How to Choose the Right Aesthetician Training Program Near Penn Hills Pennsylvania

Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Penn Hills PA, the process begins to find and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the school you pick not only provides the necessary training for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you may be rather puzzled about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Penn Hills residence. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when evaluating potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the right choice. There are several other qualifications that you should weigh when comparing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of training programs are offered.

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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 Penn Hills 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 Esthetician Courses

Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Penn Hills PA 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 web-based beauty school programs offered that can be attended via a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are typically fast paced due to the fact that many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours away from your home or driving to and from classes. However, it's essential that the program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to obtain the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Schools

Below is a list of questions that you will want to look into for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Penn Hills home, as well as the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have collected several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential to make certain 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for getting student loans or financial aid, which often are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Penn Hills PA employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Any esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to exceptional 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 sought after. Visit rating companies for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Penn Hills PA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the business, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. Finally, contact 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?  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 commonly broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you pick a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your objective 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 Penn Hills PA 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 require.

Is Enough Live Training Provided?  Studying and refining esthetician techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty school offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on using mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  When a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's essential that she or he gets aid in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish aid maintain relationships with Penn Hills PA employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and find out which salons and businesses they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered?  The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students as well. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not eliminate it as an option before you determine what financial aid may be offered.

Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Penn Hills

Enroll in the Right Penn Hills Esthetician Program

Locating and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is essential to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel confident about your decision. Be sure to collect all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the academy and program you decide on are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you begin with that foundation, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Penn Hills Pennsylvania.

 

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