How to Select the Right Aesthetician College Near Burlington North Carolina
Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Burlington NC, the task starts to locate and enroll in the ideal program. It's essential that the school you select not only furnishes the appropriate education for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be a little bit unclear about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both relate 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 Burlington home. Tuition will also be a critical factor when evaluating prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not necessarily the best choice. There are several other factors that you should weigh when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of courses are available.
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Esthetics Training Programs
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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Burlington North Carolina spas and salons as well as resorts and medical facilities to provide a variety of treatments for their clients. Some of the typical duties of an esthetician include performing deep skin cleansing and treatments, hair removal, and massages. Estheticians also recommend skincare treatments, products, and regimens to their clients. Many estheticians are self-employed, which allows them to set their schedules and work where they wish. However, these professionals still often need to work evenings and weekends. These skin care specialists also spend much of their time standing and may be exposed to harmful chemicals. Certified estheticians have excellent customer service and communication skills. They're adept at time management, observation and monitoring and are competent in understanding and using the tools necessary for facial procedures and extractions. Certified estheticians are familiar with medical, spreadsheets, and word processing software. They present a professional appearance and have the physical fitness to stand for prolonged periods of time. A career in esthetics generally requires working evening and weekend hours.
Online Esthetician Schools
Online esthetician programs are accommodating for Burlington NC students who are employed full time and have family commitments that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are many web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty programs are often fast paced because many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a significant amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you're not devoting many hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's essential that the program you select can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to obtain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Esthetics Training Programs
Following is a list of questions that you should look into for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Burlington residence, in addition to the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional 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 need to ask each school before making a final decision.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make certain that the esthetician college 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 comply with their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for getting 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, many Burlington NC businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Every esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Burlington NC salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the industry, 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 last, consult the North Carolina school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, focusing on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you enroll in a school that focuses on 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 respected for that program. If your desire is to start a Burlington NC beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.
Is Any Live Training Provided? Learning and refining esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty school offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies heavily on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. So try to find alternate schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? Once a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's important that he or she receives assistance in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance maintain relationships with Burlington NC employers that are seeking skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and businesses they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Aid Offered? Many esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students also. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not drop it as an alternative until you determine what financial assistance may be offered.
More Info on How to Become an Esthetician in Burlington
Enroll in the Right Burlington Esthetician Course
Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician college is important to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Be sure to collect all of the information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the academy and program you select 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 reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. 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 Burlington North Carolina.
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