How to Select the Right Esthetician Course Near Kentwood Michigan

Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Kentwood MI, the task begins to search for and enroll in the best program. It's essential that the school you choose not only provides the proper training for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be rather puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Kentwood home. Tuition will likewise be a critical aspect when assessing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not necessarily the right choice. There are several other considerations that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what types of training programs are available.

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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 Kentwood 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 Esthetician Training

Online esthetician classes are advantageous for Kentwood MI students who are employed full time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are many web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed via a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are often fast paced because many courses 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 dealing with the same amount of material, but you are not spending many hours away from your home or commuting to and from classes. However, it's important that the training program you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs

Below is a series of questions that you will want to investigate for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Kentwood residence, in addition to the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want 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 initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled several of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician training program you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Kentwood MI businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Any esthetician institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional 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. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews together with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Kentwood MI salon owners or managers, or someone working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. And finally, contact the Michigan school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you select a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your goal 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 open a Kentwood 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 rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.

Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques demands lots of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their developing talents on real people. If a beauty school offers limited or no scheduled live training, but rather relies mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the best option for developing your skills. So look for other schools that provide this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's imperative that he or she gets help in finding that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide aid maintain relationships with Kentwood MI employers that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Additionally, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have broad 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. Ask if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you might qualify 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 satisfies each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not drop it as an alternative before you learn what financial help may be offered.

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Enroll in the Best Kentwood Esthetician Program

Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is important to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the institution and program you decide on are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Kentwood Michigan.

 

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