How to Enroll In the Best Aesthetician Training Near Lower Merion Pennsylvania
Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Lower Merion PA, the process begins to locate and enroll in the best program. It's important that the school you select not only furnishes the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you might be somewhat confused about the difference 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 choose a school that is within driving distance of your Lower Merion home. Tuition will also be an important aspect when evaluating prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not automatically the right choice. There are various other factors that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what types of programs are available.
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Esthetician 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 Lower Merion 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 advantageous for Lower Merion PA students who are employed full-time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed through a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are frequently fast paced given that many courses are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are dealing with the same volume 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 training program you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to obtain the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is provided in your area.
What to Ask Esthetician Trade Schools
Following is a series of questions that you need to look into for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Lower Merion home, as well as the price of tuition, will most likely 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 options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have compiled some of those supplemental questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's essential to make sure that the esthetician school you pick 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 measure up to their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Lower Merion PA employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Any esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent 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 placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Lower Merion PA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And finally, contact the Pennsylvania school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you decide on a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your objective 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 aspiration is to launch a Lower Merion PA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.
Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided? Learning and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities demands lots of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty school provides limited or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on using mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for acquiring your skills. So search for other schools that furnish this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's imperative that she or he receives help in finding that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance maintain relationships with Lower Merion PA businesses that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and organizations 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 Offered? Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Speak with a counselor and learn 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 accessible to students as well. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not drop it as an alternative until you determine what financial assistance may be provided.
Learn How to Become an Aesthetician in Lower Merion
Enroll in the Right Lower Merion Esthetician Program
Finding and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is imperative to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the information you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that data to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the college and program you pick are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you begin with that base, and address the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are ready to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Lower Merion Pennsylvania.
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