How to Select the Best Esthetician College Near Southbridge Massachusetts
Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Southbridge MA, the task starts to locate and enroll in the best program. It's essential that the program you select not only provides the necessary training for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be a little bit puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Southbridge home. Tuition will also be a critical consideration when reviewing prospective schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the best option. There are various other qualifications that you should weigh when comparing schools, such as 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 little bit about what kinds of programs are offered.
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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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Southbridge Massachusetts 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 Esthetics Courses
Online esthetician classes are advantageous for Southbridge MA students who are working full time and have family commitments that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are often fast paced given that many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are covering the same amount of material, but you're not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the training program you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to obtain the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.
Questions to Ask Aesthetician Programs
Following is a series of questions that you will want to look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Southbridge home, as well as the price of tuition, will undoubtedly 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 reduced your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have collected some of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician college 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically 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 Southbridge MA businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Any esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Southbridge MA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not thought of. And last, contact the Massachusetts 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? Many esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you enroll in a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your aspiration is to launch a Southbridge MA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly regarded school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you require.
Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided? Learning and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities involves plenty of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their developing talents on volunteers. If a beauty program furnishes little or no scheduled live training, but rather relies heavily on the use of mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's crucial that she or he gets support in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer aid maintain relationships with Southbridge MA businesses that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and inquire which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Assistance Offered? Almost all esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might qualify 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 meets each of your other qualifications except for cost, do not drop it as an alternative until you learn what financial aid may be available.
More Info on How to Become an Esthetician in Southbridge
Enroll in the Best Southbridge Esthetician Course
Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is important to get the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel confident about your decision. Don't forget to consolidate all of the information 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 procedure is to make sure that the school and program you pick are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you begin with that foundation, and answer the additional questions provided in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are ready to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Southbridge Massachusetts.
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