receives help in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish aid maintain relationships with South Laurel MD employers that are seeking trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and find out 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 wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Consult with 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 too. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not eliminate it as an alternative until you find out what financial help may be available.

Find Out How to Become an Esthetician in South Laurel

Enroll in the Right South Laurel Esthetician Training

Selecting and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is imperative to get the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel confident about your decision. Make sure to collect all of the responses 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 reasonable start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the school and program you choose are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you start with that base, and address the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to start your new career as a professional esthetician in South Laurel Maryland.

 

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