How to Select the Best Esthetician School Near Columbus Mississippi

Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Columbus MS, the process starts to find and enroll in the best program. It's imperative that the program you pick not only provides the necessary education for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you might be somewhat unclear about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are essentially 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 Columbus home. Tuition will likewise be a critical consideration when evaluating potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not automatically the ideal option. There are various other factors that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, such as 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 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 Columbus Mississippi 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 Programs

Online esthetician schools are convenient for Columbus MS students who are employed full-time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based beauty school programs available that can be attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are frequently fast paced because many programs are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you are not spending numerous hours away from your home or driving back and forth from classes. However, it's essential that the program you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors in order that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetician Degree Programs

Following is a series of questions that you will want to look into for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school relative to your Columbus residence, together with the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably 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 take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have collected some of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential to make certain that the esthetician college you choose 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which often are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Columbus MS employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Each esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. 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, indicating that their students are highly demanded. Check rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Columbus MS salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to propose others that you had not looked into. And finally, consult the Mississippi school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing 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 typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you choose a school that focuses on 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 dream is to launch a Columbus MS beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you need.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Studying and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques requires plenty 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 campus that make it possible for students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on using mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. So try to find other schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's essential that he or she receives support in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer assistance develop relationships with Columbus MS businesses that are seeking skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available?  Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students too. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications except for expense, do not omit it as an alternative until you learn what financial assistance may be offered.

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Enroll in the Best Columbus Esthetician Program

Picking and enrolling in the right esthetician school is essential to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel certain about your decision. Make certain to compile all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to compare schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the academy and program you select 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 selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are qualified to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Columbus Mississippi.

 

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