How to Choose the Right Esthetician School Near Jacksonville North Carolina

Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Jacksonville NC, the process starts to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It's important that the program you pick not only furnishes the proper instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your preliminary search, you may be a little bit unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially 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 Jacksonville home. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when evaluating prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not automatically the best option. There are various other considerations that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what types of courses are offered.

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Esthetician 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 Jacksonville 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 Classes

Online esthetician classes are advantageous for Jacksonville NC students who are working full time and have family commitments that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs available that can be accessed via a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are frequently fast paced since many programs are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's imperative that the school you pick can provide internship training in local salons and parlors in order that you also receive the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to obtain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Trade Schools

Following is a series of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Jacksonville residence, together with the price of tuition, will most likely be your primary qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue 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 supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician school you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified 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 superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which often are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many Jacksonville NC employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Any esthetician institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating companies for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Jacksonville NC salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. And finally, check with the North Carolina school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular 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 pick a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your goal 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 start a Jacksonville NC 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 provide the training you need.

Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided?  Studying and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided 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 growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. So try to find alternate schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's crucial that he or she receives help in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide help develop relationships with Jacksonville NC employers that are seeking qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and find out 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 available to students as well. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not eliminate it as an option before you find out what financial aid may be offered.

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Enroll in the Best Jacksonville Esthetician Course

Selecting and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is imperative to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel confident about your decision. Make sure to collect all of the responses 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 start in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the school and program you choose are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and address the additional questions provided in this article, you will be able to narrow down 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 start your new career as a professional esthetician in Jacksonville North Carolina.

 

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