How to Choose the Right Esthetician Program Near Amesbury Massachusetts
Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Amesbury MA, the task starts to find and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the program you pick 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 a little bit unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Amesbury home. Tuition will also be an important factor when assessing possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it's not always the ideal option. There are several other factors that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of courses are available.
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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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Amesbury Massachusetts 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 Programs
Online esthetician programs are accommodating for Amesbury MA students who are working full-time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are many online beauty school programs offered that can be attended via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty schools are typically fast paced given that many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not devoting many hours away from your home or commuting to and from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.
Questions to Ask Aesthetician Training Courses
Below is a list of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Amesbury home, as well as the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue 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 additional factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have put together some of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final determination.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential to make certain that the esthetician school you enroll in 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Amesbury MA employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Every esthetician institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly demanded. Check rating services for reviews together with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Amesbury MA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. And last, contact the Massachusetts school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in total 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 commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you decide on 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 aspiration is to launch a Amesbury MA beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you need.
Is Any Hands-On Training Provided? Learning and refining esthetician techniques and abilities requires lots of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty program provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather depends heavily on using mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for other schools that furnish this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? Once a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's imperative that she or he gets support in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide help develop relationships with Amesbury MA employers that are seeking qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Many esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students also. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an alternative until you find out what financial aid may be provided.
Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Amesbury
Enroll in the Right Amesbury Esthetician Training
Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician college is important to obtain the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Don't forget to collect all of the information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to contrast schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the institution and program you select are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Amesbury Massachusetts.
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