How to Choose the Best Esthetician Training Near Charleston South Carolina
Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Charleston SC, the process begins to locate and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the school you select not only furnishes the necessary education for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you might be somewhat puzzled about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Charleston home. Tuition will additionally be a critical aspect when evaluating possible schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the best option. There are a number of other considerations that you should weigh when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of courses 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 Charleston South Carolina 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 Schools
Online esthetician schools are convenient for Charleston SC students who are working full-time and have family obligations 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 by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are frequently fast paced since many courses are as short as six or eight months. This means that a significant amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you're not devoting numerous hours away from your home or driving back and forth from classes. However, it's vital that the training program you select 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 difficult to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. 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 Aesthetician Training Courses
Below is a list of questions that you should investigate for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Charleston home, as well as the expense of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices 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 compiled some of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final determination.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make certain that the esthetician school you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized 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 may also be essential for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Charleston SC 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 Great Reputation? Any esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Charleston SC salon owners or managers, or someone working in the business, 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, consult the South Carolina school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly broaden 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 well regarded for that program. If your dream is to start a Charleston SC 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 ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.
Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Learning and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities demands lots of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy offers little or no scheduled live training, but rather relies predominantly on using mannequins, it may not be the best option for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that furnish this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's important that he or she gets support in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance develop relationships with Charleston SC businesses that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and businesses they refer students to. In addition, ask 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 Assistance Offered? Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. 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 available to students too. If a school meets each of your other qualifications except for cost, do not discard it as an alternative before you find out what financial help may be available.
Find Out How to Become an Esthetician in Charleston
Enroll in the Best Charleston Esthetician Training
Locating and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is important to obtain the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to consolidate all of the information you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that data to compare schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the academy and program you decide on are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you begin with that foundation, and address the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are ready to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Charleston South Carolina.
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