How to Select the Right Esthetician School Near Holyoke Massachusetts

Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Holyoke MA, the process starts to find and enroll in the ideal program. It's essential that the program you choose not only furnishes the appropriate training for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you might be somewhat unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Holyoke residence. Tuition will also be a critical aspect when assessing potential schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not always the best option. There are various other qualifications that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of courses are available.

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Esthetician 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 Holyoke 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 classes are advantageous for Holyoke MA students who are employed full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are often fast paced because many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a significant amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you're not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or driving to and from classes. However, it's important that the training program you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to gain the skills necessary 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 Esthetics Training Courses

Following is a series of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Holyoke residence, together with the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected several of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician school you pick 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 meet their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for obtaining 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, many Holyoke MA employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Each 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 references from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Verify 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 agencies. If you have any relationships with Holyoke MA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the business, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not looked into. And last, consult the Massachusetts school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Many esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for instance 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 focuses on your area of interest. Since your ambition 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 Holyoke MA 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 deliver the training you require.

Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and refining esthetician skills and techniques requires lots of practice on people. Check 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 enable students to practice their developing talents on volunteers. If a beauty program offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies heavily on the use of mannequins, it may not be the best option for acquiring your skills. So try to find other schools that offer 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 gets support in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance maintain relationships with Holyoke MA businesses that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and find out which salons and businesses they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available?  The majority of esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and identify 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 offered to students also. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not drop it as an alternative before you determine what financial assistance may be provided.

Find Out How to Become an Esthetician in Holyoke

Enroll in the Best Holyoke Esthetician Course

Locating and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is important to obtain the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel confident about your decision. Make certain to collect all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that information to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the college and program you choose are accredited and have impressive reputations within the profession. If you begin with that base, and address the additional questions presented in this article, 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 examination, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Holyoke Massachusetts.

 

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