How to Find the Best Aesthetician College Near Westborough Massachusetts
Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Westborough MA, the process starts to find and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the school you choose not only provides the proper instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you might be somewhat puzzled about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Westborough home. Tuition will also be an important aspect when assessing potential schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the ideal choice. There are many other factors that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what types of training programs 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 Westborough 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 Training
Online esthetician programs are accommodating for Westborough MA students who are working full time and have family commitments that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are many web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed by means of a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty schools are typically fast paced since many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a considerable portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you're not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or commuting back and forth from classes. However, it's imperative that the program you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to acquire the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Esthetics Schools
Below is a list of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Westborough home, together with the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn 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 must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential to make certain that the esthetician school you pick 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Westborough MA businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Any esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating companies for reviews together with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Westborough MA salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. And finally, consult the Massachusetts school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in total compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? Many esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you enroll in a school that specializes in 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 well regarded for that program. If your vision is to launch a Westborough MA beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly regarded school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.
Is Any Hands-On Training Provided? Studying and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy furnishes minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that furnish this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that she or he gets assistance in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish help maintain relationships with Westborough MA businesses that are seeking skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and find out which salons and organizations 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 Aid Available? Almost all esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students as well. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an option before you find out what financial aid may be offered.
Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Westborough
Enroll in the Right Westborough Esthetician Course
Selecting and enrolling in the right esthetician program is important to receive the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. 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 information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the college and program you decide on are accredited and have excellent reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions presented 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 confident that you are ready to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Westborough Massachusetts.
Westborough Aesthetician Schools Near Me | Westborough Esthetician Schools Near Me