How to Find the Best Esthetician College Near Shaler Pennsylvania
Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Shaler PA, the task begins to find and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the program you pick not only furnishes the proper education for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be rather puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Shaler residence. Tuition will additionally be an important factor when evaluating possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the right option. There are various other qualifications that you should weigh when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of courses are offered.
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Esthetician 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 Shaler 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 classes are accommodating for Shaler PA students who are working full time and have family obligations that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs offered that can be attended by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty programs are typically fast paced given that many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a large amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you're not devoting many hours outside of your home or travelling to and from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the training program you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors in order that you also receive the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is provided in your area.
What to Ask Esthetics Training Programs
Below is a series of questions that you should look into for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Shaler home, in addition to the cost of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have collected several of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make certain that the esthetician school you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Shaler PA businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Any esthetician institute 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 references from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly demanded. Check rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Shaler PA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to propose others that you had not considered. And last, contact the Pennsylvania school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? Many esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating 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 typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you select a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your ambition 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 launch a Shaler 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 poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.
Is Enough Live Training Provided? Learning and mastering esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty school offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on the use of mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that offer this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's imperative that he or she gets assistance in finding that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide help develop relationships with Shaler PA businesses that are seeking skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have wide 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 reviewing have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students too. If a school meets all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not omit it as an alternative until you determine what financial aid may be offered.
More Info on How to Become an Esthetician in Shaler
Enroll in the Best Shaler Esthetician Course
Locating and enrolling in the right esthetician program is imperative to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to compile all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to contrast schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the academy and program you pick are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions provided in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are ready to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Shaler Pennsylvania.