How to Enroll In the Best Esthetician School Near Kalamazoo Michigan
Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Kalamazoo MI, the process begins to locate and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the school you pick not only furnishes the appropriate education for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you might be rather unclear about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Kalamazoo home. Tuition will likewise be an important factor when reviewing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not automatically the right choice. There are a number of other considerations that you should weigh when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what types of courses are offered.
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Esthetician 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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Kalamazoo Michigan 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 Esthetics Courses
Online esthetician classes are convenient for Kalamazoo MI students who are employed full-time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed through a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are typically fast paced given that many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a significant portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you're not devoting numerous hours away from your home or driving to and from classes. On the other hand, it's essential that the program you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also get the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to acquire the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. 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 Esthetician Training Programs
Below is a list of questions that you should research for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Kalamazoo home, as well as the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish 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 additional factors that you must research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have put together several of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician school you select 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 measure up to their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for securing student loans or financial aid, which often are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Kalamazoo MI employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Every esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating companies for reviews together with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Kalamazoo MI salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the trade, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to propose others that you had not looked into. And finally, check with the Michigan school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific 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 sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your desire is to start a Kalamazoo MI beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.
Is Any Live Training Provided? Studying and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques requires lots of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology lessons 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 academy provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends predominantly on the use of mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for acquiring your skills. So search for other schools that furnish this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that he or she gets support in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide assistance develop relationships with Kalamazoo MI employers that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and find out 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 available to students as well. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not drop it as an alternative before you learn what financial assistance may be offered.
Learn How to Become an Aesthetician in Kalamazoo
Enroll in the Best Kalamazoo Esthetician Training
Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician college is important to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to consolidate 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 contrast schools. A good start in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the college and program you choose 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 narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to start your career as a professional esthetician in Kalamazoo Michigan.
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