How to Pick the Best Aesthetician Training Program Near Allentown Pennsylvania

Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Allentown PA, the process begins to locate and enroll in the ideal program. It's essential that the school you choose not only provides the proper training for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be rather confused about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Allentown residence. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when evaluating possible schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it's not always the right option. There are several other qualifications that you should weigh when analyzing 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 within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of courses 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 Allentown Pennsylvania 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 classes are accommodating for Allentown PA students who are employed full-time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many online cosmetology school programs available that can be attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are often fast paced since many programs are as short 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're not spending numerous hours away from your home or driving to and from classes. On the other hand, it's imperative that the school you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs

Below is a series of questions that you should research for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school relative to your Allentown home, as well as the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's essential 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 organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Allentown PA employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Any esthetician institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Allentown PA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the industry, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to propose others that you had not considered. Finally, contact the Pennsylvania school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  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 specific specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you enroll in a school that specializes in 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 well regarded for that program. If your vision is to start a Allentown PA 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 require.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Learning and perfecting esthetician techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on volunteers. Check 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 developing skills on real people. If a beauty academy offers limited or no scheduled live training, but rather depends heavily on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that offer this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's important that he or she gets assistance in finding that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with Allentown PA employers that are looking for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Offered?  The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Speak with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students also. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not drop it as an option before you determine what financial aid may be available.

Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Allentown

Enroll in the Best Allentown Esthetician Course

Selecting and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is imperative to obtain the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel certain about your decision. Don't forget to consolidate all of the information you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that information to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the institution and program you pick are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Allentown Pennsylvania.

 

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