How to Choose the Right Esthetician Program Near Northampton Pennsylvania

Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Northampton PA, the process begins to locate and enroll in the best program. It's imperative that the school you pick not only provides the necessary instruction for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your initial search, you may be rather confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Northampton residence. Tuition will also be a critical factor when reviewing possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not automatically the right choice. There are several other considerations that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of training programs 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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Northampton 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 Courses

Online esthetician programs are convenient for Northampton PA students who are employed full-time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are many online beauty school programs offered that can be attended through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are often fast paced given that many courses are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours away from your home or driving back and forth from classes. However, it's vital that the training program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive 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 choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Trade Schools

Below is a series of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Northampton residence, in addition to the expense of tuition, will most likely be your first 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 options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected several of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's essential to make certain that the esthetician training program you pick 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 comply with their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which typically are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Northampton PA employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Each esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating companies for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Northampton 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 may even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And finally, check with the Pennsylvania school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Many 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, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often 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 intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your vision is to start a Northampton PA 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 regarded school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you need.

Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their developing talents on volunteers. If a beauty school offers little or no scheduled live training, but rather depends heavily on the use of mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for cultivating your skills. So search for alternate schools that provide this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that he or she receives aid in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with Northampton PA employers that are seeking trained 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. Also, 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 regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Speak with 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 offered to students as well. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not omit it as an option until you find out what financial aid may be provided.

Learn How to Become an Aesthetician in Northampton

Enroll in the Right Northampton Esthetician Training

Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician school is imperative to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Make sure to collect all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that data to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure 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 foundation, and address the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to begin your new career as a professional esthetician in Northampton Pennsylvania.

 

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