How to Select the Best Esthetician Training Program Near Starkville Mississippi
Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Starkville MS, the process begins to search for and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the school you choose not only provides the appropriate training for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you may be rather unclear about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Starkville home. Tuition will also be an important aspect when evaluating potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the right choice. There are various other considerations that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for instance 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 available.
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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 Starkville 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 Esthetician Schools
Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Starkville MS students who are employed full-time and have family obligations that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs offered that can be attended via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are often fast paced since many programs are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large 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 travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's essential that the training program you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors to ensure that you also get the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to acquire the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.
Questions to Ask Aesthetician Training Programs
Below is a list of questions that you will want to investigate for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Starkville home, as well as the price of tuition, will probably 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 reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have collected several of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for acquiring 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, a number of Starkville MS employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Every esthetician institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good 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, attesting that their students are highly demanded. Check rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Starkville MS salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not looked into. And finally, check with the Mississippi school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? Many esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all areas 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 essential that you decide on a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your objective 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 start a Starkville MS beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.
Is Enough Live Training Provided? Learning and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty school offers little or no scheduled live training, but rather relies predominantly on the use of mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for developing your skills. So look for alternate schools that furnish this type of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? When a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's crucial that he or she receives assistance in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide assistance maintain relationships with Starkville MS businesses that are seeking qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students too. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not eliminate it as an alternative until you determine what financial assistance may be offered.
More Info on How to Become an Aesthetician in Starkville
Enroll in the Right Starkville Esthetician Course
Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is important to get the proper 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. Don't forget to collect all of the information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize 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 certain that the school and program you pick are accredited and have impressive reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, 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 proper choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Starkville Mississippi.
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