How to Choose the Best Esthetician School Near Scranton Pennsylvania

Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Scranton PA, the task begins to search for and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the school you select not only provides the necessary training for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you may be a little bit unclear 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 type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Scranton residence. Tuition will likewise be a critical factor when evaluating potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it's not necessarily the right choice. There are many other considerations that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are considering later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of programs are available.

It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Esthetician Career Below!

Esthetics Certificates and Degrees

There are essentially two pathways offered to get esthetician training and a credential after completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) program, or you can work toward an Associate's degree. Certificate programs typically take 12 to 18 months to finish, while an Associate's degree commonly takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be instructed in each of the main areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are available if you want to specialize in just one area, for instance esthetics. A degree program will also likely incorporate management and marketing training to ensure that graduates are better prepared to run a salon or other Scranton PA business. Higher degrees are not common, but Bachelor and Master's degree programs are offered in such specializations as salon or spa management. Whichever type of course you go with, it's important to make certain that it's approved by the Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology. Many states only approve schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded organizations, including the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will cover the advantages of accreditation for the school you select in the following segment.

Online Esthetics Programs

Online esthetician schools are convenient for Scranton PA students who are employed full-time and have family commitments that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based beauty school programs offered that can be attended by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are frequently fast paced since many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you're not spending numerous hours away from your home or driving back and forth from classes. However, it's important that the program you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors so that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Aesthetician Training Programs

Following is a list of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Scranton home, together with the price of tuition, will probably be your initial 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 even more factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have compiled some of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician college you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Scranton PA businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Every esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Scranton PA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, 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 finally, check with 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?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you choose a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your desire is to open a Scranton 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 rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you need.

Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided?  Studying and refining esthetician techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty school offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies mainly on the use of mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for acquiring your skills. So search for other schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's essential that he or she gets aid in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with Scranton PA businesses that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are looking at 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 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 looking at have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students too. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not eliminate it as an option before you find out what financial aid may be provided.

Find Out How to Become an Esthetician in Scranton

Enroll in the Right Scranton Esthetician Training

Choosing and enrolling in the right esthetician program is imperative to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to consolidate all of the responses you get from the beauty 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 procedure is to make sure that the institution and program you decide on are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to start your career as a professional esthetician in Scranton Pennsylvania.

 

Scranton Esthetician Schools | Scranton Esthetician Schools Online