How to Choose the Best Esthetician Program Near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Pittsburgh PA, the process starts to locate and enroll in the ideal program. It's important that the program you pick not only furnishes the appropriate education for the specialty you have decided on, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be rather confused about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Pittsburgh home. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when reviewing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not automatically the best option. There are many other considerations that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of courses 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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania spas and salons as well as resorts and medical facilities to provide a variety of treatments for their clients. Some of the typical duties of an esthetician include performing deep skin cleansing and treatments, hair removal, and massages. Estheticians also recommend skincare treatments, products, and regimens to their clients. Many estheticians are self-employed, which allows them to set their schedules and work where they wish. However, these professionals still often need to work evenings and weekends. These skin care specialists also spend much of their time standing and may be exposed to harmful chemicals. Certified estheticians have excellent customer service and communication skills. They're adept at time management, observation and monitoring and are competent in understanding and using the tools necessary for facial procedures and extractions. Certified estheticians are familiar with medical, spreadsheets, and word processing software. They present a professional appearance and have the physical fitness to stand for prolonged periods of time. A career in esthetics generally requires working evening and weekend hours.
Online Esthetician Schools
Online esthetician schools are convenient for Pittsburgh PA students who are employed full-time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous online beauty school programs offered that can be attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are frequently fast paced given that many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours away from your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the school you pick can provide internship training in nearby 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 impossible to obtain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.
What to Ask Esthetics Schools
Below is a series of questions that you will want to research for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Pittsburgh residence, as well as the expense of tuition, will probably be your primary qualifiers. Whether you would like to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have put together some of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final determination.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's essential to make certain that the esthetician school 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for securing student loans or financial aid, which often are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Pittsburgh PA employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Great Reputation? Any esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Pittsburgh PA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. And last, contact the Pennsylvania school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive 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 often expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you enroll in a school that focuses on 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 respected for that program. If your vision is to open a Pittsburgh PA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach 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 Any Live Training Provided? Learning and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty program provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather depends predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for acquiring your skills. So search for other schools that provide this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? Once a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's crucial that she or he gets aid in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance develop relationships with Pittsburgh PA employers that are looking for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? The majority of esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and find out 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 accessible to students too. If a school meets each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not drop it as an option before you determine what financial aid may be provided.
Learn How to Become an Esthetician in Pittsburgh
Enroll in the Best Pittsburgh Esthetician Training
Locating and enrolling in the right esthetician program is important to receive the proper 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. Make sure to compile all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the academy and program you choose are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, 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 right selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are ready to start your career as a professional esthetician in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
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