How to Choose the Right Aesthetician College Near Towson Maryland
Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Towson MD, the task begins to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It's essential that the school you pick not only furnishes the necessary training for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be a little bit unclear 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 type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Towson residence. Tuition will also be a critical consideration when evaluating possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the best choice. There are a number of other qualifications that you should evaluate when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of training programs are offered.
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Esthetics Training Programs
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 Towson 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 Esthetician Training
Online esthetician programs are accommodating for Towson MD students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology programs are often fast paced because many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a substantial portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not devoting many hours outside of your home or commuting to and from classes. However, it's imperative that the program you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is provided in your area.
Questions to Ask Aesthetician Training Programs
Below is a list of questions that you will want to look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Towson home, together with the price of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly 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 need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have compiled some of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final determination.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician college you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential 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 final benefit, numerous Towson 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? Every esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Towson MD salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the industry, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not looked into. Finally, consult the Maryland school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? Many esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive 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 frequently expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you select 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 launch a Towson 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 regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you require.
Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Practicing and refining esthetician techniques and abilities requires lots of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty school furnishes little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on using mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that offer this type of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's imperative that he or she gets aid in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide help develop relationships with Towson MD employers that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Speak with a counselor and learn 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 also. If a school meets all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not eliminate it as an option until you learn what financial assistance may be provided.
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Enroll in the Best Towson Esthetician Course
Choosing and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is important to obtain the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the responses you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence process is to make certain that the college and program you pick are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you begin with that foundation, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Towson Maryland.
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