How to Find the Right Esthetician Program Near Oakland Michigan

Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Oakland MI, the process begins to find and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the school you choose not only provides the necessary training for the specialty you have decided on, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your preliminary search, you may be a little bit confused 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 kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Oakland home. Tuition will also be an important consideration when assessing prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not always the right choice. There are various other factors that you should evaluate when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what types 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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Oakland 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 Schools

Online esthetician classes are accommodating for Oakland MI students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be attended via a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are typically fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as short 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 are not spending numerous hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. However, it's essential that the training program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also receive the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Training Classes

Following is a list of questions that you should investigate for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Oakland residence, together with the cost of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled several of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's essential to make certain that the esthetician college you select is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for securing student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered 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 Oakland MI businesses 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 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 regarded. Check rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Oakland MI salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. Finally, consult 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 Focus?  A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive 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 essential that you choose a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your dream is to open a Oakland MI beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach 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 need.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies mainly on the use of mannequins, it might not be the best option for cultivating your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that furnish this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  When a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's essential that he or she receives aid in finding that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer help develop relationships with Oakland MI businesses that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available?  The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are looking at 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 satisfies each of your other qualifications except for cost, do not discard it as an alternative before you find out what financial help may be offered.

Find Out How to Become an Esthetician in Oakland

Enroll in the Right Oakland Esthetician Course

Locating and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is essential to get the appropriate 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. Make sure to collect all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to compare schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the college and program you decide on are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions provided in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are ready to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Oakland Michigan.

 

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