How to Select the Best Aesthetician Program Near Raleigh North Carolina

Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Raleigh NC, the task starts to search for and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the school you select not only furnishes the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be somewhat unclear about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both pertain 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 Raleigh residence. Tuition will likewise be a critical consideration when evaluating potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not always the ideal choice. There are many other factors that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what types of courses are available.

It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Esthetician Career Below!

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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Raleigh North Carolina 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 Training

Online esthetician schools are convenient for Raleigh NC students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be attended via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are frequently fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a substantial portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not spending many hours away from your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's imperative that the program you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion 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 provided in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Schools

Below is a series of questions that you should investigate for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Raleigh residence, together with the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you wish 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 initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have compiled some of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician college you enroll in 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 comply with their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Raleigh NC businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Any 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 testimonials from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly sought after. Check rating services for reviews together with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Raleigh NC salon owners or managers, or any person working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. And finally, consult the North Carolina school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, such as 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 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 well regarded for that program. If your vision is to start a Raleigh 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 require.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Practicing and refining esthetician techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty academy offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that she or he receives support in finding that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide assistance develop relationships with Raleigh NC employers that are searching for qualified graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and inquire which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Many esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are investigating 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 belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students as well. If a school meets all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not omit it as an option before you find out what financial help may be provided.

Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Raleigh

Enroll in the Right Raleigh Esthetician Training

Picking and enrolling in the right esthetician school is important to receive the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel certain about your decision. Make certain to collect all of the responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to contrast schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the school and program you select are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you start with that base, and address the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Raleigh North Carolina.

 

Raleigh Esthetician Classes | Raleigh Medical Esthetician Schools